Harmony’s creative initiative brings public art to community spaces

July 14, 2023

Palmview’s largest masterplanned community – Harmony by AVID Property Group (AVID) – has today launched its first outdoor art gallery, Artspace, an exploration of community and place through a creative lens and in so doing, showcasing the talent that exists within Harmony and the wider Sunshine Coast region.

According to Australia Council for the Arts’ August 2020 Creating our Future report, an increasing majority (84 per cent) of Australians acknowledge the positive impact art has on communities, up from 75 per cent in 2016 .

AVID General Manager Queensland Bruce Harper said the Artspace was the perfect opportunity for a carefully selected group of local artists and our residents to come together and connect over their shared love of the Arts and their Harmony community.

“With nearly every Australian engaging with the Arts in some way1, we wanted to create a space within our community where our residents could truly connect with each other and learn more about their neighbours and surroundings,” Mr Harper said.

“Each art piece was commissioned to tell a unique story of Harmony, and we are excited to be able to share these vibrant stories with our residents and the broader Sunshine Coast community.

“People are having significantly less face-to-face contact with their neighbours at the moment, which means we are having to think of innovative ways to create opportunities for people to come together and connect – safely.”

Public art is more than enhancing the look and feel of a community, it’s about creating a sense of place – a fact not lost on AVID who understands that public art not only shapes the community’s identity but connects residents to their community.

“At Harmony, we have a dedicated Community Development Officer – Susana Waldron – who has worked hand-in-hand with each artist to bring their vision of Harmony to life,” Mr Harper said.

Nine local artists have contributed to Harmony’s Artspace, with work ranging from landscapes to abstract works, from Alison Mooney, Gus Eagleton, Mieke van den Berg, Jim Cox, Pam Walpole, Shyanne Clarke, Steven Bordonaro, Kym Tabulo and Nicole Voevodin-Cash.

Sunshine Coast Deputy Mayor Councillor Rick Baberowski said that to support your own local arts industry is to recognise that helping to create original and creative content is as essential as it is enjoyable.

“The Sunshine Coast region is fortunate to be home to an abundance of creative people in all sorts of ways but, like many sectors, the Arts have been hit hard by the current crisis – that’s why I’m particularly pleased to be opening Harmony’s Artspace,” Cr Baberowski said.

“Despite everything we are going through during the pandemic, it’s smart to continue investing in our creative sectors as engines of imaginative ideas and added value.

“Skill and beauty in any art form are great unifiers and, more often than not, lifts our spirits and speaks to us all − it’s courageous and exciting to see Harmony and the AVID team take the initiative to create this space and support the local arts industry by commissioning a number of talented local artists.”

Harmony’s Artspace is located in Harmony Display World, off Harmony Boulevard via Peter Crosby Way.