Lara to temporarily host inclusive I AM sculpture

A SCULPTURE originally created to celebrate people who have a lived experience with disability has moved from its temporary home at Eastern Beach to Austin Park in Lara.

The I AM sculpture, funded by the Victorian government through the Community Support Fund, was delivered in partnership with VALiD (Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disabilities) and Geelong-based ArtGusto.

Each letter in the sculpture weighs around four tonnes and it was moved to Lara using a crane truck.
Cr Anthony Aitken, chair of the Volunteering and Disability portfolio, said the sculpture will remain in Lara until later this year.

“This work was designed to be relocated around the City of Greater Geelong to allow for a greater connection with our whole community and to increase awareness around the concepts it conveys,” Cr Aitken said.

“It is an important piece of public art that celebrates people who live with a disability and reminds us that everyone’s voice is valued.”

Deputy chair of the Creative Communities and Culture portfolio Councillor Jim Mason and Member for Lara, John Eren MP, joined artist Mark Cuthbertson in celebrating the arrival of the artwork in Lara.

The City of Greater Geelong commissioned Mark Cuthbertson with artist-collaborators Robert Croft, Hannah Wilkinson, Christian Den Besten and George Macaronis to develop the public art sculpture.

The sculpture, when it was developed, was based on more than 85 contributions from the local community through a series of artist-led workshops.

The sculpture stands at more than two metres and is interactive by design, inviting you to be a part of the work.

You can position yourself within and take photos (using the hashtag #IAMGeelong) that will form a collective voice celebrating the diversity of our local community.

Cr Mason said he hoped the sculpture would be embraced by the Lara community.

“So many people across our community contributed their ideas to the development of this work so we’re proud it’s making its way around the municipality,” Cr Mason said.

“It is a shining example of the wide range of creative talent in our inclusive city, where everyone has a rightful and participatory place.”

The sculpture draws inspiration from powerful political and pop culture statements such as the 1968 Memphis black sanitation workers slogan “I AM a man”, and Helen Reddy’s 1971 anthem I Am Woman.