BIG ART. SMALL TOWNS. 2027: $1,500 Public Art Opportunities for Moyne and South West Victoria Artists
A local open call turning everyday town spaces into art exhibitions
Moyne Shire Council in Victoria, Australia, has opened its 2027 BIG ART. SMALL TOWNS. public art Expression of Interest. The programme transforms outdoor spaces at Koroit Theatre and the Mortlake Community Hub into large-format exhibition sites for local and regional visual artists. Applications opened on 5 October 2026 and close on Friday 13 November 2026. This is the council's sole general Expression of Interest round for its 2027 programme.
The opportunity is aimed at creative practitioners based in Moyne Shire and South West Victoria. Both emerging and established artists may apply, proposing an existing artwork or developing something new. Selected works will be reproduced professionally and exhibited for roughly three months. Unlike a conventional commission in which every finalist must fabricate a permanent sculpture, the programme is built around the reproduction and outdoor presentation of selected visual images.
How digital illustration and image-based art might fit
Aion Laboratory readers working in digital illustration, photography, graphic composition or other image-led visual practices may find this opportunity relevant, provided their work can be translated into the physical display formats specified by the council. The public call says there is no set theme: artists are free to propose their own subject matter, while considering how it might relate to the location and its surrounding communities.
An important practical distinction is that this is a printed outdoor-display opportunity, not a call that guarantees projectors, screens, sound systems, VR headsets or interactive software. A rendered digital image or photographic composition could be considered as a visual artwork suitable for reproduction, but anyone whose project requires live media playback or special equipment should check feasibility directly with the council before assuming such facilities are provided. These are potential artistic approaches, not separate categories formally guaranteed by the call.
Two sites with different visual formats
The Koroit Theatre location presents artworks on three portrait-format panels. An artist may propose three separate images, or one composition conceived to work across all three panels. This setting rewards attention to visual continuity, readability and how visitors will encounter the work while moving through the public space.
Mortlake Community Hub provides a single large landscape-format panel in a central community location. A design composed for three narrow portrait panels may not work equally well on a wide horizontal surface. The organiser encourages artists to consider physical scale, site context and presentation format when deciding which proposal to submit. For detailed print specifications, applicants should consult the linked artist brief rather than infer a resolution or pixel size from these descriptions alone.
Who is eligible: artists from Moyne and South West Victoria
The council states that the programme is open to emerging and established artists based in Moyne and South West Victoria. The geographic eligibility should be taken seriously: this is not advertised as an unrestricted international open call that can be entered remotely from any country. Artists who are uncertain whether their location falls within the eligible regional area should seek clarification from the council before preparing their application.
Current Moyne Shire Council employees are expressly excluded. Other than this stated exclusion, the public overview does not give a complete list of every possible conflict-of-interest or contractual condition, so applicants should read the artist brief and form. The 2027 programme also includes a different youth-focused exhibition period, for ages 12 to 25, to be recruited separately; the current Expression of Interest is the general round.
AUD 1,500 artist fee, with reproduction and installation handled by council
Selected artists receive an artist fee of AUD 1,500 for the exhibition of their artwork. The council's 5 October announcement describes this as $1,500 per site. It also states that Moyne Shire Council manages the professional reproduction, installation and promotion of accepted work. The fee is a payment to selected artists, not a guaranteed prize for submitting an application or being shortlisted.
This division of responsibilities can benefit artists who work primarily in digital formats: the local authority manages turning the approved artwork into the installed large-format display. Nevertheless, it does not establish an unlimited production budget or promise that every unusual installation technique will be accommodated. Artists should confirm required file delivery methods and rights of reproduction, and keep their master files until the organiser provides specifications.
2027 exhibition dates and a separate youth round
Three general exhibition periods are scheduled for 2027: 1 February to 30 April; 30 April to 30 July; and 30 July to 1 November. Artists selected through the current Expression of Interest will be programmed into one of those periods, rather than choosing a date unilaterally. The council expects displays to remain in place for about three months each.
A fourth exhibition period, 1 November 2027 to 31 January 2028, is reserved for young artists aged 12–25 and will be the subject of a separate Expression of Interest. Artists intending to apply specifically for that youth programme should not confuse its future submission process with the general 2027 deadline of 13 November 2026. The programme announcement does not publish a separate application closing time in hours and minutes.
What to prepare and how to submit an Expression of Interest
Start by reading the council's Artist Brief, linked from the official public-art page. The Expression of Interest form is also linked there. Before submission, prepare a clear description of the proposed work, images that demonstrate its visual quality, and a concise explanation of how the piece would suit Koroit or Mortlake. These are sensible preparation steps; the current online form and artist brief, rather than this editorial article, determine the mandatory fields.
If submitting digitally created artwork, it is useful to check image aspect ratio, colour management, potential enlargement and the artist's rights to any incorporated photography, typefaces or third-party elements. Do not assume that a screenshot prepared for a phone display will automatically be suitable for professional outdoor reproduction. If you are considering a new commission rather than an existing piece, account for production time and the council's approval and installation process.
Official source, application route and deadline
Expressions of Interest opened 5 October 2026 and close Friday 13 November 2026. The host is Moyne Shire Council, Victoria, Australia. Exhibition locations are Koroit Theatre and Mortlake Community Hub. The fee for artists whose work is selected is AUD 1,500 per site, with reproduction and installation carried out by the council. Existing and newly developed visual artworks are eligible within the council's stated regional focus.
Official programme page with Artist Brief and online application form: https://www.moyne.vic.gov.au/Our-community/CreativeMoyne/Public-art . Council's 5 October 2026 announcement: https://www.moyne.vic.gov.au/News/2027-public-art-program . General council contact: moyne@moyne.vic.gov.au . Read the latest official form and brief for all requirements and updates before submitting.