Spring into action!

The annual community exhibition, ‘Flower Power’ is back again this year at Griffith Regional Art Gallery, coinciding with Griffith’s annual Festival of Gardens. 

Gallery Coordinator, Raymond Wholohan is calling for local artists to enter up to two works in any medium (painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, costume, textiles, etc), created to theme ‘My imaginary garden’.

“Flower Power always attracts an incredible range of artworks, and we are once again calling on locals to enter artworks to be displayed in the exhibition,” said Mr Wholohan.

“The theme ‘My imaginary garden’ allows the artist to conjure anything they can imagine – we hope the theme will inspire our talented artists to explore the idea of environments that may not be able to be achieved by conventional horticulture.”

The exhibition has two prize categories: The Nancy Sainty Encouragement Award and a People’s Choice Award. The Nancy Sainty Encouragement Award is open to all students from Pre-School through to Year 12 and is aimed at encouraging and developing young artists.  The Sainty family will judge the Nancy Sainty Encouragement Award, with awards available for a pre-school student, primary student and a secondary student.

The People’s Choice Award will be open throughout the exhibition giving visitors the opportunity to vote for their favourite artwork. Votes will be tallied at the close of the exhibition. The winner will receive a Griffith Regional Theatre 2016 membership, a double pass to any season show, and a solo exhibition at ArtSpace at Griffith Regional Theatre and Griffith City Council during 2016.

“Flower Power is consistently one of the Gallery’s most popular exhibitions,” said Mr Wholohan.
“Over the years we have exhibited paintings, drawings, photography, textiles, embroidery, sculpture, jewellery, video, mixed media and collage, so I am really looking forward to seeing what this year will bring.”

“Art has a special place in our lives as it’s one of the avenues where we a given the freedom to explore the undamaged or make believe.”        

Entry forms can be downloaded from the gallery website at www.griffithregionalartgallery.com.au and works need to be received between Thursday 1 October and Tuesday 6 October 2015.

Flower Power will run from Saturday October 10 and until Sunday October 25.

New exhibit at Pioneer Park

When Jessie Mather married Kevin Hogarth at Scotts Memorial Church in September 1958 it is unlikely that she thought her dresses would be on display at a museum nearly 60 years later. 

Yet the wedding dress and 'going away' outfit are now on display in the Roundhouse at Griffith Pioneer Park Museum.

"Griffith Pioneer Park Museum has a remarkable collection of clothing including a number of dresses which are in a national registry," said Museum Curator, Jason Richardson.

"These preserve a variety of aspects of history but also illustrate local stories like the work of seamstress Myrtle Crockford, who created the wedding dress and going away outfit."

Mrs Crockford ran Griffith fashion business 'La Vogue' for a number of years and dressed many women in the region.

Jessie Hogarth found the wedding dress in a newspaper and provided a copy to Mrs Crockford who then created it from lace and tulle without the use of a pattern.

The exhibition was put together by Griffith Pioneer Park Museum volunteer Heather Waide, who has contributed hundreds of hours to the Museum over the years.

"Heather's research has included sourcing photographs of the dresses at the wedding, as well as many hours restoring and conserving other dresses and uniforms in our collection," added Mr Richardson.

Griffith Pioneer Park Museum volunteers contribute their time and energy toward preserving history, where their efforts are seen by thousands of visitors annually.

Take the opportunity to step back in time and view Jessie Hogarth's wedding dress and 'going away' outfit for yourself.

For more information, please contact Griffith Pioneer Park Museum on 6962 4196 or www.griffithpioneerpark.com.au

Niu Warrior exhibition

Griffith Regional Art Gallery is proud to be hosting Niu Warrior: NRL Stars of the Pacific. 

This exuberant and masculine exhibition showcases photographic portraits of over 30 of the NRL’s finest superstars including Jarryd Hayne, Michael Jennings, Fuifui Moimoi, Frank Puletua, Nigel Vagana & Ruben Wiki.

The exhibition is comprised of two different bodies of photographic artwork, the first series titled Body on the Line, by artist Greg Semu, is comprised of twelve elegantly executed life size portraits of NRL superstars wearing traditional Polynesian dress and holding objects of personal significance.

The second series titled Mana Pasifika, is by Ethan Mann with the assistance of Frank Puletua and comprises of six large scale photographs that capture NRL superstars in traditional Polynesian dress, immersed in dramatic hyperreal landscapes of significant Polynesian islands.

Gallery Coordinator, Raymond Wholohan said the exhibition is perfect for this area as Griffith has both a strong love of Rugby League, as well as a large Polynesian community.

