Public Art Guide 2008

Fairy Ring: Stone, ceramic, glass, pigment, tumbled and cement. Bears: Bronze.

Sculpted by local artist Karen Atkins in 2007. Let the children play hide 'n' seek with the bears and enjoy a teddy bears picnic in the park.

Place: Grasmere Children's Park, Benelong Road, Cremorne

The May Gibbs Plaza Seatsare three organic formations covered by mosaic tiles, created by Cynthia Turner in 2002, and drawing inspiration from the work of Antonio Gaudi. Just around the corner, the Barry Street Aerosol Art Mural, depicting the history of Neutral Bay, was created by young people from Planet X Youth Centre. The mural previously covered twice the area it does today.

Place: Between Barry St and Military Rd, Neutral Bay

Manubada Haurama and Abia Haurama, sculptures of a fisherman and woman in the style of figures from the Torres Strait, are by contemporary Indigenous artist, Shane Haurama.

They were commissioned as part of the 2005 Guringai Festival. 

Place: Kesterton Park, eastern end of High St, Neutral

The Australian Angel was presented to the people of New South Wales by the Swiss Government and the Swiss Australian community on the occasion of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and Paralympics.

The descriptive plaques on the base of the sculpture outline the significance of the work and the materials used in its creation.

Place: Eastern part of Bradfield Park, Kirribilli

From a donation of money by Ms Jessie Broomfield, a monumental drinking fountain was built by North Sydney Council in 1953. To many it seemed a logical extension that a canine sculpture should adorn the pedestal to celebrate the "Jessie Broomfield Memorial Dog Drinking Fountain". The bronze sculpture by artist Clary Akon was commissioned in 2006 and installed in 2007.

Place: Bradfield Park North, Cnr Alfred Street and Lavender Street, Milsons Point

The Face of Luna Park has been 'redesigned' several times. Rupert Brown's was the original. Arthur Barton's appeared in the 1950s and has been the model for successive faces. Today's Face, by Ken Maher and Partners, was completed in 1995. On the inner and outer walls of the North Sydney Olympic Pool next door are art deco birds, frogs, dolphins and shells in plaster. Originally white, and designed by junior staff from the Pool's architect, Rudder & Grout in 1936, they were re-painted in the 1980s to a design by Feiko Bouman.

Place: Olympic Drive, Milsons Point

A cup of tea sculpture, humourous and whimsical by nature, gentle and poetic too. Dedicated to the memory of those who died in the Luna Park ghost train fire, 9 June 1979.

Sculpted by Peter Kingston 2006. Cast by Crawford's foundry, Bronze.

Place: Art Barton Park, immediately west of Luna Park, Lavender Bay

Discover the Lavendar Bay Walk Hidden Treasures,miniature sculptures by Peter Kingston of cherished comic characters including Australian icons Blinky Bill, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, and the Magic Pudding.

Place: Lavender Bay foreshore, between Luna Park and Quiberie Park

Tucked away in the western corner of Clark Park are the Clark Park Sculptures,including a marble sculpture by du Bourg, installed in 1981, a bronze teapot entitled 'A Nite to Remember' by Edward Randall Moss and cast by Peter Kingston, 1987, and a bronze sculpture entitled 'Head' by Joe Allenberg, 1974.

Place: Clark Park, Lavender Bay

Not far along one of North Sydney's prettiest streets is Place of Lizards, a sandstone sculpture by Chris Bennetts, installed in 2002 and inspired by the Aboriginal word that gave the reserve its name.

Place: Gannura Reserve, Bank Street, North Sydney

Echoing the massive forms that dominate the North Sydney CBD is an unnamed Sculpture by Lawrence Beck, cast in concrete, relieved by swirling shapes scooped powerfully from the block.

Place: Cnr Pacific Highway & Berry St, North Sydney

The Sculpture Garden created in 1957 at the entrance to the original MLC building (now owned by ING), still retains the rocks carved by Gerald Lewers. These seven organically shaped sandstone sculptures were part of a succulent garden designed to complement the modernist architecture of the building. Much of the original planting has now been lost.

Place: Miller Street, near Pacific Hwy, North Sydney

Heaven looks southwards over Civic Park from the side of Stanton Library. This mural, by Bronwyn Bassett and others, was commissioned for the Women in Arts Festival in 1982 and offers a view of the community at play, and to the harbour beyond. Also, in the library foyer, you will see artist Helen Pynor's bronze castings set in the floor which were designed by children from the North Sydney Demonstration School, 2001.

Place: Stanton Library, 234 Miller Street, North Sydney

Tim Moriarty, Indigraph, in collaboration with Balarinji was commissioned by North Sydney Council in celebration of the Guringai Festival 2006. Tim Moriarty has used his work Message Sticks to represent the story of the Cammeraygal People who lived on Sydney's North Shore.

Place: Cammeraygal Place, formerly known as Raleigh Street Plaza, Miller Street, Cammeray

Completed in February 2009, Harbour Cycles by Richard Byrnes who says:

The sculpture is a response to the ambition, city landscape and architecture of North Sydney. 

The component sectors of the circle reference the diverse imagery of the area; portholes, water turbulence, rivets and struts of the Harbour Bridge, maritime machinery, boat hulls, office windows, buoys, flags and architectural construction all become part of the calligraphy of the sculpture.

Seeing through the work is an integral part of perceiving it and so the locality provides an active backdrop for the piece.

Place: cnr Miller and Berry Streets, North Sydney.