Arts Queensland’s monthly update of arts and culture

May 2012

Welcome to the May edition of arts update. In this month’s edition we take a look at how arts in schools teaches students the language of creativity; Brisbane Indesign back to showcase world-class local industry; CIAF 2012 program unveiled; Anywhere Theatre Festival; and a Q&A with Joolie Gibbs, coordinator of Gympie Regional Gallery.

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Image: Lorina Gore as Tytania and Joshua Tate as The Indian Prince in Opera Australia’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo: Jeff Busby

Make sure you don’t miss Opera Australia’s Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), 1-9 June. Purchase your tickets through www.qtix.com.au

An Arts Queensland program which connects artists to schools for creative learning is paying off for students at Riverview State School and at Albert Park Flexible Learning Centre.

The Artist in Residence program, a Queensland Government partnership with the Australia Council for the Arts, aims to give students the chance to have creative experiences in schools.

The artistic concept was to express and celebrate community and personal stories both orally and through visual arts practice, in the form of collectively created artist books.

The project involved each class discussing ideas for their stories and then working together to create the artist books.

The project also introduced the school and the wider community to the art forms of oral storytelling, children’s literature and the particular art form of the artist book.

The principal of the school and teaching staff were highly supportive of the project, which ran for 10 weeks and culminated in an exhibition and celebration.

Narelle said: “Their pride and attachment to the final finished artist books displayed at the celebration event along with their

confidence in telling the stories to an audience was strong evidence of the project’s success.”

Narelle said the children’s visual and oral narrative skills and their understanding of narrative structure improved demonstrably over the course of the residency.

“The children were really excited by the problem-solving opportunities posed in creating artist books from their stories - which led to a high level of engagement in the artistic processes of thinking and construction to complete the finished works.”

At the Albert Park Flexible Learning Centre the students created a music video and documentary telling the story of how the school evolved from a gathering place for homeless teens in the Roma Street Parkland to a home base of buildings in the Parkland equipped with gear for learning and creating.

The students produced the documentary in conjunction with a professional arts team to celebrate the school’s 21 years.

To see the video go to http://vimeo.com/32827386.

To read more about the Artist in Residence program go to http://www.arts.qld.gov.au/policy/artists-residence.html

Arts in schools teach students the language of creativity

Brisbane Indesign back to showcase world-class local industryFollowing hot on the heels of the national conference of the Australian Institute Architects – held in Brisbane for the first time in more than 30 years on 10-12 May – comes Brisbane Indesign.

The third Brisbane Indesign promotes the strength and scope of Queensland design by showcasing 150 of the best local and international design brands and leading showrooms to buyers.

The brainchild of the Indesign Media Group and supported by Arts Queensland, Brisbane Indesign, 25-26 May, brings together more than 4000 local architects and designers and connect them with each other and consumers.

The free event, first held in 2007, will take place in up to 45 showrooms and temporary locations in Fortitude Valley and surrounding suburbs.

Registered attendees can take advantage of a free hop-on, hop-off bus to enjoy multiple events and venues.

The inaugural Brisbane Indesign resulted in over 335 quality business leads relating to new products, distribution deals and partnerships, and over $1.4 million resultant sales generated for Queensland-based design businesses or designers.

The event targets interior designers, architects, industrial designers, premium product suppliers and manufacturers, property developers, consumers, design students and teachers, media, international guests and the general public.

2012 Brisbane Indesign and associated events include: industry workshops; panel discussions; guest forums; exhibitions; The Project (a curated series of cross-discipline collaborations of Queensland design practitioners and suppliers producing temporary installations); and Up Late Indesign, an evening street festival held in the James Street precinct and surrounding design showrooms.

Brisbane Indesign is a key delivery element of the Queensland Design Strategy 2020 Designing Queensland program 2008-12. $80 000 over four years was allocated to Brisbane Indesign and industry networking events.

For more information on the Brisbane Indesign program and to register to attend, visit http://www.brisbaneindesign.com.au/

Caption: Brisbane Indesign enables the design community to explore leading showrooms, discover new products and develop new networks and ideas. Photo: Indedsign Group

CIAF 2012 program highlights were unveiled at a program launch at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal on 12 April, giving a sneak preview of the amazing things to come at this year’s event.

Arts Minister Ros Bates said this year’s event is set to be the best ever with an exciting, jam-packed program of visual art, dance, music and debate in Cairns 17-19 August.

CIAF 2012 boasts a record number of 24 exhibitors. High profile commercial galleries including Melbourne’s Alcaston Gallery and Vivien Anderson Gallery; and Brisbane’s Fireworks Gallery and Suzanne O’Connell Gallery are showing alongside Indigenous art centres from as far north as Badu Island in the Torres Strait and North Stradbroke Island in the south - all selling works by Queensland Indigenous artists.

