Art Word Place hangs at University

 
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LAUNCHING IN 2019 at Tamworth Artstate and going on to the Regional Australia Institute in Canberra, Arts North West’s Art Word Place exhibition has returned home to the New England, being installed at UNE’s Dixson Library this week.

The exhibition’s final install on the walls of a library is a very fitting one, as words were the inspiration for the visual work. Art Word Place first commissioned 18 writers to create a short poem or prose based on their home landscape and then selected 18 artists, to draw on this composition as the basis and inspiration for a new work capturing the identity and sense of place in the New England.

“It was fascinating to see the similarities in the creative process for both writer and artist. Usually, artworks inspire the words, not the other way.” said Arts North West Executive Director and exhibition curator, Caroline Downer.

“When the works were created in 2019, our region was faced with the combination of lack of rain and record temperatures, devastating our local communities, the theme of drought had absolutely captured the imaginations of both writer and artist, this also resulted in themes of strength, resilience and of perseverance.” Ms. Downer continued.

The exhibition arrangement is the first of its kind in the New England North West, bringing creatives together who in most cases have not met, let alone worked together before, to take part in a unique creative exchange.

Armidale author and UNE alumni, Sophie Masson was paired with Walcha artist, Angus Nivison for the exhibition.

“I loved being involved in Art Word Place and found it absolutely inspirational to be collaborating with Angus. And as a proud alumnus of the University of New England (BA.M.Litt and PhD ) I' m delighted that our work is now to be featured in an exhibition at UNE's Dixson Library.” Said Ms. Masson.

Art Word Place is currently on exhibit in the ground floor area of Dixson Library at the University of New England. The show is really worth a visit, so if you are on a lunch break or picking up a book head down and enjoy the very best of New England North West creative talent. Dixson Library is only open to UNE students and staff.

Arts Restarts in the New England North West

 
IMAGE: Arts North West staff outside the office in Glen Innes. Back L - R Michael Burge, Chris McIntosh. Front L - R: Michèle Jedlicka, Steph McIntosh, Caroline Downer.

IMAGE: Arts North West staff outside the office in Glen Innes.
Back L - R Michael Burge, Chris McIntosh. Front L - R: Michèle Jedlicka, Steph McIntosh, Caroline Downer.

 

In response to recent announcements made by Create NSW, the Arts North West team have spent considerable time over the last couple of months, developing new and exciting projects that encompass majority of the New England North West creative community.

The suite of Arts Restart projects includes the following paid opportunities for creatives in the New England North West:

In the Museum: Expressions of Interest from local artists, performers, and writers for artists-in-residence at volunteer-run, historical museums nestled in communities across the New England and North West of NSW.

There are five residency opportunities available for individuals develop their creative work in response collections at the following museums: Wee Waa Namoi Echo Museum, Dorothea Mackellar Centre and the Water Tower Museum (Gunnedah), Hillgrove Museum, Emmaville Mining Museum and Tenterfield Railway Museum.

NENW Snapshot: Arts North West is also seeking Expressions of Interest to employ 12 photographers for the New England North West Snapshot project to grow the arts events and art venue imagery database for the Arts North West platforms, to share with local council tourism centres, and media. Preference for this position will be given to developing photographers aged 18-25 with a desire to develop their skills, portfolios and experience.

Creative Champions Arts North West is seeking 12 individuals with a passion and strong interest in the arts to grow the resource base of ANW creative directory and cultural tourism site, Arts North West Connect. Creative Champions will seek out professional or advanced visual and performing artists, writers, designers, technicians, and community arts workers in the shires where they live, and assist them to enhance their resumes, bios and portfolios in the process of linking them to the Arts North West Connect regional registry of arts workers in the New England North West.

This position will be vital to establishing links between the creative population of our region and council tourism and information centres, giving our local artists and arts-related industries acknowledgment, recognition, and employment opportunities, growing sustainability for the arts within our communities.

Arts North West Executive Director Caroline Downer is thrilled to offer employment opportunities to creatives in the New England North West.

