The Daily Muse
The Daily Muse is a daily public art project, within the Festival Precinct, where each piece (an unavoidable good news mural) is created in response to current events in mainstream media’s daily news.
The project will be led by public artist Alison Mooney and a changing roster of special guests (or broadcasters) from different creative disciplines – including Sunshine Brass; Darren Blackman; Michael Fikaris; Dr. Kellie O’Dempsey; Aaron Craig; Funny Coast Comedy; Ruby Donohoe and more.
Over ten days the wall will shift and change, with new artworks and anchor-news-puns reflecting the good news that doesn't get through our algorithms. Maybe a can of spray paint will help?
Is it satire? Optimism? Educated wishes? Beautifully considered highbrow art? Time will tell.
Download the Urban Gallery Map here.
About the Urban Gallery
This work is part of the Festival Precinct, where we invite you to wander and wonder through our Urban Gallery every day of Horizon 2025.
Situated in Ocean St, Maroochydore (Kabi Kabi Country), you’ll find a diverse collection of works nestled into streets, laneways and Big Top Shopping Centre — blurring the lines between physical, artistic and digital realms.
Suitable for all ages, this free-to-enjoy 10-day art-trail will feature inspiring work from visionary Queensland and Australian contemporary artists, including First Nations artists.
Creative Team
- Creative Lead – Alison Mooney
- Artist – Sunshine Brass
- Artist – Aaron Craig
- Artist – Darren Blackman
- Artist - Michael Fikaris
- Artist – Kellie O’Dempsey
- Artists – Damien Power & Dan Rath (Neurotic News)
- Artist – Tom O’Hern
- Artist – Ruby Donohoe
- Artists – Mick Neven & Nicky Wilkinson (Funny Coast Comedy)
Alison Mooney
Alison Mooney is an Australian artist based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, exploring colour, movement, and curiosity. Her studio pieces, murals, and public art use bold colours and dynamic forms to energize spaces. Passionate about public art’s impact, she values its ability to surprise and inspire communities daily. Alison explores the intersection of physical and digital public spaces, engaging audiences in unexpected ways. She believes creative risk-taking is contagious, shaping how communities interact with art. Through her work, she invites people to experience the power of colour, movement, and artistic expression in their everyday surroundings.
Collaborators
Sunshine Brass are a 30 piece brass band based in Nambour (est. 1906) with members aged from 12 to 88 years old.
Aaron Craig is an Australian pop art painter based on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland regularly showing internationally - his work decontextualizes blended pop culture, with strong notes of nostalgia.
Damien Power & Dan Rath are cult favourites for comedy lovers globally and together they solve all the world’s problems in their hit and hilariously twisted podcast, Neurotic News.
Tom O’Hern is based in nipaluna (Hobart). His practice is centred around drawing and includes painting, murals and animation. Tom is drawn to the raw mark-making of graffiti, doodles, scratches and scrawls. His work is quick, obsessive, automatic and unending.
Kellie O’Dempsey manipulates space and alters perception to transform and reinvigorate the familiar whilst establishing a sense of brilliance. Kellie’s involvement will include large scale collage and line in a collision with colour and the absurd.
Ruby Donohoe is an interdisciplinary artist working across performance, installation, digital media, and immersive experiences.
Mick Neven & Nicky Wilkinson of Sunny Coast Comedy have almost 50 years of comedy experience between them. Alongside Jacques Barrett, Mick Neven (AUS) and Nicky Wilkinson (UK) are award-winning Comedians on a mission to bring laughter to the Sunshine Coast.
Acknowledgements
The Daily Muse was commissioned for Horizon 2025 through Sunshine Coast Council's MadeSC program and presented as part of the Festival Precinct Urban Gallery supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and Big Top Shopping Centre.
Daily Muse is a live public art experience in an outdoor undercover location, that can be viewed from Duporth Avenue. Please dress for the weather. The experience is a mix of performance, visual and audio elements, with durational work involving painting, comedy and music performance.
We recommend you visit more than once to experience the full extent of the event as it will be different every day over the course of the 10-day festival.
Seating is not provided, however, there is seating nearby. Refreshments are available for purchase from local traders in Big Top Shopping Centre and along Ocean Street.
This experience is suitable for all ages and abilities.
Wheelchair Accessibility
This event is wheelchair accessible.
Level Access
This event will take place in a public place on Ocean St, Maroochydore, where there is level access.
Bathroom Access
This event takes place in a public space. The closest public facilities are available inside the Big Top Shopping Centre, Solbar, Old Soul and other open restaurants along Ocean Street.
Any other access requirements
We welcome all audiences to Horizon and strive to make every event and performance as accessible as possible.
We are always open to discussing your individual requirements to assist wherever possible. If you’d like to speak to someone about your access requirements, please contact us during business hours at (07) 5475 7272 or [email protected].
If you are travelling by car there is free, three-hour parking available at the Big Top Shopping Centre carpark located on Ocean Street. Parking is limited, we advise you use alternative transport, carpool or park and walk.
Solbar is within easy walking distance of the Maroochydore Station Bus Interchange. Plan your journey to festival from the Translink Website.
Car Parking is limited on Ocean Street so ride your bike to the Duporth Ave bike parking hub. You can lock your bike in the Council facility that has 24hr security cameras active.