“Niu Warrior is a fantastic example of contemporary photography and it will appeal to anyone with a love or interest in photography,” said Mr Wholohan.

“It is a must for any NRL fans or anyone with an interest in the culture and islands of Polynesia – I highly recommend visiting the Gallery to take in these awe inspiring photographs.

The exhibition is on loan from the Casula Powerhouse Art Centre, part of the Liverpool City Council.
Niu Warrior: NRL Stars of the Pacific runs until the Sunday 4 October. For further information, please contact the Gallery on 02 6962 8338 or visit www.griffithregionalartgallery.com.au

Author Judy Nunn to visit Griffith

Griffith City Library is pleased to be hosting a champagne and canapé evening with bestselling author and one of Australia’s favourite storytellers, Judy Nunn, on Thursday November 5, at 7pm.

Judy Nunn’s career has been long, illustrious and multifaceted. After combining her internationally successful acting career with scriptwriting for television and radio, Judy decided in the 90s to turn her hand to prose.

Her first three novels, The Glitter Game, Centre Stage and Araluen, set respectively in the worlds of television, theatre and film, became instant bestsellers, and the rest is history, quite literally in fact. She has since developed a love of writing Australian historically-based fiction and her fame as a novelist has spread rapidly throughout Europe where she is published in English, German, French, Dutch, Czech and Spanish.

Her subsequent bestsellers, Kal, Beneath the Southern Cross, Territory, Pacific, Heritage, Floodtide, Maralinga, Tiger Men and Elianne confirm Judy’s position as one of Australia’s leading fiction writers.

In 2015 Judy was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her ‘significant service to the performing arts as a scriptwriter and actor of stage and screen, and to literature as an author’.

Tickets to the event are $15 per person and can be purchased from Griffith City Library. Ticket sales close on Friday October 30.

On Common Ground in Narrandera

On Friday 16 October to Sunday 18 October, the Narrandera Common will provide the backdrop and inspiration for a spectacular art experience featuring the work of 18 Riverina artists, 8 visiting artists and over 50 community members.  

The site-specific arts festival will take place along the Murrumbidgee River and over the 3 days of activities, audience are invited to explore this stunning flora and fauna reserve where artworks will be embedded into the landscape.

The Murrumbidgee river has a long history as a contested site. Colonisation, the development of agriculture, species extinction and reduction, continuing environmental changes and resource management initiatives such as the Murray Darling Basin Plan, make this location and its surrounds a place of consternation with many conflicting views. On Common Ground is a celebration of what links us, through all of our different viewpoints and histories. It is an attempt to allow a neutral place, a place for discussion and reflection for three days and beyond.

Over the past year, artists and community groups have been devising new, original artworks in the lead up to the festival. The featured artwork includes a huge textiles installation made in collaboration with Julie Montgarrett, Vic McEwan and Clytie Smith, and addresses the fraught history of the black swans in the region.  Julie Montgarret says, “ The river textile carries the patterns, shapes and shadows of the black swans that once filled the skies over the rivers and billabongs of the Riverina. Made up of over 2000 pieces of recycled cloth dyed and printed, it hangs 10 metres overhead and stretches 110 metres across the width of the river.”

Another highlight of the festival includes a night time projection event called Haunting, on the banks of Beach 2 in the Common. Vic McEwan and National Museum of Australia curator, George Main, have been collaborating and working with collection items related to the Narrandera area to create the video work. George Main says, “Haunting acknowledges the multi-dimensional realities of these objects, of our celebrated and hidden histories, and seeks to foster cultural shifts that allow society to explore and face difficult situations now facing humanity.”

Along with these artworks, there will be an additional 22 artworks spread throughout the Common, between the entrance near Lake Talbot, Beach 1 and Beach 2. Artistic Director of The Cad Factory Vic McEwan says, “On Common Ground is an opportunity to celebrate The Riverina’s amazing talent and to fill this beautiful natural area with people, conversations, artworks and ideas”

The Chair of Western Riverina Arts, Marg Couch says, “On Common Ground is an innovative Riverina grown project developing the creative economy through skills development, enhanced tourism opportunities, social inclusion, identity and placemaking.”

The festival is a partnership between The Cad Factory, Narrandera Arts and Creative Network, Narrandera Council, Arts NSW, Regional Arts NSW, Australia Council for the Arts, Performance Space, National Association for the Visual Arts, National Museum of Australia, Western Riverina Arts, Happy Herbs Company and Bendigo Bank.

