Arts North West Covid-19 Update

Hello all,

I’m sure you are all being inundated with information about Covid-19 (Coronavirus) and its impact on our sector. 

It has been a particularly difficult time – from drought to bushfire and now to a global pandemic. All of these have had a huge effect on our creative industries.
 
Event Cancellation
While the current requirement is to cancel all events that have an audience of 500 and above, many of our venues and organisations may not reach that audience figure but are still understandably anxious. Resourcing and growing community anxiety will also affect ticket sales and we recognise that organisations and individuals will need to take this into consideration in their planning.
 
If you are in a position to not require a refund for an event, festival, workshop or class that may be cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19 then please consider the ticket you purchased as a donation to the artist, organisation or community. Check out this article from Cut Common Magazine

Advocacy
Regional Arts Australia has also been working with national organisations and Ministers to facilitate a coordinated impact assessment and industry response. A number of surveys have been developed so that a clear picture can be formed as to the impact of Covid-19 on our sector. Please help the advocacy work by filling these out – PAC Australia survey or the National Association of Visual Artists survey. You are also able to submit information to the #Ilostmygig database.
 
Health and Wellbeing
We are not in a position to provide health advice.  Common sense reminds us to wash our hands, cough into elbows and stay at home if we are unwell.  Please be guided by the following sites that are updated daily:

Australian Government Department of Health

NSW Department of Health

Having said that, hand washing is obviously a crucial requirement.  But… really… handwashing to “Happy Birthday” twice, seems a little prosaic.  Send in your best version of a funky tune/song/poem/ and we will put it up on our social media… let’s keep our creative juices flowing!  (Have a look at TwoSetViolin’s ideas!) Email to media@artsnw.com.au
 
We are also very aware of the wellbeing of our communities.  With events cancelled, and social distancing in place, we hope that we can still look after each other as best we can. An arts-focused wellbeing helpline is available at Support Act. 
 
Resources

Some more practical information here: 
A policy that could be implemented for your workplace from the Institute of Community Directors.
World Health Organisation - Getting your workplace ready
Further info from the World Health Organisation
COVID-19 Arts Organisations’ Plans from Theatre Network Australia
Resources from The Australia Council for the Arts

Stay safe and well, look after each other and support family, friends and our wonderful creative community.  Let’s work together.

Board and Staff of Arts North West

Rivers to Ridges and the Stories in Between Exhibition Opening

Rivers to Ridges and the stories in between documents the stories of 20 Elders, 4 artists and the Aboriginal history of our region in multimedia format.

Feature artists have used the stories to inspire new works in a variety of mediums including virtual reality, song and sculpture in order to share the stories with the broader Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community.

This project is part of the Arts North West Aboriginal Cultural Support Program. This program supports and delivers projects that embed the knowledge and stories of our area, enabling our communities to reconnect and rediscover the unique cultural identity of the New England North West.

Artists include:
Loren Ryan (Tamworth)
Ronella (Dolly) Jerome (Tenterfield)
Jade Porter (Moree)
Anthony (Jack) Conlon (Gunnedah)
Videographers Brendan Blacklock (Blacklock Media) & Tim Leha (The Kainga Project).

The exhibition will be opened by Gomeroi man Peter White with a ceremony by Len Waters

Our Plains, Our Hills, Our Home Exhibition Opportunity

Our Plains, Our Hills, Our Home is a professional exhibition to be held in May at Yaama Ganu, Moree. The exhibition will be curated by Arts North West Aboriginal Arts Officer, Lorrayne Riggs and will showcase excellence in Aboriginal art by Kamilaroi people and focus on the special connection Aboriginal people have to Country.

“This is an opportunity to showcase excellence in Aboriginal arts from our Kamilaroi region, often, people forget that we have some phenomenal Aboriginal artists with a connection to our region who have a lot to offer as professional artist, or have the potential to be professional artists.” Said Ms Riggs.

“Relating this exhibition back to Country shows our connectedness through our stories, our rivers and our sky. We want people to know that regional NSW has a strong market of Aboriginal artists that should be valued as it is in other areas across the country.”
The exhibition, which will have a festival atmosphere, will open on 11th May 2018 and will tap into the Moree on a Plate market.

Our Plains, Our Hills, Our Home is a selling exhibition through consignment.

As this is an exhibition of excellence, detail needs to be shown to the quality of the works including the materials used, for example, paintings should be on Belgian linen with high quality paints. Works can be provided un-stretched and Yaama Ganu will stretch ready for hanging.

This is a mixed media exhibition with mediums to include, but not limited, to multi-media, textiles, paintings, carving and weaving.

If you know of a Kamilaroi artist that should be considered for this exhibition please contact Lorrayne Riggs on 0467 668 977 or email Lorrayne@2rivers.com.au

Arts North West Rivers to Ridges team following songlines to Tenterfield.

Arts North West, through their Aboriginal Culture Support Program, heads to Tenterfield next week to record stories of Elders as they prepare a series of documentaries for their “Rivers to Ridges, and the stories in between project” which has been funded by the Federal Government’s Indigenous Languages and Arts Program.

“Rivers to Ridges” and the stories in between, gathers and documents the stories of Elders, Artists and the Aboriginal history of the New England North West in multimedia format. It provides Aboriginal Artists the opportunity to translate and share the stories with the broader community through workshops across our region over two years.

Lead artist for the Tenterfield component of the project is well known Elder, Aunty Ronella Jerome, better known as Dolly. Dolly has been working with Creative Consultant/Project Manager, Lorrayne Riggs, Arts North West Aboriginal Arts Officer and Film Maker, Brendan Blacklock from Blacklock media in preparation for recording the stories of other local Elders including Helen Duroux, Rod McIntosh, Grace Binge and Glen Innes’ Adele Chapman-Burgess.

“I’m really looking forward to this deadly project”, said Aunty Dolly Jerome. “Recording our stories is something I am very passionate about, it is paramount for the preservation of our cultural knowledge”

Lorrayne Riggs, Project Manager said “this is the first time that we know of where the stories recorded will be focused on the unique cultural value of our region. Too often Aboriginal culture from NSW is not valued as highly as in our neighbouring states.By translating and sharing the stories from our region we are able to show the world that Aboriginal culture is alive, important and highly valued in the New England of NSW”.

The project team will spend a week in Tenterfield filming before they head to Tamworth, Narrabri and Moree later in the year.