It’s a hat-trick for Logan City Council and the Logan Art Gallery.
Logan’s Public Art and Heritage Trails was named the winner of the Projects: Organisations with Paid Staff category at the state-wide 2018 Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards.
It’s the third year in a row that the council and the gallery have won the award.
The Making Arts Accessible program was also a finalist in the Engagement: Organisations with Paid Staff category.
GAMAA is hosted annually by Museums & Galleries Queensland to honour the achievements of individuals and organisations in striving towards excellence.
The winners of seven award categories were announced at a presentation at historic Bankfoot House in the Glass House Mountains on Friday, December 7.
Logan lifestyle and community chair Councillor Steve Swenson praised the gallery for its consistent excellence and outstanding achievements.
“We are extremely honoured to have been recognised again in this way,” Cr Swenson said.
“This is a wonderful recognition of the work being done by our council staff.”
Cr Swenson said staff had done an outstanding job to identify and map five public art and heritage trails across Logan City.
He said 120 sites were selected to be included in trails located at: Logan Village to Beenleigh, Greenbank to Veresdale, Logan Central to Kingston, Underwood to Eagleby and Browns Plains to Meadowbrook.
Each trail was photographed and brief descriptions developed and published in brochures for visitors.
“Council was keen to increase awareness and pride in publicly and privately-owned culture and arts assets to ensure they are visited and cherished,” Cr Swenson said.
Interactive trails are also available online at logan.qld.gov.au/publicart
Cr Swenson said the council’s cultural tourism initiatives have provided great opportunities for residents and visitors to Logan to explore the city’s history and creativity.
He said Acting Mayor Cr Dalley and Councillor Laurie Smith were among those who strongly supported the Public Art and Heritage Trails.
A significant public art work, Red Spinner, was launched by Cr Dalley in her Division 8 at Waller Park in August this year while another new public art work, Ancient Blossom, was launched by Cr Laurie Smith in his Division 7 at Wineglass Falls Park in October.
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The Making Arts Accessible program was designed to engage with people with disabilities to increase their interaction and participation in the arts, culture and heritage.
The council’s creative industries team received a Commonwealth Government Catalyst grant of $18,795 to undertake the program.
“This grant allowed us to employ a co-ordinator with skills in the disability sector to work with Creative Industries staff to develop training programs, activities and exhibitions,” Cr Swenson said.
Museums & Galleries Queensland Executive Director Rebekah Butler congratulated the city for its achievements in developing the Public art and heritage trails project.
“It highlights their commitment to engaging audiences with the region’s rich arts and culture,” she said.
“The heritage trails encourage visitors to experience the city’s precious heritage to seek out unidentified sites for future trails and to prevent its destruction.”