by Shane Sody
The City Council’s budget, adopted on Tuesday 27 June, included a ringing endorsement of the biennial Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize.
Although the sixth iteration of the Art Prize is still more than 18 months away, the City of Adelaide has become the first major sponsor to recommit to this, the foundation of our “Inspire” range of activities.
Ever since the first iteration of the Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize in 2014, the City of Adelaide has always been the event’s most significant sponsor.
The Council’s initial sponsorship of $10,000 (provided in 2014) was matched for subsequent iterations in 2016, 2018, and 2020, before being increased in 2022, to a grant of $15,000. This increased sponsorship in 2022 was one of the reasons we were able to boost total prize money for the 2023 Art Prize to a total of $50,000.
Nataliya Dikovskaya
Our Art Prize chair, Nataliya Dikovskaya has thanked the City Council for offering the same amount again.
“Including the $15,000 sponsorship in the Council’s 2023-24 budget gives us a strong foundation for planning the 2025 Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize” Ms Dikovskaya said.
“It will assist us in approaching other sponsors and donors over the next 12-18 months.”
With sufficient support from other sponsors and donors we hope and expect that the prize pool for the 2025 Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize will match, if not exceed the previous record prize pool of $50,000 that was distributed to the winning artists earlier this year.
Other news from Council’s 2023-24 budget
What missed out
Despite our submission to the Council, calling for:
more investment in Park Lands restoration projects; and
a feasibility study into the proposed Adelaide Recreation Circuit, through your Park Lands
neither of those items are listed within the 2023-24 budget that was adopted on Tuesday 27 June.
Concept images to illustrate the proposed Adelaide Recreation Circuit
The Council describes the “focus” of its 2023-24 Annual Business Plan as “Post COVID-19 budget repair and upgrades to City infrastructure.”
Upgrades to Sports club facilities
The Council had been lobbied by at least two sporting clubs, to fund:
sports field flood-lighting for West Adelaide Soccer club on Mary Lee Park (Park 27B) and
clubrooms and private function facilities for the Lutheran Sports Association on Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21 West).
West Adelaide soccer club leased clubrooms in Mary Lee Park (Park 27B)
Two-storey clubrooms with viewing platform, bar, and function room, proposed by the Lutheran Sports Association to replace the existing besser block shed off Goodwood Road in Park 21 West.
In its 2023-24 budget, the Council decided to contribute towards landscaping in these parks, rather than funding the proposed lighting or building. After being on the receiving end of some recent negative publicity, the Council will now develop a new policy to cover all of the dozens of sports fields and their buildings in your Park Lands.
