Community and human rights
Silo art
Silo art
Viterra is proud to support silo art initiatives in the regional communities where we operate. We give in kind support and work closely with the local community group and/or council throughout the project while providing our silos as canvases.
In 2017, our Coonalpyn silos were painted in what was the first South Australian silo art project. Painted by Australian large-scale artist Guido Van Helten, the artwork depicts five local Coonalpyn Primary School children to represent the town’s future. The project was coordinated by the Coorong District Council as a part of the wider ‘Creating Coonalpyn’ project.
Awards:
- Award of Merit – Australian Civic Trust Awards 2019
The Kimba silos were completed in late 2017. Australian mural artist Cam Scale transformed the silos with a mural of a child and sunset landscape. Organised by the Igniting Kimba Working Group, the project was part of the ‘Igniting Kimba Arts Program.’
Awards:
- Finalist for 2020 Best Mega Mural – Australian Street Art Awards 2020
- Award of Merit – Australian Civic Trust Awards 2019
- Sustainable Communities Award (Best Medium Town) – KESAB Awards 2017
As part of the ‘Colour Tumby Street Art Festival’ in 2018, the Tumby Bay Progress Association commissioned Argentinian street artist, Martin Ron to paint the local silos. The mural is of two children jetty jumping, a common past time in the town.
Awards:
- Award of Merit – Australian Civic Trust Awards 2019
- Winner in the Best Street Art Festival or Event – Australian Street Art Awards 2019
- Finalist in the Best Mega Mural category – Australian Street Art Awards 2019
- People’s Choice Award – 2018 Brand SA Regional Showcase
Proposed by the Wirrabara Tourism & Development Group and organised by the District Council of Mt Remarkable, the Wirrabara silos were painted in late 2018 by Australian realist artist, Smug (Sam Bates). The mural depicts the town’s strong ties to the forestry industry as well as the local flora and fauna.
Awards:
- Award of Merit – Australian Civic Trust Awards 2019
The first silo to have two different artists paint a block each, the artwork came to fruition thanks to the Nature Foundation SA along with the local community. Local artist, Garry Duncan and Melbourne artist, Jimmy DVate depicted their interpretation of the theme, Healthy River Healthy Community. Since its completion, Viterra has gifted the silos to the District Council of Loxton Waikerie to enable further development of the site as a local precinct for the community.
Awards:
- Award of Merit – Australian Civic Trust Awards 2019
The first of its kind in Australia, the Karoonda silos feature both a painted mural visible during the day and a permanent projection display at night. Organised by the District Council of Karoonda East Murray, Mongolian/Australian artist Heesco painted the silos which feature local Mallee characters Whiskey the kelpie and Diamond the sheep.
Awards:
- Best of the best winner – Australian Street Art Awards 2020
- Award of Merit – Australian Civic Trust Awards 2019
- Silver winner (Colour Up Karoonda) – South Australian Tourism Awards 2019
- Nomination of Best Local Landmark – 5MU Simply The Best Award 2019
In September 2019, New Zealand/Australian artist Austin ‘NITSUA’ Moncrieff worked with the Franklin Harbour Community Development Group to paint Viterra’s Cowell silos. The mural features local man Lionel Deer and his pet camel as well as a local Port Lincoln parrot and a nearby farmhouse ruin.
Awards:
- People’s Choice – Australian Civic Trust Awards 2019
Opened in April 2020, the Quorn silos are decorated with illuminated artwork each night which plays a sequence of animated stories reflecting the region’s history. The illumination is run by Illuminart and artwork includes pieces from local artists and photographers.
Awards:
- Silver for 2020 Best Mega Mural – Australian Street Art Awards 2020
The Farrell Flat mural was completed in November 2020 and organised by the Farrell Flat Management Committee with funding from the Australian Government’s Drought Communities Programme and support from the Regional Council of Goyder. The silos were painted by local South Australian artists Jarrod Soden and Matthew Knights of Perplswet Designs, and feature a colourful sunset with a train – a nod to the town’s history.
The tenth silo art project in our network completed in April 2021 on our Owen silos.
The project was organised by the Owen Community Centre Silo Art Committee and designed by artist Robert 'Alf' Hannaford who was assisted by artist Cam Scale. Titled 'Wheat bags to sand bags,' the artwork depicts two scenes and is an ode to the town's agricultural and military history.
The first scene is of harvest around Owen in 1914 with men loading wheat bags onto the dray being pulled by a team of draught horses, the second scene is a year later in Gallipoli during the war, and shows men from the town filling sand bags in the trenches.
Eudunda was completed in September 2021, and is a tribute to two local authors and their books about South Australia. The project was organised by the Regional Council of Goyder and the Eudunda Community, Business and Tourism Committee with Sam Brooks as the artist.
The first silo shows Colin Thiele’s book Sun on the Stubble about a German immigrant family in 1930s and the second has the book Ngadjuri by Fred Warrior which is about Aboriginal people from the region.
Viterra’s silo art addition at Bute is a colourful depiction of the local community’s flora, fauna, agricultural history, and connection to the land. The piece was completed in April 2022.
The project was organised by the Barunga West Council, who commissioned Sydney duo Scott Nagy and Krimsone to design and paint the piece.
The Bute artwork features a young woman set against a background of local orchids, a Rainbow Bee-eater bird, a Blue Wren, Bute’s historical railway station, and even a nod to the local sporting club in the form of a rooster.
Viterra’s most recent silo art addition is a tribute to the history of the local agricultural community. The piece was commissioned in 2024.
This project was organised by volunteer community group Lameroo Forward, who employed well-known large-scale muralist Sam ‘Smug’ Bates to design and paint this piece.
The Lameroo silo artwork depicts a pensive farmer assessing the land on a cold morning, with a sunrise and a historic Mallee windmill in the background.
Viterra is open to working with other regional communities on silo art projects. If you have questions about the silo art process and policies, please contact Viterra's communications team for more information via communications_ANZ@viterra.com or (08) 8304 5000.