The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 48 No 3 November 2009

Community
Michael Keighery, Points of View, (detail), 2008, Collins Rock, Woonona, NSW
During a winter walk along the local beach, I struck up a conversation with a man walking his dog
and it transpired that we had included a fifty year old photograph of his grandmother in a post World
War II migrant hostel on a 200 mm tile in the mu ral. Our research did not indicate the identity of the
woman and we used the image as representative of the thousands of late 20th C migrants who sought
refuge in the IIlawarra region.
The man's grandmother had died some years ago and his mother happened upon the photo in the
mural when she was walking along the promenade. The family were very emotional and proud of the
inclusion of the older woman and we will be presenting duplicates of the tile to the family when the
mural is officially launched.
This incident reflects one of the most important outcomes of public art projects for me. For a
work to be really successful it needs to visually engage a community from a distance, suit a particular
environment, and also be able to truly touch people's spirits when they have a closer inspection.
Website about the Collins Point mural:
http://culturalawards2009.lgsa.org .au!projects!71-poi nts-of-view
Michael Keighery. Points of View, (detail), 2008, Collins Rock, Woonona, NSW
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THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS NOVEMBER 2009 97