New public artworks commissioned to celebrate Victorian women

The first of six new public artworks to be funded through the Victorian Women’s Public Art Program is a sculpture of Barbara Rae, the winning captain of the first women’s cricket match held in Australia.

The match was held in 1874 and Barbara was just 19 years old – and the top scorer too.

Barbara not only guided her side to victory but also played a significant role in organising the entire event, by recruiting other women to play and facilitating coaching sessions at the local cricket grounds.

It was a significant milestone in the history of women’s sport, watched by thousands at a time when women required permission to play sports that typically only men played.

Now 150 years on, Barbara’s leadership and legacy lives on as women’s cricket in Australia thrives with record-breaking crowds and participation levels as we saw with the Women's Ashes over the weekend.

A sculpture celebrating Barbara will be created by the City of Greater Bendigo on Dja Dja Wurrung country.

Last year, organisations were invited to apply for funding under the second round of the program that celebrates women and their achievements. Thirteen projects were shortlisted to be part of a public engagement process.

The Victorian community were invited to have their say on which stories they would most like to see honoured through art - and now six new artworks have been commissioned.

The Victorian Women’s Public Art Program is funded by the Victorian Government’s Community Support Fund and run in partnership with McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery. McClelland supports contemporary artists to develop, create and present their work, and manages a range of programs to commission artwork.

Read more about Barbara Rae’s story Victorian Women's Public Art Program | vic.gov.au