Winning Northern Gateway artwork endorsed

Published on 24 October 2025

The City of Launceston has endorsed Sky Vessels by Katie Stackhouse as the winning artwork concept for the city’s landmark Northern Gateway project — a major public art commission that will create a visually compelling arrival point at Launceston's entrance.

The endorsement by Councillors follows a four-week community voting process during which more than 1000 votes were received via the Council’s Tomorrow Together online engagement platform and in-person pop-ups.

Sky Vessels received 50.85 per cent of the total votes, narrowly edging out the alternative shortlisted design, Kanamaluka Kanalaritja by Lola Greeno, which also attracted strong community support.

The artwork will be installed on the Midland Highway’s Southern Outlet near the Pipeworks Road overpass.

City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said the installation would be a defining new addition to the city’s public art landscape.

"This artwork is bold, creative, and a real reflection of Launceston's spirit — it captures who we are and proudly marks our city as the gateway to the North," Mayor Garwood said.

"It reflects our grounded stories, our history, our landscape, our sense of community, and that spark of creativity that’s always been part of who we are.

"From the river and the Gorge, to our heritage streetscapes and the incredible artists who call this place home, it all comes together in one piece that celebrates what makes our city so unique."

Born and raised in Launceston, Stackhouse is an interdisciplinary artist who describes her sculptural forms as 'vessels for environmental knowledge, merging material and poetic sensitivity with conceptual rigour'.

"It would be an honour to contribute a permanent sculptural work to the Gateway that poetically reflects the nuances of Launceston and the surrounding environments," Stackhouse said ahead of yesterday's endorsement.

"Through processes of listening and making, I am dedicated to creating a contemporary installation that is distinctive and resonant with place and community."

This initiative is fully funded by the State Government’s Northern Gateway Improvements Program and will be delivered by the City of Launceston in partnership with Urban Art Projects.

Final engineering, design and statutory approvals will now proceed, with installation scheduled for late 2026.

"The Northern Gateway is more than artwork - it’s a statement about who we are and where we’re going as a community," Mayor Garwood said.

"I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote because your input has helped shape a project the whole city can be proud of."

For more information about the Northern Gateway project, visit launceston.tas.gov.au/Community/Arts-and-Culture/Northern-Gateway-Art-Project