Council commissions artists to create artworks for waste trucks
Published on 01 November 2024
Council has commissioned three local artists to create digital artworks for its waste collection trucks.
The commissioned artists are:
- Kirsten Moegerlein
- Joe Pratt
- Thea Sydes.
The three artworks they produce will be creative responses to promoting the message of reducing waste in day-to-day living, and will be displayed on waste collection trucks from December 2024.
The appointment of the artists follows a four-week expression of interest period and an assessment by a selection panel.
A total of 18 artists submitted expressions of interest from across all career stages – including emerging, early to mid-career, and established practice.
The creative calibre of applicants was extremely high, as well as their commitment to sustainability.
The three selected artists reflect this spectrum, and Council is delighted to see a young creative voice from the shire’s next generation of artists represented among the commissioned artists.
To find out more about Council’s public art program, subscribe to the Arts & Culture email newsletter at www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/Explore/Arts-and-culture.
Learn more about the commissioned artists:
Kirsten Moegerlein is an artist of Irish/German descent who lives and works in Yapeen. She loves to paint landscapes and make digital illustrations. She’s exhibited work locally at Artpuff, Castlemaine and in Melbourne. Making art is her way to connect with the natural world – a way to acknowledge and celebrate the beauty of Djaara Country. Through her creative practice, she works with change-makers, ethical organisations and artists who are re-enchanting ways of being, making and relating.
See more of her work on her Instagram page.
Thea Sydes is a 16-year-old emerging artist who has lived on Djarra country in Muckleford for most of their life. Their art practice includes zines, painting and graphic design, drawing on the natural world and their own experience to communicate ideas about themself and the world around them.
As a young person growing up in turbulent and uncertain times, they use their art making as both a way to process their world and to communicate it to others. They are passionate about creating and caring for community, and are active as an organiser for young people, in particular queer and neurodivergent youth.
Joe Pratt, self-taught multidisciplinary artist, harnesses childhood passion and professional stonemasonry skills to craft captivating works. Specialising in portraiture, Joe's commissions span traditional greyscale sketches to vibrant digital drawings. His stone sculptures, inspired by nature, feature intricately carved animals in natural boulders, gracing private gardens and public parklands. Notable works include a marble soldier for a War Memorial. With artistic flair and technical precision, Joe Pratt brings subjects to life, bridging realism and organic beauty.
For more information on the Eco Art Truck Project, visit www.shape.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/fight-waste-art.
Image: The three artists appointed to create digital artworks - Thea Sydes (right), Joe Pratt (top left), Kirsten Moegerlein (bottom left).