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NOVEMBER WRAP-UP | LATEST NEWS |
MURRUMBIDGEE SHORT STORY COMP WINNERS | EVENTS | OPPORTUNITIES | GRANTS
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Congratulations to the GRAPA team for their hugely successful Romeo & Juliet production for Shakespeare Under the Stars 2021 season. We had the pleasure of attending and seeing the impressive performances from the ensemble cast of local talent. Congratulations Bonnie Owen for excellent direction of a clever and super modern rendition of this ageless work from the Bard.
Image: Ben Ceccato
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Griffith City Council was awarded the Local Government NSW Leo Kelly AOM Arts & Culture Award for the 2020 World Premiere of Sunshine Super Girl & Yarruwala Wiradjuri Cultural Festival. Western Riverina Arts was a proud presenting partner, facilitating nine events across the festival. Congratulations to all who contributed: Griffith City Council, Griffith Regional Art Gallery, Western Riverina Arts, Burrundi Theatre for Performing Arts Ltd, Griffith Pioneer Park Museum, Deakin University, NIKERI Institute and Performing Lines.
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Congratulations to the recipients of the Contemporary Art Socially Engaged (CASE) Incubator program, Sunita Bala, Harriet Body, Diane Busuttil and Dr Sarah Penicka-Smith. These artists will undergo a mentorship program led by The Cad Factory aimed at professional development, knowledge sharing and networking. Western Riverina Arts are one of several project partners and will be assisting mentees in the field of advocacy.
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James and Patrick from F.Stop Workshop visited the Griffith Regional Art Gallery to give an insightful talk on the 'Portrait of Australia: Stories through the lens of Australian Geographic' exhibition. They also held a workshop on the foundations of photography and how a camera works. Participants learnt about aperture, shutter speed & ISO.
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Local artist Lillardia Briggs-Houston of Ngarru Miimi was one of the designers selected for the Trading Blak roving Pop Up runway show at Melbourne Fashion Week. Pictured are pieces by active wear brand Jarin Street and Ngarru Miimi. Congratulations to all the designers! |
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Regional artist Robert Sherwood Duffield's video developed with mentorship from Soda Jerk was screened at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia for International Day of People with Disability. BoBo TALKS ABOUT SUPERMARKETS was one of several works developed as part of Accessible Arts’ ArtScreen 2021 initiative. |
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Holiday Closure Dates
The Western Riverina Arts office is now closed and staff are on leave. Our office will be reopening on Monday 17th January. For updates and information, please check our social media platforms as our staff are unavailable during this period. Please continue to send through your queries, which we will address in the new year.
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WRA Networking Christmas Party
Thank you to all who were able to join us at the Narrandera Arts and Community Centre for the WRA Networking Christmas Party. We had a fabulous turnout and saw new connections made. We were serenaded by Madeline Proud and we premiered five tracks produced as part of The Cad Factory and Western Riverina Arts project 'Recording Sessions'. The songs premiered were by artists Xavier Beauchamp, Arora Kiddle, Dookie AKA Damian Thorne Feat. Shane Ronan, Raylene Waye and Dwayne Broome.
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Wide Open 2022 - Exhibition Applications Now Open
Narrandera Arts & Creative Network (NACNet) invites artists and curators to submit proposals for solo or group exhibitions at the Narrandera Arts & Community Centre (NACC) during 2022.
A unique opportunity has arisen due to the temporary relocation of the Narrandera Visitor Information service into the carpeted room of the NACC. Narrandera Shire Council is allowing NACNet free use of the larger room to support a series of exhibitions or residencies during 2022. The project is open to a diversity of art forms including installation, sound work, sculpture.
Please return completed form to nacnet@hotmail.com or call Julie on 0427 985 297 with any queries. Callout Closes midnight Sunday 16 January 2022.
