Yarra Trams partners with Rising Festival

Today we launched the 2022 collection of Melbourne Art Trams as part of Yarra Trams’ partnership with RISING Melbourne , Creative Victoria and PTV. The program was curated by visual artist Jarra Karalinar Steel (Boonwurrung/Wemba) and each of the six trams in the collection feature designs by First Peoples artists in a travelling celebration of connection to country, culture and identity.
 
The first tram to join the network today is wrapped in a design originally painted onto a W-class tram in 1991 by Yorta Yorta artist and activist Lin Onus. His son, artist and performer Tiriki Onus, supported the return of the design and attended the celebration today with the Minister for Public Transport, the Hon Ben Carroll MP, the Minister for Creative Victoria, the Hon Danny Pearson MP, the six artists behind this year’s trams, representatives from RISING Festival and our CEO Julien Dehornoy.
 
These trams represent the very best of public art in Victoria, and we can’t wait for our passengers to see them across the network for the next year. We hope the trams will spark contemplation and reflection and our passengers enjoy the stories and expressions of the First Peoples’ artists. 

The artists behind the next five trams to enter the network are: Louise Moore (Wamba), Patricia McKean (Gundijtmara/Kirrae Wurrong), Dr Paola Balla (Wemba-Wemba/Gundijtmara), Tegan Murdock (Burapa), and Darcy McConnell / Enoki (Yorta Yorta/Dja Dja Wurrung).