WANGARATTA'S latest public artwork titled 'The Beacon' - on an old water tower in the city's newly developed railway precinct - is provoking interesting feedback, but the city's mayor is asking people to wait until it's finished before judgement is cast.
Sophia Hanover, formerly a Beechworth resident, was commissioned to paint the tower according to the brief assigned by the Rural City of Wangaratta and based on the city's Indigenous cultural connections.
The images that will be installed on the water tower are connected to the storytelling and reflection of our land and local environment, including water, land and sky - Indigenous species that are then married with modern technology and changing lights to bring the different elements into play.
However, many people have taken to social media and written letters to the Wangaratta Chronicle, sharing their thoughts about the design, among other aspects.
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"I would like to reiterate that surely it's got to be better than the brown water tower that used to be there," mayor Dean Rees told the Chronicle on Friday.
"A lot of people have diverse views on artworks and what I'm trying to urge is wait until the completed artwork to make up your mind.
"It will have sophisticated, interactive lighting and with the various colours that people will be able to control from their phones and it will really come to life at night.
"It highlights our Indigenous history which we think is super important and one of the main things that council wanted is not something that every other town has got."
Some public feedback has questioned why did council not follow the idea of realism paintings of town history as seen at the North East Solo Art Trail including at St James and Devenish silos.
"It won't be pictured on silos of people's faces, this will be completely unique and people will talk about it and say you have to go to Wangaratta and view it at night time," Cr Rees said.
Others have questioned why council did not choose local people to carry out the works.
Cr Rees said Ms Hanover, who has a base in new York, brings with her American creativity that is unique and different.
"People say why don't we use locals, but no locals want to do it and the ones that did were from outside of the area with no connection," he explained.
"People are also seeing it at its worst at the moment with an out coat of white and some outlines but it all has to be filled in."
While council didn't entertain using the artist who painted the silos across the region, Cr Rees didn't rule out going this way in the future.
"There are several silos and other painting artworks that will happen over the next few years where we could do something similar to the existing silo art in the region," he said.
