Your Newcastle

From its hip hop origins, street art has evolved to become part of a broader
spectrum of public art that inspires the masses and starts conversations. Joining
Councillor Carol Duncan, Chair of City of Newcastle’s Public Art Reference
Group, to preview the upcoming Big Picture Fest and Little Festival, directors
Katerina Skoumbas and Jacinta Fintan explore the nature of street art, which is
visibly transforming the city as more murals and installations turn blank walls
into colourful canvases. Visit www.thebigpicturefest.com/event/newcastle-2022
and www.littlefestival.com.au.

From a convict’s button to larger, iconic pieces from the BHP Newcastle
steelworks, there are treasures abound in the Newcastle Museum collection.
Find out what a day in the life of Curation and Collection Coordinator David
Hampton looks like, and some interesting facts about steam locomotives,
including Australia’s oldest piece of gravity-fed, fishbelly rail, which was
discovered in Newcastle and is on display at the museum.

Greening Newcastle’s streets has never been more important as we face the
challenges of urban heat island effect, population growth and the impacts of
climate change. Street gardens are a simple yet powerful way to transform the
nature strip between your footpath and the road to bring climate, social, biodiversity and stormwater drainage benefits. So, who is eligible to plant one,
and what are the criteria? Find out with Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Declan
Clausen and Environmental Education Officer Elise Budden how you can get
involved in City of Newcastle’s street garden program. Visit
www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/streetgardens for more information.

City of Newcastle’s Local Centres Program paves the way for neighbourhood
centre upgrades near you, delivering footpath upgrades, tree planting, street
furniture and stormwater infrastructure to activate community hubs. Councillor
Peta Winney-Baartz, Senior Project Planner Sarah Horan and Project Manager
Chris Merlo unpack the latest upgrade to Shortland Local Centre and preview
those nearing completion at Mitchell Street, Stockton, and Orchardtown Road,
New Lambton, exploring the concept of a 20-minute neighbourhood and the
importance of connecting parks, traffic and cycleways to create safer, more
accessible public spaces.

Newcastle is entering a new phase of sophistication as an arts and cultural
destination. From prominent walls to hidden laneways, Newcastle’s burgeoning
street art scene will make you feel something. Local muralist and Creative
Director of Playstate, Jordan Lucky, draws on his travels to reflect on how far the
city has come, where we’re headed, and the skill and technique involved in
painting murals to scale to produce evocative artworks. Playstate Company
Director Isaac Whitten weighs in on the conversation with Councillor Carol
Duncan.