Bayside Council’s sculpture by the bay exhibition will be back next year including its $50,000 prize money following a 200 per cent increase in visitors this year.
People travelled from the inner west and the north shore as well as across the Bayside Local Government Area to view the exhibition of 30 sculptures in Cook Park, Kyeemagh in April.
Following the success, Bayside Council has approved $50,000 for the Bayside Acquisitive Sculpture Prize for 2019.
The council has held the Arts Festival on Botany Bay for the past seven years, with the Sculptures@Bayside exhibition at Kyeemagh the centrepiece of the celebrations of the arts.
This year the council provided a prize pool of $61,500 including the main prize of $50,000, won by Joy Heylan for her sculpture, The Crab.
Bayside’s prize compares favorably with major sculpture prizes nationally including Sculptures by the Sea at Bondi ($70,000) and Melbourne’s Prize for Urban Culture ($60,000).
The introduction of the prize led to an expanded and more successful sculpture exhibition and an increase in community expectation, the council’s report said.
Bayside Council received 43 applications to exhibit this year, a 60 per cent increase on last year, with 30 sculptures chosen to exhibit.
Approximately 40000 people visited the exhibition between April 15 and 29 and more than 1200 voted in the People’s Choice Award, compared with 130 in 2017.
The council received positive feedback from the public.
People praised the location, particularly the Cook Park setting near the water, and the layout of the sculptures.
The exhibition was compared favourably with other sculpture exhibitions particularly the accessibility of the site and the availability of parking.
Planning will soon start on the 2019 Sculptures@Bayside exhibition with the council calling for entries prior to Christmas.
Some artists are already making contact with the council about next year’s exhibition.