Tauranga is the only city in the country without a public art policy. But this about to change – and a series of public art talks next month aim to offer residents, artists and stakeholders the chance to explore what public art is, how it happens and how such a policy could look.

To coincide with Tauranga City Council releasing its draft Public Art Policy for public feedback from February 2-27, a series of talks starts at The Incubator on February 12, followed by two-days of speakers at Tauranga Art Gallery and Baycourt on February 20-21.

Public art talks series organiser Sonya Korohina at masonic Park, is positive the city can come up with a Public Arts Policy that is meaningful to all. Photo by Tracy Hardy.

Series organiser Sonya Korohina says the talks will offer conversations between artists, public art commissioners, tangata whenua, urban designers, strategists, historians and curators from Tauranga and around the country.

'I saw a real opportunity here for the community to learn more from the artists that work in the public domain, to the people that commission public art, to how it can be incorporated into urban design.

'Listening to the talks will allow people to contribute in a really meaningful to the policy for the city,” says Sonya, an independent arts contractor.

'Are we behind the eight-ball – yes we are, because we're the last city in the country to implement a public arts policy.

'However, there's a real opportunity for us to get it right and looking to the future invest in some great projects for our city.”

The February 12 talk is hosted by The Incubator art and project space, with speaker Marc Spijkerbosch talking of his work delivering an arts programme for Rotorua District Council.

The Incubator co-director Simone Anderson says while it's great there's a draft public arts policy, before it gets signed off people need to talk through how it is shaped.

'So we thought the public art talks gives people chances to hear others talk about all different scenarios – from street artists to academic art – so they know what the whole policy is about.

'We're hosting the first one and because The Incubator is about grassroots art involvement we wanted to have Marc speak with us because that's what he does in Rotorua.”

Simone says the idea is people can drop in and listen 'and we wanted it to be like that – a grown-up sophisticated way to treat art – because we do kind of need to grow up as a city”.

And having art as one of the important factors in the city, 'people need to get a bit clued up on this and what it means”.

The Mount Maunganui jandal scandal shows how much the city needs to focus on public art, says Simone.

'I was mortified – why would you want to shut that down? What harm was it doing?

'Even pandering to the complainers – instead why aren't we supporting the people expressing themselves?

'So the public need to have a say in this policy as art is on the face of the city – it's public.”

Simone says the policy will make opportunities for public art a transparent and inclusive process.

'There's got to be a process that's bit democratic on how selections are made.”

'It's about being fair. And the person selected to create public art – they're protected by the policy too.”

To see the full programme, visit: www.publicarttalkstauranga.co.nz

To comment on TCC's draft Public Arts Policy, see: www.tauranga.govt.nz