Collingwood Yards to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Keith Haring Mural in 2024
Collingwood Yards is pleased to acknowledge and commemorate the 40th year anniversary of American artist Keith Haring painting his iconic mural on an exterior wall of a school building in Collingwood. The mural has become an important feature of the cultural heritage of Collingwood and the broader arts community.
Keith Haring, one of the most influential artists of the late 20th century, painted the mural in February 1984 during a visit to Australia. The distinctive artwork has been visible from Johnston Street, Collingwood, ever since. The mural was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 2004. Restoration and conservation work was undertaken in 2013 with financial support from the Victorian Government.
Miriam Silva, Chair of Contemporary Arts Precincts, said:
“Keith Haring’s art continues to inspire people to come together in pursuit of a harmonious community and ignite conversations about the role of art in our contemporary society. The mural is a much-loved and distinctive landmark in Collingwood.”
From its humble beginnings on a wall at Collingwood Technical School – the buildings of which have become Collingwood Yards, a thriving arts precinct - the Keith Haring mural has mirrored the evolution of Collingwood itself – a tale of resilience, reinvention and artistic innovation. The Keith Haring mural at Collingwood Yards stands a testament to the enduring power and value of publicly available street art.
Keith Haring wrote:
“I am interested in making art to be experienced and explored by as many individuals as possible with as many individual ideas about the given piece with no final meaning attached. The viewer creates the reality, the meaning, the conception of the piece. I am merely the middleman, trying to bring ideas together.” (Keith Haring Journals (1996)
Collingwood Yards, as the custodians of this important piece of public art, is planning a number of events to mark the 40th anniversary during 2024 to explore and discuss current issues in public art.
Michael McMahon, a Board Director of Contemporary Arts Precincts said:
"Collingwood Yards is honoured to be part of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the painting of the Keith Haring mural on its premises. This mural holds a special place in the hearts of the Collingwood community, serving as a testament to the power of public art to inspire and educate. Collingwood Yards seeks to ensure that the Keith Haring mural is preserved to honour the legacy of Keith Haring and enrich the vibrant spirit of Collingwood.”
Keith Haring died of HIV Aids in 1990. He was 31 years old.
The 40th year anniversary will also serve as an opportunity to launch a series of fundraising initiatives aimed at supporting future art-related projects and ensuring the preservation of the Keith Haring mural for generations to come.
Look out for an exciting year ahead at Collingwood Yards and where we come together to enhance art and creativity in our community. For more information and updates on the 40th-anniversary celebration of the Keith Haring Mural at Collingwood Yards, contact us on ceo@collingwoodyards.org
About Collingwood Yards:
Collingwood Yards is a dynamic arts precinct located in the heart of Collingwood, Victoria. As a hub for creativity, innovation, and community engagement, Collingwood Yards offers affordable spaces for artists to work, perform, and showcase their work. With a commitment to preserving and promoting cultural heritage, Collingwood Yards serves as a microcosm of the vibrant and diverse spirit of Collingwood.
March 2024
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Latest Update: New neighbors for the Keith Haring mural in Collingwood
Visitors to the iconic Keith Haring mural in Collingwood today will find a newly created arts precinct, aptly named Collingwood Yards in honour of the site’s history and legacy. This newly formed arts community is run by Contemporary Arts Precincts, a charitable social enterprise based in Melbourne, and comprises several buildings and a diverse range of occupants including artist studios, a radio station, galleries, offices and performances spaces. As custodians of the Haring mural, Contemporary Arts Precincts continues to support works to maintain the integrity of the Haring mural which was completed by Haring on his 1984 visit to Melbourne. Collingwood Yards is set to open to the public in mid-2020.
In addition, in December 2019 the National Gallery of Victoria launched a world premiere exhibition featuring the work of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. This exhibition presented a vast collection of each artists’ socially and politically charged artworks, as well as the history of their friendship and how the two artists worked as a parallel force within the burgeoning multi-disciplinary art scene of 1980s downtown New York.
Intermittent conservation work on the mural continues to be undertaken by staff at Melbourne’s Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation and renowned Italian conservator Antonio Rava. Rava and his son Filippo undertook the major restoration of the mural in 2013.
March 2020
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Haring mural project brings new colour to Collingwood
Collingwood’s iconic Keith Haring mural is starting to show its true colours as part of Arts Victoria’s project to restore the artwork and bring back its vibrancy and vitality.
Visiting the mural site today, Minister for the Arts Heidi Victoria said the conservation project, led by renowned Italian conservator Antonio Rava, marked the start of a new chapter for the Heritage-listed, internationally recognised and much loved public artwork.
“The late, great Keith Haring gave a wonderful gift to the people of Victoria when he painted his mural at what was then the Collingwood Technical School in 1984,” Ms Victoria said. “He was a highly influential artist who brought street art to the attention of the art world and the broader public. He gained worldwide acclaim in the 1980s for his art and for using his talent to promote important social issues.”
Ms Victoria said the Collingwood mural is one of only 31 known murals by Haring that are still in existence worldwide.
Arts Victoria’s conservation project aims to protect, restore and preserve the mural, which was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 2004, to ensure that it can be enjoyed by future generations. Arts Victoria took over responsibility of the site in 2010 when it was earmarked for the development of Circus Oz’s new headquarters, which is now underway.
“The results so far have been quite remarkable, bringing back the colours and original line work. Passers-by can now see the work as Keith Haring intended,” Ms Victoria said.
Ms Victoria said Antonio Rava, who is a specialist contemporary art conservator, was appointed to lead the project following an international call for submissions.
Mr Rava, the Vice President of the Italian Institute of Conservation, is recognised as a leading figure in the conservation of contemporary and modern artwork and has also undertaken conservation on works by masters including the late 13th century painter Giotto.
With previous experience working on another Haring mural, the large-scale Tuttomondo mural in Pisa Italy, Antonio’s appointment was praised by Julia Gruen, Executive Director of the USA-based Keith Haring Foundation, who described Mr Rava’s past work as ‘extraordinary’.
"Mr Rava is not only abundantly qualified and highly skilled but also sensitive to Haring's own approach to his public works. The Haring Foundation fully supports Mr Rava's appointment to head this project," Ms Gruen said.
Mr Rava and his team, which includes his conservator son Filippo, travelled to Melbourne in the first half of 2013 to undertake investigative works on the mural and make a submission to Heritage Victoria on his approach to conservation.
Once Heritage approval was granted, works began to extensively clean the mural, selectively retouch the paintwork, restore the render that had been lost over the last three decades and apply a specialised treatment over the surface of the work to prevent future deterioration.
Mr Rava said it was an honour to be involved in the project which will bring new life to an important cultural asset for Victoria. “This extraordinary work was made with the purpose of being seen. I am proud to lead the project which will help to fulfill that aim, bringing back the mural’s vibrancy and ensuring that it will be seen and enjoyed by locals and visitors well into the future,” Mr Rava said.
Further works will be undertaken in the coming months and are expected to be completed in late 2013.This will include the reinstallation of the original signature door which was recovered by Arts Victoria in February after being missing for almost 30 years. March 2014 will mark the 30th anniversary of the mural’s creation.
For more information about the project go to arts.vic.gov.au/haringmural.
August 2013