If you had to describe Warrnambool as though we were speaking to someone who’d never been – what would you say? Would you mention the quality roads, the waste services and adequate infrastructure? No, you’d tell them about its picturesque beauty, the natural wonders, the whales and the penguins, the cafes and the great family adventures to be had.

In posing this question Wishart gallery Curator and Artist, Gareth Colliton demonstrated a wonderful point about why people travel. Not for the roads or the health services, but for the art, the culture, the architecture. He reasoned that experiences with art and culture are what we as humans live for, and that governments on the whole have seemingly lost sight of this. In a perfect world, there would be artists in all tiers of Government, having input into decision-making across the board. Unlikely, given the tight fiscal environment facing local government in particular, however there is certainly merit in having public art as an underlining consideration in infrastructure projects and town planning.

Who knew that Warrnambool had such a wealth of hidden art gems! Take a tour through the laneways of the CBD and you’ll find not only large commissioned works adorning the walls, look and you’ll find all the guerrilla artworks and sculptures. It’s a constantly changing landscape and one which artist-run initiative, the F project, www.thefproject.org.au is very proud of www.warrnamboolstreetart.com

The F Project aim to encourage and support community artists and contemporary arts practice, while promoting social change and exploring creative engagement opportunities. Their contemporary gallery has a retail shop, a workshop space, and an artist-in-residence studio available to foster the production and exhibition of local art. More promotion of this studio space and residence is paramount to ensure its ongoing viability, and would also serve to celebrate the wonderful work from the local volunteer group.

Thanks to our presenters Vanessa Gerrans – Director Warrnambool Art Gallery www.thewag.com.au, Gareth Colliton – Curator, Wishart Gallery www.wishartgallery.com.au and Jill Rivers – Arts for Wellness Advocate.