The I AM public artwork will spend the next year at our beautiful
Geelong Botanic Gardens, having moved from Drysdale’s Potato Shed.
The
two-metre-tall concrete sculpture recognises our community members who have a
lived experience with disability and their achievements.
I
AM acknowledges the empowerment of diversity and draws from political and pop
culture statements such as the 1968 Memphis black sanitation workers slogan “I
AM a man”, and Helen Reddy’s 1971 anthem “I AM woman.”
Designed
to be relocated around the municipality, each letter weighs around four tonnes
and was craned into the gardens yesterday.
We
commissioned Mark Cuthbertson with artist-collaborators Robert Croft, Hannah
Wilkinson, Christian Den Besten and George Macaronis to develop the large-scale
work, with more than 85 contributions from the community.
Funded
by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund, I AM was
delivered in partnership with VALiD (Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals
with Disabilities) and Geelong-based ArtGusto.
Tennille Bradley, Executive Director Placemaking
The public artwork reinforces that
everyone in the Greater Geelong community is welcome.
The I AM sculpture celebrates the unique
contributions of people with disability to our community and gives them a
voice.
Embedded
with words and names from community members with disability, I AM has reached a
wide audience having previously been installed in Drysdale, Pako Street, Lara
and the Geelong Waterfront.
The sculpture invites passersby to be a part of the work - you can position yourself within I AM to take photos that will form a collective voice celebrating the diversity of our local community.
I encourage the community to visit the public artwork and use the hashtag #IAMGeelong when posting photos to social media.
Christine
Couzens MP, Member for Geelong
The important
artwork celebrates people of all abilities as part of our community.
The I AM
sculpture will be a great addition, and attraction, to the Geelong Botanical
Gardens.
Congratulations to Mark,
Robert, Hannah, Christian, George and everyone who contributed to this
wonderful sculpture for Geelong.