Summer Road to Saltwater: Revealing Footscray’s unique history
Published on 06 March 2025
Council invites you to experience, Summer Road and Saltwater, a unique display of our collection of artworks detailing Footscray’s remarkable stories of discovery, opportunity and hope through 80 artworks from the eighteenth century to the present day.
City of Maribyrnong Mayor, Cr Pradeep Tiwari, said Summer Road to Saltwater was an incredible opportunity to step back in time and appreciate the changing face of our City.
“Our City, particularly Footscray, has had many lives – from our industrial roots through to our vibrant present, I invite the community to explore this unique evolution through our Collection,” Mayor Tiwari said.
Focussing on the area once known as Saltwater, the showcase will offer an opportunity to reflect how identity and place are formed and transformed over time. Once reliant on Melbourne for its prosperity and only accessible during summer months, Footscray quickly became a place of opportunity.
The region’s changing landscape including the Maribyrnong River has drawn artists to document both its magnificence and deterioration. Climate change, industrial development and natural disasters have gravely effected the City’s river, which was once its main attraction and a source of survival.
Utilising the historic, and recently restored Footscray Town Hall as the backdrop, the community is invited to explore this display. Through a diverse range of media, including photography, painting and textile, this exhibition will reflect on the changing shape of our municipality and the current challenges facing our environment.
Council’s Art and Heritage Collection currently contains over 650 works including paintings, photographs, works on paper, ceramics, sculptures, memorials, monuments, ephemera and civic items – recording Maribyrnong’s culture, history, environment and people. The Collection contributes to the celebration and documentation of our cultural, social and historical identity, creating a sense of belonging by reflecting, interpreting and preserving innovative, contemporary and heritage artworks while also fostering an understanding, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual public arts.
Summer Road to Saltwater
Location: Civic Precinct and Community Hub, 61 Napier Street, Footscray
General viewing dates: Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am-4pm, from 7 March.
Booking essential for group bookings and curated tours. For more information please visit www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/arts-and-culture/Events/Summer-Road-to-Saltwater
Image: Terry Matassoni, Bridge Over the River, 2010, oil on canvas
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