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ROR Space Opens In Griffith
Congratulations to our November Artist of the Month Kristy-lee Jewellery on launching Griffith's latest creative co-working hub - ROR Space! She has created a gorgeous multipurpose space for those seeking semi-permanent art studios, meeting rooms, hot-desking or a spot to hang with like-minded creatives. Find out more: www.rorspace.com.au
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Joyce Spencer Mentorship
Congratulations to Sonia Undy on receiving the Joyce Spencer Textiles Mentorship. It was fantastic to catch up with Sonia and mentors Aunty Gail Manderson and Julie Montgarrett in Griffith as they spent time together sharing weaving practices. Thank you to Griffith Regional Art Gallery for their assistance with facilitating the session.
The Joyce Spencer Textiles Fellowship was made possible with funds from the Spencer family and Western Riverina Arts, in partnership with the Cad Factory.
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Collect Studio Opens In Yenda
Western Riverina Arts took a trip to Yenda to see Janine Murphy's new project ‘Collect Studio’, a curated window gallery showcasing her work and the work of other local artists. Art lovers will be able to shop each months display via the windows QR code or visiting the website. Head to 4 Yenda Place to see this months selection.
This project was supported by Create NSW and Western Riverina Arts through our Micro Grants initiative.
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Riverina Writing House & Local Author Book Launches
Leeton has celebrated the launch of the Riverina Writing House - a publishing house and centre for writers and writing, led by Sarah Tiffen. The event was made extra special by dual launches of books from Leeton Writers Collective members, Words for the Vision Impaired by Ben Smith and Caloro – Riverina Landscapes by Christie Talbot. Congratulations to all! Pop by the Riverina Writing House at 10 Kurrajong Ave to purchase a copy and support our local authors.
This project was supported by Western Riverina Arts, NSW Government through Create NSW and Leeton Shire Council.
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Lands Office Cafe at Leeton Museum and Gallery
A collaboration between Leeton Museum and Gallery and My Plan Connect has led to a brand new social enterprise initiative - the Lands Office Cafe. Providing fantastic coffees and snacks, it's the perfect place to stop for a break while visiting the latest exhibition. The cafe will reopen on Monday 10th January 2022.
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MURRUMBIDGEE SHORT STORY COMP WINNERS
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We are pleased to announce the winners of the Murrumbidgee Short Story Competition. Congratulations to the winners! Below are excerpts from the winning short stories.
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OPEN WINNER: Jason Richardson | Alien Melody
The boy woke in darkness. His neck on a small pillow and his blankets in disarray.
These were the times when he wanted his mother, but she had flown away and left him with his father. He was uncertain of the time and, like the stale taste in his mouth, couldn’t define the dreams he’d been having a moment earlier.
The dark troubled the boy, so much that he dared not close eyes in case he missed seeing something move. Something like the shadowy figures that he imagined lay just beyond the window. Sometimes he’d watch for them until his eyelids grew heavy and sleep took him.
The boy knew better than to turn on the light, which his father had ordered to stay off to ensure the solar battery had enough charge to cook breakfast.
There was a sound in the distance, and he considered defying the order. It was high-pitched, pulsing and uneven in volume. An alien song shifting with the breeze across the landscape. A gentle percussive melody fleeting among the hum of the moisture condensers and the occasional scrape of metal on metal from the yard outside.
He lay in bed and listened. As time passed the boy committed the melody to memory. He almost didn’t notice when the song stopped before dawn.
By the time his alarm began he had drifted back to sleep.
Among the sparse patches of prickle-weed were a few stunted trees that the boy walked past on his way to school.
For most of the year the leaves looked dull with dirt, and it was only during the brief wet season at the start of winter that you could be sure whether some limbs were alive.
After the rain the remaining living leaves would shine, while the dried ones paled.
Some days the boy would pick at the bark and sometimes he’d find a bug.
One time he found a spider on the way to school and the teacher spoke about the old days when webs would appear in the corners of houses. It had spindly legs that looked like the fine hairs on the boy’s arms.
