As the founders of the original Silo Art Trail, we are committed to seeing the Silo Art movement in Australia continue to grow and thrive. It’s for this very reason that we’ve put together a list of important questions to ask your community before creating Silo Art in your town!
1) Why do you want Silo Art in your town?
Sounds like a silly question doesn’t it? But, it’s worth asking the question before you set out on your silo art journey.
Silo Art has become a huge phenomenon in Australia since we created the first-ever and original “Silo Art Trail”, beginning with the now-famous, Brim Silo Art, in Western Wimmera in 2015. Silo Art has since become known as a kind of financial lifeline and tourism drawcard for many communities. But, with so many silos popping up across the country, what is going to stand out of the crowd?
Getting to know the WHY, is even more important than the HOW. When it comes to creating the artwork and theme that you’ve decided to go with, implementing and creating the artwork is what we do.
What can sometimes be more difficult is understating what message you hope to communicate with you Silo Art? Are you doing it to represent your community’s history? Or is it a celebration of your town’s culture today? Are you creating an artwork specifically to attract folks from major cities and towns? If so perhaps a more contemporary artwork would suit your endeavors more than a representation of times gone by?
These are just a few things to consider when coming up with the WHY that’s going to help you stand out!
2) How will you make your Silo Art be stand out from the crowd?
With over 30 different silos now completed around the country, it’s getting harder and harder to impress people with the uniqueness and quality of the work, because there is such a wide range of talented artists now creating Silo Art across the country.
That said, If you look at a lot of the silos painted so far, and compare one with another, you’ll often find that a lot of themes and artistic styles have been replicated from region to region and from town to town. We have discussed this trend extensively and have come to believe this unintentional replication of themes may have a detrimental effect on the effectiveness of each work but also of the entire movement.
That’s why we strive to do things differently. We make it our mission to uncover and utilise artists and themes that are not only meaningful to you but are also appealing to tourists, but more importantly, are unique to you and your town!
The silo below can be used as a great example of doing things differently. To begin with, our artist is an incredibly talented Argentinian, who had never even visited Australia, let alone painted a silo here. At first glance, it may seem odd to “import” an artist from another country to create an artwork depicting Australia, but, as you can see, the artist has put his own spin on our culture, and done it in an incredibly fun and original way, as only he could.
The figures on the silo are seemingly falling from the sky towards an abstract pattern on the ground. What looks to be the ground. That is until after getting to know a little more about the town and the artwork itself, then, you’ll soon find out that this is actually a depiction of two local boys, diving off the local jetty, and into the pristine waters of the air peninsula, where the silo is located.
Thanks to our national and international network of artists, and deep knowledge of what’s happening” all things silo” in this country, we are able to help you make informed decisions that will ensure you and your town stand out from the crowd, and gather all of the much-needed admiration from tourists and media alike!
3) Will you curate and manage the project yourself, or would it be better to have us work with you to get results?
Communities across the country are engaging artists to run silo art projects. Whilst we think this is a fantastic opportunity for communities to come together to make a long lasting difference to their town and bond, it can also be a painstaking process and quite stressful to learn on the run. Add to this the challenges of getting your whole community onto the same page with artists selection, concept creation, theme budget, timeline and so on, and you may have a recipe for some sleepless nights ahead!
Here at Juddy Roller, we try our best to take the pain out of the project by utilising our tried and tested, systematic approach to all aspects of the campaign, including curating and selecting your ideal artist, working with you to research the history of the area, working with your local community groups, and handling all the technical aspects and project management involved with such a large undertaking.
With our passion and drive, and excellent knowledge of the overall industry, we want nothing more than to see your town thrive!
4) Have you considered other ways of utilising street art, unique to your town?
Sporting venues, town halls, laneways, and carparks can all make great canvases and artworks and venues for events, workshops, and festivals! We’ve run street art festivals and workshops, and exhibitions in towns across Australia.
One street art festival, called Wall to Wall, has even been running in the regional town of Benalla for over 5 years, and according to an independent analysis, has contributed over $6,000,000 to the local company, and attracts up to 43,000 tourist a year to specifically visit the street art! With over 60 murals painted in the town now, it’s no wonder it become so popular!
There is a myriad of ways we can help you create the next public artworks, events, and sculptures that fit in with, yet make your town, stand out!
So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch to ask us how we can help make your town stand out from the crowd!
Contact: info@juddyroller.com.au
