GATHER & TRADE REGIONAL ABORIGINAL ARTISANS MARKET

First Nations artists, craftspeople, cultural artisans in the New England North West are invited to submit an expression of interest to have a stall at the 23 April Gather and Trade Regional Aboriginal Artisans Market. EOIs close 25 March.

Held during the Tamworth Country Music Festival in Tamworth's Bicentennial Park, this event has been created to celebrate our region's First Nations arts, culture and music. Aboriginal artists and artisans from the 12 LGAs making up Arts North West's footprint are invited by an EOI process, to hold a stall at the Market - a great opportunity for local Aboriginal creatives to sell their art and products and reach a wide audience to promote their goods and practices.

There are provisions available for financial assistance towards travel and accommodation however due to availability issues they may not be to supply accommodation requests. You will be required to have Public Liability Insurance. If you do not, or need more information, please contact 2 Rivers director Lorrayne Fishenden on 0467 668 977 or email lorrayne@2rivers.com.au for guidance on how to get it. Learn more and register your EOI here: artsnw.com.au/gather-and-trade

INTRODUCTION FROM OUR DIRECTOR

Welcome to 2022!

Despite the immediate situation, we are very much looking forward to so many exciting things happening this year.

We have a focus on restore, refresh, rejuvenate and revitalise. It has been a tough couple of years, and although this year's start continues to be difficult for all of us, everywhere, we are determined to keep our spirits upbeat and strong. So in 2022, we are looking forward to working with our 12 Councils – with congratulations to the new Councillors and Mayors following the elections late last year.

We have planned:

A series of creative workshops in 4 villages around the NENW. CreativiTEA will launch in March to Torrington, Drake, Tingha and Yetman.

Some cool professional development workshops with the inimitable Monica Davidson from Creative Plus Business. Keep your diaries free for 10/11 March

Some training on creative recovery projects for Glen Innes Shire

The inaugural NENW Aboriginal artisan market – 22/23 April in Tamworth

Arts North West is also very excited to announce that we are recruiting for a new position ‘Programs and Partnerships Officer’ which will mean Arts North West can deliver even more for the communities in our region.

We can’t wait to get out and about, re-engage with creatives in our region and support arts and cultural activities in the New England North West.

-Caroline Downer, OAM
Executive Director

HELP US CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF ARTS NORTH WEST

It's been a quarter of a century and we are inviting the region, all ages and all voices, to celebrate Arts North West's 25th Birthday. Of course, it's a creative activity!

We're delivering postcards to regional locations in the next two weeks for people to take home, and decorate, add some creative flair, write, collage, paint, draw, and then stick on a stamp and drop in the post back to us!

We will create an online gallery to showcase all the postcards. Locations confirmed so far are:

Arts North West

Bingara Tourism

Bank Art Museum Moree

Drake Village Resource Centre

Gallery 126, Armidale

Glen Innes Library

Glen Innes Tourism

Gunnedah Gallery and Library

Inverell Art Gallery

Inverell Library

Libraries across the Central Northern Library System

Liverpool Plains Tourism

Make It Tenterfield

The Makers Shed, Glen Innes

New England Regional Art Museum

2 Rivers Pty Ltd Tamworth

Tamworth Regional Gallery

Weswal Gallery, Tamworth

Yaama Ganu Centre, Moree

BUY LOCAL AND SUPPORT THE ARTS

With supply chains clogged up and all the uncertainty about whether you'll find that perfect holiday gift, look no further than your backyard. Buy local this year! The 2021 Gather and Trade Aboriginal Artisans Marketplace, which can be found on the front page of Arts North West throughout November, has unique work that will also support our regional First Nations artisans.

Take a browse through the Arts Connections Marketplace, where you will discover a range of items (like these beautiful Late Night Pottery place settings) by local artists, artsworkers and writers. All your purchases directly assist people to keep working and developing their creative voices.

The Puppet Project: Lockdown Edition

A puppet can be a toy, or a way to channel our voice when we need an outlet outside ourselves.

With this in mind, Arts North West has launched The Puppet Project: Lockdown Edition. The project is a creative opportunity for New England North West artists and residents as we continue to cycle through COVID lockdowns.

Participants are challenged to create a 30-second video sharing lockdown survival tips - delivered by at least one homemade puppet. Open to all, a total of 20 working artists in visual or performing arts, 10 community members, and one writer, will receive an award for their work.

Following the clip creation, a local writer will be commissioned to create a poem, based on those lockdown clip tips, with the poem’s debut to take place on Zoom with a puppet cast of participants.

Arts North West project officer Michèle Jedlicka said the community has an extra incentive to get involved.

“We have a mystery judge who will select their top 10 community clips, and we’ll let people know who that judge is soon, but we are thrilled he’s helping out with creative project,” she said.

“It’s a project where anybody can get involved.”

Artist Fiona McDonald helped kick-off the project, and said she had a goblin puppet in mind when she received the invitation.