“This funding will allow us to build stronger and wider networks throughout the New England North West region, which is something we are constantly working on, but with such a large geographical area and 12 contributing councils, it is not always easy to do with a small staff.” Said Ms. Downer

“I can’t wait to see these projects roll out across the region; they will also give us greater scope supporting all things creative in the region which will help us develop future programming.” she continued.

To submit an EOI, please visit the Arts North West website and complete the online form www.artsnw.com.au

The Arts Restart Projects are being project managed by Arts North West projects officer, Michèle Jedlicka. Please direct any enquiries to projects@artsnw.com.au

New England North West Creatives Shine in Isolation Project

 
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Arts North West has unveiled the comedic results of a large-scale community arts project that had been in the works over the last couple of months of 2020.

Captain Isobolt and the Great COVID Crises of 2020 is a set of 5 short videos engaging community theatre practitioners in the New England North West, bringing humour to the tumultuous year that was.

Scripted by Arts North West, the series features over 100 local participants, in a low-tech spoof, centred around a young man who is unexpectedly chosen to confront and solve a the series of crises posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the New England North West including toilet paper shortages, the need for hand sanitiser, homemade masks and social distancing.

Filmed using mobile phones and social distancing, the series has been brilliantly produced and edited by Arts North West Projects Officer, Michèle Jedlicka, with voice overs by Inverell’s Peter Caddey, original music by Armidale’s Pat Harris and stars New England North West locals, Alex Robson and Ellie Ann Sampson.

“Film is not my medium in the first place, so this project was a fun challenge. With theatre, you rehearse for weeks with your fellow actors, and then play to an audience: you bounce off the energy and reactions of both. But this was me, performing to my mate behind my iPhone camera, in my tiny, scantily furnished new home” said Captain Isobolt actor Alex Robson.

“This was a quintessential quarantine project as you have all of these artists, from all of these different communities, coming together the only way they can: remotely.” Alex continued.

Project manager, producer and editor Michèle Jedlicka, was also really impressed with the effort put in by all involved.

“The imagination and ingenuity all the regional groups used to create their clips was wonderful. They only had a brief to follow, and it was up to them to interpret that part of the script. Even though I saw all these clips multiple times through the editing process, they always make me laugh” said Michèle.

The Captain Isobolt series can be viewed online via the Arts North West website www.artsnw.com.au. For more information, please contact media@artsnw.com.au


The Panorama Project Installed in Inverell

 
Photo: Inverell Library staff member Maria Mutimer with one of the over 300 Panorama Project sketchbooks on display

Photo: Inverell Library staff member Maria Mutimer with one of the over 300 Panorama Project sketchbooks on display

 

The Arts North West Panorama Project, a creative record of our region in the time of COVID, is now installed at the Inverell Public Library until 23 December.

Arts North West (ANW) sent small A5-sized custom sketchbooks in the winter of 2020 to people across the New England North West. Participants filled their books with visual or tactile art, and writing, then returned their sketchbooks to drop-off spots in their communities. Now on tour, the entire collection will tour the region’s libraries until early August of 2021.

“We have loved seeing Panorama Project out on the road. And we have had some lovely messages from library visitors who have enjoyed spending time browsing through all the sketchbooks,” ANW executive director Caroline Dower said.

The exhibition launched at the Glen Innes Library in late October, in time for the library’s Community Open Day and 66th Anniversary celebrations. After its three-week stay, it was hosted by Our Place Wine and Espresso Bar in Tenterfield before it came down to Inverell.

“I heard the most amazing story from Our Place owner Amanda Rudge when I went up to collect the show,” Panorama Project manager Michèle Jedlicka said.

“A woman from the coast stopped in on her travels, and Amanda suggested she have a look at the sketchbooks while she waited for her order. This woman was astonished to find the first book she picked from the shelves was actually made by her friend who lived in Narrabri. That coincidence was extraordinary.”

Michèle invited the public to sit down and spend time looking through collected talent and memoirs in the sketchbooks.

“This project gives us all sense of our connectedness and similarities. I have loved helping this project happen, and I am so grateful to all the people who took part.”

You can follow the progress of the Panorama Project at: www.artsnw.com.au/#/panorama-project.