Mosaic mural makes arcade a brighter, safer and more inviting space

THE arcade in Drysdale’s High Street has been transformed by a spectacular mosaic mural that celebrates the local community to itself and to the area’s many visitors.

The Drysdale, Clifton Springs Curlewis Association (DCSCA) and its Festival of Glass sub-committee created the mural, which consists of 12 large panels, each using hundreds of glittering glass tiles to depict an element of the area’s past or present.

Fifty people from a wide range of local community, recreational and sporting groups helped to design and create the panels; and the Bellarine Historical Society and Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-op were advisors to the project team.

The arcade’s owner and tenants are keen supporters of the mural, recognising that it makes the arcade a brighter, safer and more inviting space, benefiting businesses within it and pedestrians passing through it.

For many participants, this was their first experience of creating glass art and they took to it enthusiastically.

Many want to create more and have joined a Mosaics Group associated with the area’s Festival of Glass, run by a DCSCA sub-committee.

DCSCA received almost $11,000 from the federal government’s Stronger Communities Program to design and create the mural.

“We’re grateful to Richard Marles MP for supporting our application to the Stronger Communities Programme,” DCSCA President Mercedes Drummond said.

“The mural project has introduced people to glass mosaics and brought them together in a shared venture.

“We look forward to the first project by the newly-expanded Festival of Glass Mosaics Group.”

The mural will be a major draw for visitors, joining DCSCA’s glass mural in central Drysdale (Welcome to Drysdale), its annual Festival of Glass (now in its tenth year) and its Mentorship Program, which introduces local young people to glass art.