The paint has barely dried on the latest installment of Wollongong’s Wonderwalls festival, but the council is already keen to work out what should come next in the city’s growing public art collection.

Wollongong City Council recently ran a survey on to find out what art forms should be installed throughout the city in the future.

Residents were asked to rate how important public art is, and whether they would like to see it take shape as street art, sculptures, temporary installations or even creative street furniture.

Acting community and cultural development manager Armando Reviglio said art was an important part of Wollongong’s continuing revitalisation.

“Public art adds to the amenity and cultural enjoyment of an area, and it also activates an area and this means the safety is increased too,” he said.

“Anecdotally [with Wonderwalls] we’re already getting so many stories of people coming to the city and saying, ‘Wow, this looks so good,’ and that tells me these areas are being activated and more people are walking through them.”

“And this means there’s those other economic and tourism benefits too.”

In the past, ideas about art in Wollongong have proved controversial, with some readers last year suggesting outlandish sculptures be installed in the city centre. 

These included bronze pigs rummaging through rubbish bins based on a similar piece in Adelaide, a giant spider stalking innocent shoppers and even an oversized shopping trolley for Crown Street Mall.

The mall’s controversial makeover was originally slated to have a $500,000 art component, however this is yet to be completed.

More than 18 months ago, Sydney-based Barbara Flynn was engaged as a “public art curator” to oversee the establishment of art in the newly refurbished mall.

The art director helped select Sydney's controversial “cloud arch” and milk crate sculptures, which were widely mocked in mainstream and social media.

It remains unclear what type of mark she will make on Wollongong, however the council recently revealed it would spend an extra $300,000 on the mall with part of the money to go towards art.

Mr Reviglio said the results of the recent survey –as well as a series of public consultations – would be collated by council staff and would eventually be presented to councillors to help form a public art strategy.

In the meantime, he said the council would work towards its significant art project, the $30,000 Bicentennial Acquisitive Sculpture Award, which will be displayed in the Botanic Gardens early next year.