COULD Molong become Australia’s sculpture town?
It might sound ambitious, but one local arts advocate believes the town already has the creativity, community spirit and history to make it possible.
Upon returning from a trip to Canada, where she visited a town renowned as the country’s premier sculpture location, Christine Weston, a board member for Arts OutWest, brought back a vision for her home town.
“Why couldn’t Molong have the most sculptures in Australia?” she said.
Weston knows what community-driven public art can achieve.
She was involved in creating Cumnock’s Animals on Bikes project, which grew from a small collection of roadside sculptures into a 120-kilometre paddock art trail featuring 111 sculptures between Molong, Cumnock, Yeoval and finishing up at Dubbo Zoo.
The initiative united local residents, tradespeople, community groups, schools, and farmers, resulting in a diverse array of artworks spanning whimsical pieces to intricate metalwork.
For Weston, its success demonstrated that public art does more than simply make a town look interesting.
“It brings social cohesion to a community,” she said. “It represents local flora, fauna and cultural significance.”
She also believes projects like Animals on Bikes bring strong economic benefits. By drawing tourists off the main highway, these projects encourage people to spend money in small local towns.
Designed to guide visitors between Molong and Dubbo Zoo through Cumnock and Yeoval, the trail has successfully boosted visitor numbers and helped local businesses.
Weston sees a similar future for Molong, believing the community can create its own unique artistic identity.
Local community groups and artists are actively finding new avenues for creative expression, with public art already making its mark across town.
“We just have to do more of it,” she said.
Weston expressed a desire to expand creative learning opportunities in Molong, such as sculpture workshops, and to establish dedicated spaces for the arts.
Having served six years on the board of Arts OutWest, she said the regional non-profit supports arts and cultural endeavours across 12 local council areas.
She highlighted the organisation’s community arts funding and micro-grants, which she believes can empower residents to bring local creative projects and events to life.
Citing past initiatives like the Molong Meander and the Mulga Bill bicycle festival, Weston said the town has already proven its ability to rally around community-led cultural events.
And while Animals on Bikes remains one of the region’s most recognisable examples of rural public art, Weston said its greatest achievement may have been getting ordinary people involved.