On Common Ground
16 - 18 October
The Narrandera Common

Friday 16 October: Open from 10am - 4pm
10am - 2pm: Schools’ Day
Local Students will be given tours around the Common to look at the artworks and engage with artists. This special Schools’ Day has more places available. For more information contact Sarah McEwan, sarah@cadfactory.com.au or 0405 447 490

Friday 16 October: Projection Event and Opening
6:30pm - 10pm at Beach 2
Bring your dinner and a picnic blanket to enjoy an evening by the river
Bookings essential: sarah@cadfactory.com.au

Saturday and Sunday: Open from 1pm - 6pm

For Interviews or additional information contact Vic McEwan on 0409 543 953 or cadfactory@ihug.com.au

List of Artists
Amelia Reid (Murwillumbah)
Angela French (Sydney)
Bec Dean (Sydney)
Clytie Smith (Sydney)
David Gilbey (Wagga Wagga)
Derek Motion (Leeton)
Eco-dyeing Circle (A group of women from Wagga, Narrandera, Grong Grong and Coleambally)
Elizabeth Gay Campbell (Narrandera)
Emma Piltz (Narrandera)
Fiona Caldarevic (Narrandera)
George Main (Canberra)
Greg Pritchard (Nomad)
Gwen Lee (Narrandera)
Hands on Weavers (Wagga Wagga)
Hape Kiddle (Griffith)
Jacqui Ryding (Narrandera)
Joyce Spencer (Narrandera)
Julie Briggs (Narrandera)
Julie Montgarrett (Wagga Wagga)
Kerri Weymouth (Coleambally)
Lindsay Campbell (Narrandera)
Local Narrandera Students (From Narrandera High, Narrandera Public and St Joseph’s)
Lorraine Tye (Uranquinty)
Marilyn Manning (Narrandera)
Narrandera Arts and Creative Network (Local arts group)
Nicole Barakat (Sydney)
Pen to Paper (A group of writers from Narrandera)
Rachel Viski (Wagga Wagga)
Sarah McEwan (Narrandera)
Tamsin Salehian (Sydney)
The Lace Makers (A group of women from Wagga, Narrandera, Leeton and Griffith)
Vic McEwan (Narrandera)

Putting small schools on the map

With less than a month to go until Wamoon's Centenary Celebrations, on Thursday September 10, 2015 Wamoon Public School unveiled their commemorative mural.

Artist Louise Cooper has been working with the Wamoon students using a range of traditional and non-traditional techniques and mediums to capture the heritage, present and future of Wamoon in this mural.

From sponges, to brushes to stencils and spraypaint; everyone got involved to paint this mural featuring a fisherman by the channel, a horse jumping a haybale, grain and citrus crops growing in the red earth and the centenary logo against the blue sky.

The Centenary Artists Residency is supported by Western Riverina Arts and Regional Arts NSW's Country Arts Support Program. Artist, Louise Cooper took the theme 'Putting Wamoon Back on the Map' to inspire her work within the school and community.

The concept has gone large, with Ms Cooper establishing The Bilby Bulletin: Small Schools, Big Adventures Network with small schools from Yetman on the Queensland border to Mulwala and Lowesdale on the Victorian border and Fern Bay on the East Coast.

This network of small schools spanning a wide geographic area will work together as creative collaborators to produce a publication and mail art projects, Wamoon Public School will act as the host school for The Bilby Bulletin Small Schools Network.

What better way to learn about other parts of Australia than from those who live there? Local students will be encouraged to get out and explore their local environments and communities so as to share their findings with other students and communities across the state.

A Bilby Bulletin Postcard Challenge has been issued to small schools across the state and Wamoon Public School has received their first response from Ladysmith Public School, a small school of 42 students 20km from Wagga Wagga.

We have already received tremendous support for the project with authors, John Marsden and Mem Fox donating books to be distributed by Lucky Draw amongst the small schools network. Tarcutta, Blighty, Conargo, Kapooka, Collingullie, Wyangala Dam, Greenethorpe, Woodstock, Ulan and Fern Bay Public Schools are our first lucky winners!

Charles Sturt University will support the The Bilby Bulletin team touring small schools throughout the Riverina later this year through a Regional and Rural Arts and Culture grant. Our small schools are an iconic part of Australian Bush Culture and we are seeing too many close down. The Bilby Bulletin: Small Schools, Big Adventures team headed by Louise Cooper will work towards raising awareness of our small schools and inspiring creative communities for success.

Young Archie exhibition

Griffith have this beaut Young Archie competition to coincide with their exhibition of Archibald paintings.