This morning, when he looked at the tree, the boy was breathing into the snorkel that was required when walking across the hardened sandstone between his father’s wrecking shop and the town.
On the walk to school, he remembered the way that song had come to him across the dry landscape. The whistling sound as he drew metallic-tasting air through his breathing tube came close to the warbling notes. A counter melody emerged that rose with the shifting echoes moving in and out of phase as the sound of his steps ricocheted against the walls of the town. He closed his eyes as he breathed in and out of the filter to make phrases with a flurry of notes.
By the time he arrived at school the alien song had become a symphony reverberating in his head.
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UNDER 18 WINNER: Jessica Wells | Empty
One day we will die. It’s hard to come to terms with, but it’s the undeniable truth.
I look over at the colours of red, orange and yellow melting together to create the spectacle of a sunset. It was at this moment that I realised I needed to start living my life. I took in my backyard as I lay motionless on the lounge. My body is draped over the cushions. I take up all of the lounge, even with my small build. Alone. I’ve felt alone many times in the past year. COVID-19 has done that to a lot of people. Half the world in fact. Two years of my life wasted because of a stupid bat. I turn my head slightly, using the smallest amount of energy I can muster. My body hasn’t been coping with the lack of sport. Sometimes when you’re alone it’s hard to get outside and be active without a team to train for or friends to kick a footy with.
“I should go for a walk.”
My head is telling me to go, but my legs are telling me don’t you dare. I adjust my body on the chair and sit up, my back cracking in the process from laying in an awkward position. I pick up my phone. No notifications. Maybe people are just too busy with their own lives. I’m sure that’s the explanation for why no one has texted or called me this week or last. Lockdown ended yesterday and people have already posted on their stories the new things they are getting up to. A twinge of jealousy seizes a hold of me. My forehead starts to pound at an alarming rate and my lungs feel like they are being strangled. No one’s even reached out to meet up yet.
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UNDER 12 WINNER: William Maynard | Helen’s Story
My name is Helen and I live in the Riverina. I was once a very happy free-range chicken living a peaceful, wonderful life with my 3 sisters Ebony, Eva and Cheeseball. But then something terribly awful happened …
THE DISAPPEARANCES!
It all started off on the 22nd of May 2019. I was only 1 when it happened but I still remember it like yesterday. My sister Eva was taking a walk around the bushes exploring outside the coop but then it hit like a blazing ball of fire. Next thing we know, she’s lying dead just outside the chicken coop. My sisters were squawking around saying what killed her, who killed her? Sadly, all too soon they too would find out.
It was six months later on a warm summer’s evening and me and Ebony were rushing to get the best spot in the coop. I was running past the saltbush when I saw a flash of orange but then it was gone. That night, only two of us made it back to the coop. We never saw or heard from Cheeseball again but what we did know was that she was never coming back!!!!!!!!!!!
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* The following events may be subject to change pending Covid-19 restrictions and current health advice. Please check in with each event organiser for updates and information regarding vaccination status.
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Students will experiment with mixed media with tutor Jennie Forster, explore local parkland to sketch from nature, en plein air, collage and embellish what they see into resolved artworks.These budding artists will also receive free entry into the next Penny Paniz Acquisitive Arts Exhibition & Competition!
Registrations are available for either Saturday 12th February 2022 or Sunday 13th February 2022. Each one day workshop runs from 9am to 3pm.
Participants will receive free lunch as well as all of the art materials required. Old clothes and a paint shirt or apron should be worn.
This project was possible with support of Leeton Art Society, Leeton Shire Council, Regional NSW - Office for Regional Youth and Western Riverina Arts.
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Political Women
8th January 2022 - 13th February 2022 | Griffith Regional Art Gallery
This exhibition brings together artists from diverse cultural, generational, personal and artistic perspectives to illustrate and celebrate the complexity of contemporary feminist discourse and the art made within it.