“This fellow was cheerful looking with a kind face. He had also witnessed my frantic activities during the recent COVID lockdown,” she said.

Fiona’s goblin puppet delivered a song in her clip, reflecting the times.

“To avoid loneliness in lockdown it is tempting to fill time up with activity, but it can get out of hand and become frantic: sometimes it's best to just talk to a friend on the phone,” Fiona said.

Artist James O’Hanlon created a backlit shadow puppet with materials from around the house.

“I love creative challenges with tight restrictions,” he said. “Being given the challenge of making a 30-second message with a handmade puppet made me think outside the box and have a lot of fun at the same time.”

For dates, guidelines and more information about the ANW Puppet Project: Lockdown Edition, go to www.artsnw.com.au.

GREAT SOUTHERN NIGHTS RETURNS TO NORTHERN TABLELANDS IN 2022

A STATE Government initiative to light up the region’s COVID-19 affected live music scene will tour the region again in 2022, with Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall sitting by his computer waiting to buy tickets for the Great Southern Nights.

The month-long event has been created to support the recovery of the live music, hospitality and tourism industries in a COVID-safe environment.

Mr Marshall urged hospitality venues across the region to sweep the dust off their stages, turn on their mics and support the local live music scene.

“Last November venues in Armidale and Glen Innes participated in Great Southern Nights, hosting seven different artists from across the New England North West,” Mr Marshall said.

“With Great Southern Nights returning between 18 March and 10 April 2022, I would like to see the volume turned up a notch, with a show in each of our major towns.

“Eligible venues can apply to be part of the Great Southern Nights program via the event website.

“Coming out of lockdown, it’s obvious there is a thirst in the community for great local entertainment.

“Great Southern Nights is an opportunity to get people back into hospitality venues, support performing arts and help businesses to retain jobs.”

Mr Marshall said financial assistance would be provided to venues chosen to host shows.

“Venues will be provided up to $2,500 for one gig, with the financial contribution to be used towards promoting the event,” he said.

“A minimum of $1,500 must be guaranteed to the artist, while the remaining $1,000 will support venue costs, such as production staff, security and front of house staff.

“Live music brings communities together, creates business for venues and local contractors, and importantly lifts the spirits of everyone involved, which is incredibly powerful after these challenging times.”

Shows will be held from 18 March to 10 April 2022.

For information, and for venues to submit an expression of interest, visit www.greatsouthernnights.com.au

Expressions of Interest must be lodged via the online form by 5pm on 8 October 2021.

Adam Marshall MP
Member for Northern Tablelands
Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW

MEDIA: Kris Wall 0447 432 392

11 NEW ENGLAND NORTH WEST CREATIVE PROJECTS FUNDED BY ARTS NORTH WEST

11 creative endeavours have been successfully funded through the third round of the Arts North West Micro Grants program. The program was originally developed as a direct response to the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. Due to the overwhelming response from the New England North West creative community in 2020, Arts North West has made Micro Grant funding a part of their 2021 programming.

Designed to support the continuation of locally determined community arts and cultural practice in uncertain times, this funding aims to be as flexible as possible. Projects do not require a specific outcome but can focus on skills development or capacity-building. Arts North West recognises the recent hardships faced by the New England North West including drought, bushfire, mouse plague and COVID-19 and their effects on arts practice or arts businesses.

“We are still finding ourselves in very unusual times in the New England North West and we really understand the difficulties faced by the arts and cultural communities in our region” said Arts North West Executive Director, Caroline Downer. “Yet again, we are absolutely thrilled at the response to this initiative, with over 40 applications received which is a significant increase on last year. This goes to show that despite the current challenges faced by the sector, the arts and culture landscape in the New England North West is a very resilient one” Ms Downer continued.

The successful applicants are as follows:

1. Tania Hartigan, Wallabadah: Continue development of creating natural inks from native plants growing in this region.

2. Buluuy Mirrii, Tamworth: To prepare for the upcoming Fabrics of Multicultural Australia (FOMA) in 2021-2022 at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney.

3. Goldheist, Tamworth: Record a live acoustic EP of love songs.

4. Sophie Honess, Tamworth: To seek the services of A2 framing in Armidale for upcoming solo exhibition at Weswal Gallery, Tamworth.

5. Yulugi Marumali, Moree: To create dance tutorial videos that will include basic dance tips and terminology.

6. James O’Hanlon, Armidale: To buy supplies that will be used to prepare a series of entirely new artworks for exhibition.

7. Arushi Nayar, Gunnedah: Work on an artistic project about experiences of living on a farm.

8. Marianne la Cour, Glen Innes: To develop resources for future teaching.

9. Beattie Alvarez, Armidale: To write, illustrate and print a series of micro stories, based around the toys that I make.

10. Helena Pastor, Armidale: To cover the costs of an online writing course offered through Writing NSW and a new author photo.

11. Vicky Taylor, Kentucky: Hire a video producer to produce a 10-minute video of local contemporary lace makers.

For more information, contact Caroline Downer via rado@artsnw.com.au