Wheels In Place For City Artwork
Newcastle Herald
Monday August 24, 1998
A CANBERRA artist will start erecting a mammoth artwork within a fortnight on the $270,000 art frame in Newcastle's new Wheeler Plaza at Civic.
The artist, David Jensz, will spend a few days assembling the 24-panel artwork on the two-storey steel frame.
When completed, the 30-metre-long work will be covered until September 25.
It will then be unveiled by NSW Premier Mr Bob Carr as part of his opening of the $10.1million Newcastle City Council Civic revitalisation project.
Council special projects manager Mr Brian Eastoe said Mr Jensz was an artist of renown who had gained national prominence.
Mr Eastoe said that as part of the Civic project, the nearby refurbished Hotel Clarendon was nearing completion.
It was hoped the hotel would reopen before Christmas.
He said the historic and fully renovated Frederic Ash building alongside Wheeler Place, which would be known as the new Wheeler Plaza, was also fully occupied.
The site was quickly expected to become a popular venue for street theatre projects beginning with Local Government Week activities from today.
The new mild-steel art frame is expected to have a 20-year working life.
© 1998 Newcastle Herald