Art in the time of COVID

Photo: ANW executive director Caroline Downer and Panorama Project coordinator Michèle Jedlicka with some of the sketchbooks.

CREATIVE REFLECTIONS on life through the winter of COVID-19 will soon be on display for the New England North West.

The Arts North West (ANW) Panorama Project regional tour begins this Friday, 16 October at the Glen Innes Library. The exhibition consists of free A5 sketchbooks sent out from April through August to regional recipients aged 16 and up. Participants were encouraged to fill their sketchbooks as they chose, asking just that each book return for the exhibition in the same A5 size.

Now collected and collated, the show of over 180 sketchbooks is now ready to hit the road tol visit 17 libraries and venues across the 12 council areas ANW supports from now until August 2021.

“It has been wonderful to see our little sketchbooks return, and see how our community has responded to these times with such creativity,” ANW executive director Caroline Downer said.

“I hope people will be able to catch it on our tour, and spend a bit of time glancing through these pages of thoughts and images that reflect our place and our time.” Caroline Downer

Glen Innes artist Stephen Wright invested his talent in photography and imagination into his sketchbook.

“I found the Panorama Project to be an invaluable exercise in coping with the trials and tribulations of drought, bushfires and COVID. A simple but elegant idea; give regional artists and creatives an A5 booklet each with only one directive...respond!” Stephen said.

“I chose to reflect on my relationship and experiences of a special place that I walk through almost every day. It’s gradual desiccation, the impact on the people who depend on it as a home and livelihood, the sense of impending doom and the cathartic relief of rain and life returning.”

To learn more about Panorama Project tour dates and the project itself, go to www.artsnw.com.au/#/panorama-project.

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR COUNTRY ARTS SUPPORT PROGRAM

Haunting (Vic McEwan + George Main) and Vanishing Point: Swan Hoppers Legacy (Julie Montgarrett + Vic McEwan + Clytie Smith) for On Common Ground. Photo by James T Farley.

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR COUNTRY ARTS SUPPORT PROGRAM

Create NSW has announced applications for the Country Arts Support Program (CASP) 2021 are now open for regional NSW not for profit organisations and local collectives.

Funding is available to support regional NSW community arts and cultural development through grants of up to either $3,000 or $5,000, for projects including arts activities as part of community festivals or events, performances, exhibitions, workshops and other local arts initiatives.

Create NSW Executive Director Chris Keely said the annual Country Arts Support Program supports regional NSW arts and cultural activities by increasing opportunities for organisations to showcase a range of arts programs that focus on the community and create social benefits for the regions.

“Create NSW is committed to funding artistic development in our State’s regions and showcasing NSW’s diverse history and contemporary life through cultural expression.

“The program will support arts and cultural activities across the State and allow regional communities to explore and express their cultural identities through local arts projects, reinforcing that NSW is the engine-room of creativity,” said Mr Keely.

Grants are available primarily for professional artists’ fees, travel and accommodation that will support a range of activities including workshops, artist-in-residence programs, public art and design projects, seminar and exhibitions.

The fund is delivered in partnership with the 14 Regional Arts Development Organisations.

The program is designed to assist locally determined, regional NSW community arts and cultural activities that will lead to greater awareness and appreciation of cultural expression and diversity and increase the sustainability of regionally-based community arts organisations.

Applications for the Country Arts Support Program 2021 close 5pm Tuesday 29 September 2020 for projects to commence on 1 January 2021. More information, including the guidelines, can be found on the Create NSW website at www.create.nsw.gov.au/funding-and-support/arts-and-cultural-funding-program/casp.

Small Arts Grants Extended to Second Round

A range of independent artists of the New England North West are set to benefit with the announcement of Arts North West’s second round of Quick Response Micro Grants, but applicants will need to get their submissions in fast.

Arts North West has identified opportunities for expenditure that falls outside its annual budget. This allows for multiple small grants of up to $1000 for creative practitioners, community groups and arts organisations working in all art forms.

The first round of micro grants was announced in April, 2020 and saw a range of artists and arts projects boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic, including musicians, textile artists, visual artists, performing artists and more.

“We were thrilled to see the vast scope of the work undertaken at this challenging time,” Arts North West Executive Director Caroline Downer

“The artists of our region have been getting very busy during the pandemic, and its been great to see their stories filtering through the local media as their projects come together.”

According to Ms Downer, applicants don’t require an outcome-based application.

“Arts North West is keen to support creatives to develop new approaches to their work, or experiment with innovative ways of delivering work to audiences they might not normally have the time or opportunity to access,’ she said.

“Some of the successful first-round applicants worked with new software, or took on a medium they were unfamiliar with, and the extra time afforded by the closure of businesses and public places allowed for plenty of experimentation.

“It’s wonderful to be able to extend this opportunity, now that it appears the pandemic will continue to impact many cultural venues throughout our region. We’re hoping these micro grants will go on assisting the artists that are an integral part of the New England North West.”

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 can be outcome-focused or be designed around skills development or capacity-building.

There is a very quick turnaround for applying these micro grants, with applications open now and closing on 7 September 2020. Successful applicants will be notified on 18 September 2020. Previous unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to reapply.

To apply to the Arts North West Micro Grants Round 2, visit the Arts North West website www.artsnw.com.au or contact the Arts North West office for more information (02) 6732 4988.

From Textile Trove to Fabric Folk Tales

TEXTILE TALES: Nundle artist Natasha Soonchild is working on a new series of soft sculptures crafted from recycled fabrics (photo: supplied)

A NUNDLE-BASED artist has dusted off a collection of discarded fabrics to transform into new works during the COVID-19 closure of arts venues, in an ‘at-home’ residency supported by a micro grant from Arts North West.

Natasha Soonchild lives and practices her art from Stormcrow Studio. From there she’s been exploring and developing three-dimensional works using materials and techniques unfamiliar to her.

“I am also researching and developing an at-home sewing kit utilising recycled textiles,” she told Arts North West.

“I have found it to be quite challenging working in a new medium!

“Over many years I have collected discarded textiles with the aim of creating soft-sculptures, so I do not lack the raw materials. It is the nature of those materials and how to manipulate them that I am having to learn about.

“There have been lots of experiments and trial-and-error.” Natasha Soonchild

According to Natasha the learning process has involved online courses in raised embroidery, and textile toy design and pattern creation.

“This is the first time I have used an online platform for learning,” she said.

“I am gaining a wealth of knowledge in the specific skills and also developing an understanding of online learning, skills building and sharing resources.

“It has been great research for the at-home sewing kit I am developing as part of this project.”

Visual inspiration

While undertaking her project, Natasha – a sculptor, designer, painter, printmaker and recycler – has been researching a selection of traditional English and Scottish ballads collected by American folklorist Francis James Child, referred to as the ‘Child Ballads’.

“I have always been fascinated by folk tales and wanted to frame my project through the lens of the characters, creatures and themes that feature in these ballads,” she said.

“This research has also led me to reach back into my own memory of folk tales I read as a child which were inhabited with witches, selkies and changelings, and has proven to be a wealth of visual inspiration.

“I am looking forward to sharing my depictions of these stories through soft sculptural forms.”

The results of Natasha’s project will be presented on her social media accounts (instagram: @stormcrow_studio / facebook: @stormcrowstudionundle). She will also post an online portfolio of the project on her website: www.stormcrowstudio.com along with the at-home sewing kit for sale.