“It is a unique event in Australia – a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through art and performance and a fantastic platform for Indigenous artists to market and showcase their art to the world,” Ms Bates said.

Artistic Director Avril Quaill said CIAF is a must-attend event for people of all ages and backgrounds and the 2012 CIAF program has something for everyone.

The 2012 CIAF Opening Party line-up includes Briscoe Sisters, the Torres Strait Islands Choir and the Lockhart River Kawandji-Wimpa Dancers.

“Indigenous art lovers will be able to appreciate and, more importantly, purchase original artworks by over 300 Queensland Indigenous artists,” Ms Quaill said. “With a record number of art galleries and Indigenous art centres showcasing Aboriginal and

CIAF 2012 unveiledTickets are on sale for the two key events of the fourth annual Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) – the Opening Party and the CIAF Symposium.

Torres Strait Islander contemporary and traditional art, visitors will undoubtedly find that unique piece of work that speaks to them.”

Art lovers will also be able to appreciate some of Queensland’s finest Indigenous art at the CIAF Exhibition titled Where the art leads: new explorations by Queensland Indigenous artists, curated by Ms Quaill.

The Exhibition will present works by: Vernon Ah Kee, Richard Bell, Michael Cook, Joanne Currie, Sally Gabori, Gordon Hookey, Craig Koomeeta, Glen Mackie, Justin Majid, Shirley Macnamara, Arone Meeks, Billy Missi, Rosella Namok, Zane Saunders, Ken Thaiday Snr, Ian Waldron and Judy Watson.

The Children’s Lane has always been one of the most popular features for families at CIAF. Presented in partnership with FNQ REACH, CIAF will deliver a fun, creative and hands-on program for children and families.

“It has become a CIAF tradition to deliver a free dance and music program,” says Ms Quaill.

“We encourage visitors to wander into the beautiful gardens of the

cruise liners terminal to experience traditional Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance and music.”

The CIAF Symposium keynote speakers include Destiny Deacon, Michael Reid and Shirley Macnamara and will be held over two days at the Centre of Contemporary Arts, 17-18 August. People can purchase tickets to one or both days at www.ticketlink.com.au

CIAF is a key part of the Backing Indigenous Arts funding program, a $13.2 million, four-year program to strengthen and support Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art.

CIAF is supported by the Queensland Government through Events Queensland as part of a growing calendar of sporting, cultural and regional events across the State.

For more information about the 2012 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair please visit www.ciaf.com.au

To watch a video of CIAF to go http://youtu.be/WSmmD9voKP0

Caption: The Lockhart River Kawandji-Wimpa Dancers. Photo: Kerry Trapnell

Anywhere Theatre FestivalThe first festival last year included cabaret, circus, comedy, drama and kid’s theatre and featured 152 performances across 40 productions over 10 days.

In 2012, Anywhere Theatre Festival received a $49 000 Development and Presentation Grant (DPG) from Arts Queensland to help stage the second event.

The idea for the festival evolved when festival director Paul Osuch returned to Australia in 2010 following a three-year stay in the UK.

He realised finding a space for performances was an issue.

Unlike other fringe festivals, Osuch’s program is un-curated, which means any individual or group that wants to take part is able to - provided a suitable non-theatre venue can be found.

“We wanted to remove the elitism associated with theatre and bring the performers closer to the audience,” Osuch says. “The best way to do that is remove the barriers.”

To date Osuch’s definition of, ‘a suitable venue’ has included some fairly unconventional spaces – parks, school halls, toilet blocks, cafes, private homes, elevators, swimming pools, trains, a boxing ring and even Second Life. By locating the entire festival in unconventional theatre spaces, Osuch hopes to make it

more accessible to non-theatre audiences.

In keeping with the cutting-edge concept, Osuch is using new online marketing tools and social media to promote the program and engage with audiences.

“The beauty of connecting this way is that you are engaging with people who want to know more. You’re not interrupting their day. They seek you out.”

And it appears to have worked. This year, producers are bringing their productions from around the country and overseas giving Osuch an opportunity to further experiment with the formula.

This year the 10-day Anywhere Theatre Festival, 10-19 May, will present 250 performances across 58 shows including several which are accessible only online.

For program details and the latest news visit: www.anywherefest.com

For more information about Development Presentation Grants, visit www.arts.qld.gov.au

Caption: The Alleyway Project by The Alleyway Collective and Cradle Productions. Photo: Anywhere Theatre Festival

Q&A with Joolie GibbsArts Queensland is funding 12 gallery and museum staff working in regional Queensland to access expertise in cultural institutions within Australia and overseas through the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF). One of the recipients is Joolie Gibbs, Coordinator of Gympie Regional Gallery (http://bit.ly/KEu2xH). She will undertake a Gallery Mentorship with Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW, later this year as part of the2012 Mentorship, Exchange and Fellowship Program run by Museum and Gallery Services Queensland.

