Artists selected for Skipton art project

Published on 14 February 2022

Skipton’s new public art project will celebrate a much-loved mammal that resides in the heart of town.

Melbourne-based artist Mike Makatron will team up with artist-led consultancy Artbox to deliver two pieces of public art featuring the platypus.

The first will be a large-scale mural on the wall of Emu Café on the corner of Montgomery and Anderson Streets.

The second will be a prominent platypus and reeds sculpture near the banks of Mount Emu Creek in Stewart Park, which will be easily viewed from the Glenelg Highway.

Community Reference Group member Malcolm Sanders said the project had received a lot of interest with more than 30 submissions from artists across the country.

“There was an excellent standard with some high-profile public artists,” Mr Sanders said.

“It was exciting to see that, and it was really hard to narrow down to four artists.”

He said the four short-listed artists were invited to present their proposal to the group in December.

“The final four produced really interesting responses to the brief,” Mr Sanders said.

“Every single one of them we liked a lot and each captured a really interesting aspect of our community.”

After lengthy conversations, the group selected the mural and sculpture proposal by Mike Makatron and Artbox.

“What we like about it as a group is that it’s a beautiful and accessible piece of public art for the community. The artist really saw the community and reflected what it was.”

“It celebrates a significant natural feature of the town, that is the platypus that live in the community,” Mr Sanders said.

Mike Makatron is a Melbourne-based painter who has been producing public art for 20 years. He has travelled the world creating large-scale murals and installations. He will work with Artbox, an artist-led consultancy that supports artists to make their best work.

Artbox Co-Founder Leo Gester said he was really looking forward to working with Mike Makatron to deliver public art for the Skipton community.

“Through researching Skipton’s heritage and history, we considered a number of defining features of the town,” Mr Gester said.

“While it was evident that Skipton owes a lot to its sheep and shearing industries – even its name – we felt that this was a trait shared broadly across Australia, and Skipton deserves better than to be treated like any other rural town.

“On the other hand, we’re not aware of any other place on earth that can claim to have platypuses living in the heart of town.

“We’re thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to celebrate this uniquely Australian fauna with a mural and a landmark sculpture that will be seen prominently from the Glenelg Highway,” Mr Gester said.

North Ward Councillor Nick Cole said the project (not to be confused with a separate Jimmi Buscombe art project in Skipton) was expected to be completed by May.

He thanked Community Reference Group members for volunteering their time to oversee the project.

“The people involved all want something great for Skipton, so it has been a really constructive process,” Cr Cole said.