Each artist’s practice is entangled with politics, personal narrative and activism to highlight the impacts and consequences of colonisation and patriarchal power. The exhibition draws attention to the overlaps and divergences in the lives of the artists, while also placing regional and urban women standing side by side, working towards reconciliation, accepting differences and creating a more just world through empathy and tolerance.
Curated by Julie Montgarrett and Sarah McEwan. Artists: Aunty Gail Manderson (Wiradjuri elder) | Aunty Kath Withers (Wiradjuri elder) | Aunty Lorraine Tye (Wiradjuri elder) | Amani Haydar | Christine Dean | Debra Keenahan | Desna Whaanga-Schollum | Her Riot | Julie Montgarrett along with Doerinda Gardener | Filomena Pingiaro | Isobella Thompson | Julie Briggs | Kat Vella | Kerri Weymouth | Kim Skeers | Kristy-Lee Agresta | Lindee Russell | Lorna Wigham | Natalie Power | Oumi Karenga-Hewitt | Sarah McEwan | Toots Cunningham | Melanie Evans | Ms Saffaa | Sarah Mifsud | Yasmine Nasser Diaz.
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Contours
Open til 21st January 2022 | ROR Space, Griffith
Contours is the first exhibition to be held in the newly opened creative co-working hub ROR Space. Contours from artists Jennie Forster and Jess Forster explores interpretations of the Australian Landscape.
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How Cities Work
6th November 2021 - 31st January 2022 | Leeton Museum and Gallery
How Cities Work is an interactive exhibition for the whole family. Developed in collaboration with renowned artist and illustrator James Gulliver Hancock, the exhibition is based on the book ‘How Cities Work’ published by Lonely Planet. Explore the city in a whole new way! Visitors big and small will traverse a spectacular cityscape full of tactile and sensory activities, from the sewers to skyscrapers. This interactive exhibition reveals the secret workings of the city through immersive, magical, and tactile experiences. Peek inside buildings, look under the streets and discover what’s going on above and under your feet.
2-4 years - $5, 5-17 years - $10, Accompanying Adults - FREE, Solo Adults - $15, School students - $10 (their accompanying teacher or carer FREE).
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Andrew Whitehead: Making It
22 November 2021 - 31st January 2022 | Leeton Museum and Gallery
Back from his adventures on the new television series ‘Making It Australia’, Riverina artist Andrew Whitehead is bringing some of his wacky DIY inventions, plans and prototypes to Leeton Museum and Gallery. In a special mini exhibition exclusive to LMAG, Andrew will share a behind the scenes look at his time on the show.
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The Sunflower Collective
11 December 2021 - 8 January 2022 | Wayout Art Space, Kandos
The Sunflower Collective is a self-organising collaboration of regional artists. The Sunflower was chosen as a theme for the group as a basis to explore how collective knowledge is accumulated and communicated; how we can move as a collective to produce actions of change informed by ecofeminism. The group formed on-line in early 2021 to explore these types of connections in their research; the outcomes to be exhibited at Wayout art space in Kandos NSW. The exhibition includes process-driven work, sampling, prototyping and objects. Our aim is to develop visibility for the environment and to connect to a wider audience. The exhibition will also develop a solar power component as a model for artists to use in work.
The artists are: Kelly Leonard - Broken Hill, Michael Petchkovsky - Blue Mountains, Snowy Monaro, Julie Briggs - Narrandera, Julie Montgarrett - Wagga Wagga, James T. Farley - Wagga Wagga.
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Parallel Curatorial Fellowship
Applications are closing for the Parallel Curatorial Fellowship program 22 December. Parallel is commissioning six independent and/or emerging art workers who identify as CaLD to develop projects that explore opportunities for structural change at Murray Art Museum Albury. Participants will be mentored by CaLD researchers, curators and museum directors, as well as First Nations curators and leaders to develop vocabularies, protocols, knowledge and networks across multiple cultures.
