The City of Greater Bendigo is planning to measure the impact of Marilyn Monroe on the city.
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The Hollywood icon has been a much talked about topic in Bendigo since the installation of the Forever Marilyn sculpture in Rosalind Park and the opening of the Bendigo Art Gallery’s Marilyn Monroe exhibition.
Bendigo Art Gallery director Karen Quinlan said many thousands of people had visited the exhibition and taken a “selfie” with the sculpture.
“Since the sculpture was installed and the exhibition opened, Bendigo has come down with a serious case of Marilyn fever,” Ms Quinlan said.
“The exhibition and sculpture has triggered a great spike in tourism and encouraged local residents to better explore their own community.”
Forever Marilyn is the first time a major art piece from a touring exhibition has gone on display outside of the gallery.
“(it offers) a unique opportunity for the public to interact directly with the exhibition without the need to purchase tickets,” Ms Quinlan said.
La Trobe University are helping council and the art gallery conduct a short survey to measure the social and cultural impact of the exhibition and sculpture.
“Two La Trobe University students will base themselves in the gallery and around the statue to conduct the survey but there will also be an option for people to complete the survey online,” Ms Quinlan said.
“We’re looking for information on how the exhibition made people feel about Bendigo, if family and friends came to view the exhibition or the sculpture, if people dined out or shopped during their visit, and if people think public art and exhibitions improve the community’s image and strengthen social bonds.
“If residents have friends or relatives (who) visited from out of town, we would encourage them to share the online survey with them.
“No such research currently exists about the impact of cultural events in Bendigo and the results will be a great reference for establishing future exhibitions events.”
The survey closes on August 12. To complete the survey, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/MarilynMonroe