We ask Joolie about her plans:What do you hope to get out of it and bring back to Gympie Regional Gallery?

I have been the Coordinator of Gympie Regional Gallery for over 14 years and feel that spending time in another gallery would build on my understanding of the regional gallery sector, particularly in the areas of curating, touring exhibitions and how to work with the community on larger projects. The inspiration from their professional staff dedicated to different roles will be invaluable to me. What systems, how they arrange their programs, best practice, exhibition selection, and public programming are some of the areas I will find useful and transferable to Gympie Regional Gallery.

Why Maitland Regional Gallery?

Maitland has a reputation for their touring exhibitions, and puts out

a professional product which I have always admired. They have lots of different spaces, a great line up of exhibitions, and public programming, a reasonably large team of specialists, but not too large to be intimidating, a children’s artspace and a Director with a bucket load of experience. They also do innovative programmes with their community and are housed in an historical building similar to ours.

Are you planning to visit any other regional galleries in NSW?

As many as I can. I particularly want to see the galleries in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

What are the 2012 highlights for Gympie Regional Gallery?

So many highlights, it is hard to pick those on the top. We started off the year with Transform an exhibition I curated with the Director of University of the Sunshine Coast Gallery. We have two exhibitions from the Queensland Art Gallery Miniatures and Lloyd Rees Drawings, Ian Smith On and Off the Road touring exhibition, plus many local, regional and community exhibitions. We put on about 35 exhibitions a year and have our own youth mentoring project called Youth+Art=Connections now in its second year.

Caption: Joolie Gibbs at the Gympie Regional Gallery. Photo: Gympie Regional Galley

Arts Queensland resources updateSmall to Medium Organisations Grants for 2013

Applications are now open for the 2013 round of Small to Medium Organisations Grants. Eligible organisations must demonstrate that they undertake professional artistic or cultural activities as their main business. Annual funding only is available in 2013. Applications close on 15 June 2012. For further information and the application form go to http://www.arts.qld.gov.au/funding/s2m.html

Arts Queensland Bursary - Regional Arts Australia National Conference - Goolwa 2012

Arts Queensland has funds available to assist delegates to attend the Goolwa Regional Arts Australia National Conference from 18-21 October 2012. The purpose of this bursary is to provide successful applicants with a contribution of up to $1000 towards registration, travel and accommodation costs associated with attending Goolwa 2012, South Australia.

The Goolwa 2012 Bursary guidelines and application form can be found on the Arts Queensland website at http://www.arts.qld.gov.au/arts/artspoken/bursary.html.

BoardConnect - Creative Leadership Symposium - How can board members add value?

Brisbane: Thursday 31 May and Friday 1 June 2012 come and be inspired about the contribution board members can make to the non-profit sector. The Symposium offers for one and a half days of thinking, talking and listening about how board members can really make a difference to their organisations. (Half day registrations also available.)

For further details go to http://boardconnect.com.au/services/currentevents/369-creative-leadership-symposium.html

Museum Development Officer Network

The Museum Development Officer network has established its own blog - Queensland Museum and Community Collections

The blog has been designed to:

• shareindustrynews,information and resources with clients

• promotetheworkoftheMDOswithin the regions

• promotetheachievementsoftheir clients

• andshowcaseregionalcollections.

So if you’ve ever wanted to know who the MDOs are and what they do, check them out at http://qmmdo.com.au/

Arts Queensland’s blog – aqblog http://www.arts.qld.gov.au/blog/

Media Releases

Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - ARTS FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR QUEENSLAND’S TOP PERFORMERS

http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=79107

Monday, April 30, 2012 - New partnership to unearth secrets of extinct giants of nature

http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=79086

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - Generations of female Australian artists showcased in GOMA’s latest exhibition

http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=79062

Friday, April 20, 2012 - MISSING PIECES OF EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD FOUND AT QUEENSLAND MUSEUM

http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=79018

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - Mummies Unwrapped - Queensland Museum unlocks doors

http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=78997

Thursday, April 12, 2012 - 2012 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair - Bigger and Better Than Ever

http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=78966

Articles & Reports

• TheArtsandAchievementin At-Risk Youth by James S. Catterall and others, National Endowment for the Arts http://www.arts.gov/research/Arts-At-Risk-Youth.pdf

• It’sjustajoke:Definingand defending (musical) parody Paul Jewell, Jennie Louise Australian Review of Public Affairs http://www.australianreview.net/journal/v10/n2/jewell_louise.html

• Libraries:sandboxspacefornew technology by Queensland University of Technology http://phys.org/news/2012-05-libraries-sandbox-space-technology.html

• ToreadArtsQueenslandcasestudies and Celebration Stories go to http://www.arts.qld.gov.au/publications/resources.html