One of Australia’s most renowned street artists, MAN.De aka Mandy Schoene-Salter, has been announced as the feature artist for the 2024 Art of Attraction Tourism Summit and associated Australian Street Art Awards gala dinner.
Ms Schoene-Salter, whose vibrant style is championing the conservation of native flora and fauna, is a Blue Mountains-based artist. She is creating an original piece that will be incorporated into the gala stage, entrance arch and media wall at the early March event.
Conference and awards’ organiser, Liz Rivers, said “Art tourism is the cool kid on the tourism block, and in Australia that’s partly thanks to street art, art festivals and the silo art trails that have become hugely popular.
“Tourists, especially older travellers with more time, are choosing what regions to visit and what routes to take based on the street, silo and public art on show.
“The Art of Attraction and Australian Street Art Awards are both tourism-focussed, and the delegates from across Australia attending the conference and associated gala are keen to learn how to use art tourism to drive visitation to their town, city or region,” Ms Rivers said.
She said they will learn more about how to create legally sanctioned street art, protect copyright, and use their public art to transform their destination’s appeal.
The Art of Attraction is the only conference in Australia to focus on art tourism, with mature-age tourism also to be explored. Speakers include leaders at the very forefront of using public and street art as a strong economic driver.
Among the line-up is the woman who transformed the public face of Christchurch after the devastating 2011 earthquakes, Deborah McCormick. She was the founding Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art in New Zealand, a globally respected curatorial organisation, and held the position for more than 25 years. She will give a behind-the-scenes understanding of the role public and street art played in the rebirth of Christchurch.
Portable Creations, leading national mobile marketing specialists, are working with MAN.De to showcase her work through these gala dinner elements.
