Artist brief: BIG ART. SMALL TOWNS.

Moyne Shire Council invites Expressions of Interest from visual artists to present work in prominent public locations in Koroit and Mortlake as part BIG ART. SMALL TOWNS., Creative Moyne's temporary public art program. 

Selected artworks will be digitally printed in full colour on vinyl for public display.

Submissions are open to emerging and established artists based across the South West, working in a range of visual practices. 

Selected artists will:

• Have their work produced as large-scale vinyl artwork
• Exhibit work in a public location within Moyne Shire
• Receive a licence fee of $1,500 per site
• Have their work displayed for approximately three months

• This is a presentation opportunity, not a commissioned artwork
• Artists may submit existing work or propose new work
• There is no theme – submissions are open to all concepts and styles. Artists are encouraged to consider how their work connects with or responds to the exhibition location and surrounding area.

Koroit Theatre 

This site is presented across three portrait-format panels . Artists may submit:

• a single artwork designed to be presented acrossall three panels, or
• three individual artworks that work together as a series or cohesive set

Artists should consider how their work will translate across the three-panel format.

Panel Size and artwork format

Panel size: 1800 mm wide × 2400 mm high per panel
Panel ratio: 3:4 portrait 

Artists submitting existing work are encouraged to select artwork with a composition that will translate well to the portrait format. Artwork does not need to have an exact 3:4 ratio; however, some cropping or adjustment may be required. When selecting work, consider whether cropping may affect important elements or the overall composition of the artwork.

Artists proposing new work do not need to create the artwork at the final panel size. For individual panel artworks, work can be developed at any suitable scale using a 3:4 ratio, provided it can be supplied at sufficient quality for large-scale reproduction.

Examples of dimensions with a 3:4 ratio include:

• 30 cm wide × 40 cm high
• 45 cm wide × 60 cm high
• 60 cm wide × 80 cm high
• 90 cm wide × 120 cm high

For a single artwork designed to span all three panels, artists should consider how the composition will work across the three-panel format, including the breaks between each panel.

Final artwork files will be scaled proportionally to fit the 1800 mm wide × 2400 mm high panels.

Mortlake Community Hub

This site is presented as a single landscape-format panel.

Panel size and artwork format

Panel size: 4670 mm wide × 1785 mm high
Panel ratio: approximately 2.62:1 landscape

The panel has an unusually wide format, and artists should carefully consider how their work will translate across the full dimensions of the site.

Due to the proportions of the panel, artwork created specifically for this format is encouraged. The wide format provides an opportunity to develop a work that responds to the scale, proportions and location of the site.

Artists submitting existing work are still welcome to apply and are encouraged to select artwork with a wide composition that can be adapted to the panel without significant cropping or loss of important visual elements. Existing artwork does not need to have an exact 2.62:1 ratio; however, some cropping or adjustment may be required.

Artists proposing new work do not need to create the artwork at the final panel size. Work can be developed at any suitable scale using approximately the same 2.62:1 ratio, provided it can be supplied at sufficient quality for large-scale reproduction.

Examples of dimensions using approximately the same ratio include:

• 26.2 cm wide × 10 cm high
• 52.4 cm wide × 20 cm high
• 78.6 cm wide × 30 cm high

The final artwork will be scaled proportionally to fit the 4670 mm wide × 1785 mm high panel.

Selected artists will be required to:

• Provide a final artwork suitable for large-scale vinyl application
• Deliver print-ready artwork files to agreed specifications and timelines
• Liaise with council staff as required throughout the process
• Participate in agreed media and promotional activities (with potential for an artist talk or public engagement activity)

Moyne Shire Council will:

• Print and produce the artwork in vinyl format
• Manage installation and de-installation
• Provide and prepare the exhibition site
• Project manage the delivery of the program
• Undertake communications, marketing and promotion

• Artworks will be digitally printed in full colour on vinyl
• Fabrication, installation and de-installation will be managed by Council
• Exhibition period approximately three months

Open to artists based in Moyne and the South West region. 

Current Moyne Shire Council employees are not eligible to apply. 

• Artist bio (max 150 words)
• Images of your work (submission requirements vary depending on whether you are submitting an existing artwork or proposing a new one– refer to EOI form for details)
• If proposing new work, provide a clear description of your concept and what you intend to create. Simple supporting material such as basic sketches, indicative colours, reference images or other visual ideas can be included to help the assessment panel understand your proposal. These do not need to be finished or highly developed.

• Artistic quality
• Visual impact
• Suitability for large-scale display
• Appropriateness for a public setting

The artist fee is $1,500 per site, inclusive of:

• Provision of the artwork for reproduction and display
• Meetings and coordination (as required)
• Participation in media and promotional activities, where agreed
• Artist talk or engagement activity, where agreed

Selected artists will be engaged and paid by Moyne Shire Council under a formal agreement.

The Artist retains copyright of the artwork.

The Artist grants Moyne Shire Council a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to reproduce, publish and communicate the artwork for the purposes of:

• promotion of the Moyne Shire Public Art Program
• Council communications, including website, social media and publications
• display on the Moyne Virtual Gallery
• media and marketing activities
• reporting, documentation and archival records

This licence is ongoing and does not restrict the Artist from using, reproducing or licensing the artwork elsewhere.

Where the artwork is produced as a physical banner or installation, the physical item remains the property of Moyne Shire Council.

Council may reuse or relocate the physical artwork for future display across the shire. This does not affect the Artist’s copyright.

Moyne Shire Council will ensure that the Artist’s preferred name and the name of the Artwork appear on any website or in any promotional material in which images of the Artwork appear.

Key dates

Expression of Interest: 5 October - 13 November 2026

Artist contracted week commencing 23 November 2026

Artwork files presented to Council in required digital format: 8 January 2027

2027 exhibition periods

Successful artists will be programmed into one of three exhibition periods:

• Exhibition 1: 1 February - 30 April 2027
• Exhibition 2: 30 April - 30 July 2027
• Exhibition 3: 30 July - 1 November 2027

A fourth exhibition period, from 1 November 2027 to 31 January 2028, will be dedicated to young artists aged 12-25 and will have a separate Expression of Interest process.