Marla Guppy
Principal Consultant
Guppy Associates Art Management
Summary of Recent Work
Marla Guppy is a cultural planner and public art strategist. Over the last twenty years she has worked on a range of projects that explore social environments and identity. She has a particular interest in fostering creative involvement in the design of local environments and public buildings. She has considerable experience in working with specific communities of interest and has worked collaboratively with corporate and community organisations and creative industries.
Marla Guppy was a founding member of the Australia Council’s Community, Environment, Art, & Design (CEAD) Committee which provided support for collaborative art & design projects. As a strong advocate for cultural sustainability in urban Australia, Marla received the Ros Bower Memorial Award from Paul Keating for her work in community cultural development. An engaging speaker and writer, she has presented at cultural and urban planning conferences across Australia and overseas and developed numerous resources including the well-used Better Places, Richer Communities – Cultural Planning and Local Development, Landcom’s Public Art Guidelines and in 2015 the Creativity in Transport Infrastructure Guidelines for Transport for NSW.
Recent work includes National Museum of Singapore public art, Shellharbour City Hub Public Art, the Inner West Light Rail Extension Public Art Program, Oran Park Public Art delivery for UGNSW, Rhodes Public Art Plan and public art coordination for Landcom at The Ponds, Bungarribee and Potts Hill new release areas. Guppy Associates has worked extensively with planners, developers, design professionals, community groups and government. Their work recognises the complexity of planning processes and she supports an approach that maximises liaison between all groups involved.
Selected Major Awards
2016 UDIA Award for Blacktown City Council’s Community Hubs (Bungarribee & The Ponds Public Art for UGNSW & BCC)
2014 IES Luminaire Design Award of Commendation for ‘Charge’ Graythwaite Clinic with Milne Stonehouse & Steensen Varming
2014 UDIA Award for Bungarribee Community Hub (UGNSW and Simpson Wilson Architects)
2010 International Association for Public Participation for Airds Bradbury Renewal Project Consultation with Straightalk Pty Ltd
2006 Parks and Leisure Australia Planning Award for Cabravale Leisure Centre consultation (Fairfield Council)
2004 NSW Local Government Cultural Award (Parramatta Council/ Police HQ)
1999 RAPI Award for North West Melbourne Community Plan (City of Melbourne)
1997 Local Government and the Arts Leadership Award for Geelong Cultural Plan (City of Geelong)
1995 Ros Bower Memorial Award for Community Cultural Development
1995 Innovation in Local Government Award for Glenmore Park Cultural Plan (Penrith Council)
Selected Speaking Engagements/Papers
2016 Creatives in the City – Art & the Liveable Neighbourhood, Liveable Cities Conference, Melbourne
2015 New Diversities – Delivering for Diversity in the 21st Century, UNSW BE People & Place Symposium
2014 Public Art Partnerships – Art & Edges Regional Arts Australia Conference, Kalgoorlie
2013 Using or Exchanging Places – Who Is Making Place Conference, UNSW, Sydney
2012 Public Art & Place – PIA National Planning Congress, Adelaide
2011 Edge City Art – Art in Society Conference, Berlin, Germany
2009 The Process of Public Art – Public Art Seminar, Manly Art Gallery
2008 Hot City – The Culture of Climate Change, Planning Institute of Australia National Congress, Sydney
2008 Public Art & the Community – Landcom Design Guidelines Launch, Sydney
2007 No Such Place; Art & Place-based Identity – Sites of Communication Conference, National Gallery of Victoria