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Programs and Partnerships Coordinator
Arts North West is seeking a Programs and Partnerships Coordinator to assist with the management of specific programs which support the organisation’s strategic objectives - Develop, broaden and diversify our audiences and their participation in arts and cultural activities and Build community cultural capacity. This is a new position for the organisation to support and grow the arts programs for our communities. This job is based in Glen Innes, NSW.
Applications must be received by COB Friday 14 January and emailed to rado@artsnw.com.au. Interviews will be held early February, with the position to begin in mid to late February 2022.
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National Photographic Portrait Prize 2022
Entries are now open for National Photographic Portrait Prize 2022. The NPPP promotes the best in contemporary photographic portraiture by both professional and aspiring Australian photographers. You could win a $30,000 cash prize from and photographic equipment from Canon Australia.
The exhibition will be shown alongside the Darling Portrait Prize from 25 June to 9 October 2022. Entries close at 9am AEDT on 31 January 2022.
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Magazine Cover Art Comp
Would you like to see your artwork on the cover of a magazine? Women's publication Mona Magazine are seeking cover submissions for issue two! Female identifying artists from rural and regional Australia are encouraged to submit. The successful submission will have their artwork featured on the cover of Mona Magazine Issue Two and will have a double page spread interview in the magazine, free promotions on their socials and receive payment.
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Creative Riverina Database
Are you on the database? Artists and performers of all kinds are listed on CREATIVE RIVERINA, the go-to online directory for creatives in our region! Make sure people can find you - create your FREE listing today!
The online database is also accompanied by a supportive online Facebook group with over 350 members. Artists and arts organisations of all types from Riverina NSW can share their ideas, events and simply connect! Join the CREATIVE RIVERINA group now!
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Job: Executive Director - Arts Outwest
Arts Outwest are looking for the next outstanding person to lead their organisation. Arts OutWest, the Regional Arts Development Organisation (RADO) covering 12 LGAs in the NSW Central West, is seeking a new Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for leading the organisation; implementing the strategic and operational plans for the organisation; and managing staff, relationships and budget with passion and foresight to ensure successful outcomes for the communities that we support.
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RAF Cultural Tourism Accelerator
Arts organisations are set to receive $5 million as part of the Regional Arts Fund (RAF) Cultural Tourism Accelerator program to develop and promote arts and cultural events for tourists across regional Australia
Targeted Marketing Campaign $10,000
A strategic and targeted marketing campaign to achieve a particular visitation outcome. The campaign will accompany an existing project, event, festival, venue or annual program.
Experience Initiative $10,000
An initiative that adds an offer or experience to an existing program, to increase visitation or extend the visitor experience of ‘place’.
Partnership Initiative $15,000
An initiative that develops a partnership with hospitality, accommodation, retail or events businesses to increase visitation and develop cross markets.
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2022 Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize
The Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize is an annual acquisitive prize that was launched in 2017 to advance art and opportunity for emerging and established women artists in Australia. It is the highest value professional artist prize for women in Australia.
There are three prize categories – the Professional Artist Prize of $35,000, the Emerging Artist Prize of $5,000 and the Indigenous Emerging Artist Prize of $5,000. There is also a Peoples’ Choice Award of $2,000. Entries close 23 February 2022.
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Grants Manager
Regional Arts Australia are recruiting for the new position of Grants Manager. Working with a network across the country you will be responsible for delivering multi-million dollar grant programs that support the cultural sector and enhance the lives of regional and remote communities.
A full position description is available at their website, direct enquiries about the role to gm@regionalarts.com.au
Applications close 9am January 17 2022.
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Call For Entries Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize
Now in its 7th year, the Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize is calling for entries from Australian artists. Designed to attract both emerging and established artists, the Prize is considered one of Victoria’s major prizes for painting. Major Prize $15,000 (Acquisitive) and People’s Choice Prize $1,000.
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