Forget strange sculptures, and random big objects, if you really want to attract grey nomads to struggling rural towns what you need is to paint your giant wheat silos.
When artist Guido van Helten used the silos at Brim in Victoria as a huge canvas, he couldn’t have dreamed he would transform the small Wimmera town into a seriously popular tourist destination … and spark a wave of copy cat masterpieces.
The Weekly Times reports that there are now 200 more communities wanting their stark concrete silos to bring some life – and some grey nomads – to town.
Two artists have already transformed the image of eight silos at Northam in Western Australia, Donald in Victoria has used powerful coloured lighting on its silos to create a moody backdrop to the town, and Quambatook also in Victoria has secured government funding to buy a projector to show movies on its silos in what it calls silo cinema.
And there is now talk of northwest Victoria becoming the world’s biggest art gallery.
Yarriambiack Shire mayor Ray Kingston wants to capitalise on the stream of visitors travelling to Brim each week by adding a further five silos to a silo art trail.
“The Brim silo art mural was the bright spot in an otherwise tough summer in rural Victoria,” he said.
If the plan comes off, five artists would be asked to paint silos at Rupanyup, Sheep Hills, Rosebery, Lascelles and Patchewollock.
The shire has allocated funds from its Federal Government drought aid program and has asked the Victorian Government and corporate sponsors to help bankroll the $310,000 project.
Cr Kingston told the Weekly Times hoped the project would begin later this year.
And don’t forget the silos at Mirrool. Don’t know if they still have the footy kicking comp in Oct I think. Paint a couple of footy legends faces on these silos would look good. Going back there in Sept. Great people
It would be great to see the silos in Rutherglen Victoria painted in a similar fashion