Artstate was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our region to the rest of the state. Arts North West were front of stage across the conference and presented a number of projects that showcase our creative diversity.

Presented at Artstate Tamworth 2019 at the Tamworth Regional Gallery, Art Word Place explored the interplay between text and image. Writers from the Arts North West region were commissioned to craft short poems inspired by their home landscapes, which became the foundation for visual artworks created by selected artists. These works captured the identity and sense of place in the New England North West, reflecting recurring themes of rivers, plains, sky, drought, adversity, and optimism.

Art Word Place_ focuses on the interplay between text and image. Eighteen writers across the Arts North West region were commissioned to create a short poem or prose based on their home landscape. Eighteen selected artists have then drawn on this composition as the basis and inspiration for a new work capturing the identity and sense of place in the New England. _

It has been fascinating to see the similarities in the creative process for both writer and artist. And indeed, as reader and viewer, to realise that in both ‘word’ and ‘art’, we still delve through the multiple layers and multiple perspectives of each work to read its narrative and to find our own meaning and interpretation.

The landscape of the New England North West of New South Wales is breathtaking in its diversity. It can vary from the black soil plains in the south to the granite outcrops and stunning gorge country of the tablelands. Despite this diversity, our region has become focussed and united on one issue – that of drought and water. A lack of rain combined with record temperatures has devastated communities across our region – with a number of towns forecast to run dry within six months. New England farmers say that the current dry conditions are the worst in living memory.

_It is this theme of drought, marked with history and touched by legacy, that has captured the imaginations of both writer and artist. There are depictions of drought and bushfire ravaged lands, of sky and clouds, of adversity and of the challenges in this landscape. But then there is also the representation of strength, of resilience and of perseverance. Here we have the works with more optimism; the river, the majestic mountains, the glimpse of a new day, the detail of new growth and a sense of hope. _

Caroline Downer

Curator Art Word Place

Executive Director, Arts North West

The project featured an incredible lineup of artists: Bernard Alberecht, Gabi Briggs, Leah Bullen, Peter Champion, Jan Clark, Sharon Gilmour, Michelle Hungerford, Nancy Hunt, Paula Jenkins, Maree Kelly, Rowen Matthews, Liz Munro, Angus Nivison, Fay Porter, Liz Powell, Max Powell, Liz Priestley, and Jo White.

Writers included Nicole Alexander, Anne Bell, Michael Burge, Esther Gardiner, John Heffernan, Lizzie Horne, Heather Kerridge, Peter Langston, Yvonne Ledingham, Yve Louis, Sophie Masson, Lucy Munro, Bronwyn Parry, Helena Pastor, Virginia Tapscott, Michael Thorley, Nate Weatherall, and Suzie Wicks.

The project highlighted diverse locations across the region, including Armidale, Ebor, Deepwater, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Inverell, Invergowrie, Manilla, Moree, Narrabri, Quirindi, Rocky River, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Uralla, Walcha, Warialda, and Yarrowyck.

VIEW THE ART WORD PLACE CATALOGUE HERE