WORD OF MOUTH

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:53:00 +0000

As we near the end of 2009, there are three more shows to go before we see in the new year. This weekend sees the end of HOOKED ON BOOKS and GOOGLEGRAMS. If you haven't caught these shows, be quick before they go. Next up will be WORKING THE FRAMES, a Dubbo Regional Gallery permanent collection exhibition, using the NSW Visual Arts Curricula as its raison d'etre. This is an exhibition in which you will LEARN. The local competition of WASTE TO ART will inhabit the Children's Gallery, and will no doubt pull major crowds as it usually does.

PENNY VOLKOFSKY's exhibition SINGING will end on 13 December, to make way for LARA SCOLARI's LATENT, an exhibition of new paintings, sculpture and video, which will open on 19 December.

FAREWELL to BRIGETTE LEECE who finished up at the Centre this week. Brigette was Manager for the past 5 and a half years, and leaves us to be a full-time mum. We wish her all the best for her future.

ART MARKET
This Sunday 6 December will see the scond ART MARKET to be held at the Centre. Beginning at 10am the markets will remain open until all is sold. Drop in and grab a unique christmas present.

VALE DOUG SADLER
Well-known Dubbo identity and Dubbo Regional Museum stalwart, Doug Sadler passed away last month after a long illness. Doug did so much for the city of Dubbo through his work as a teacher, historian, writer, researcher, and mentor, that his absence will be felt for many years to come. Our sympathy goes out to his family and friends.

VALE KATIE BARTON
Regional artist and gallerist Katie Barton also passed away in November after a short illness. Katie was an extremely active and passionate advocate for regional artists in the Central West. Her gallery, Percy Street Gallery in Wellington, was one of only a smattering of commercial outlets for artists living in this region. Her devotion to the arts drove everything that she did. She will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time.

until next week.......

A is for Animals

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:16:00 +0000

ANIMALS IN WAR
People are fascinated by animal social organization and interactive behavior. Visitors to zoos and viewers of wildlife documentaries are captivated by meerkat social groups going about their business while a designated lookout remains on guard for danger, are intrigued by the incessant hierarchial interactions that occur within a group of ungulates, are awed by the sophisticated social organization of a hive of bees and amazed by the apparently telepathic communication between the members of a hunting pack of wild dogs. The political machinations of a group of chimpanzees approach a human level of sophistication with respect to the strategic development of alliances and the lobbying inherent in this process.

It can be seen in these scenarios that cooperative social behaviour usually functions to enhance the survival of families, tribes and communities by providing mechanisms for the division of resources and the resolution of conflict without resort to serious physical confrontation.

As human beings we’ve long been interested in contemplating the nature of our ‘superiority’ over animals. Our capacity for complex social organization (which culminates in the organization and administration of nations) far exceeds that of the most socially adept animals. War is a human behavioural phenomenon & represents an unusually deleterious manifestation of social organization and behaviour in which large scale conflict is employed to resolve issues as concrete as disputes over geographical boundaries and the resources they contain or as esoteric as disputes over divergent religious philosophies.

Our notions of superiority over animals have justified our putting them to use…as beasts of burden, for transport, as sources of food, vehicles for communication and for the purposes of war. With the advent of warriors mounted on horseback thousands of years before Christ animals became part of the machinery of war involved in skirmish and reconnaissance. Pack animals were crucial to maintaining armies during conflicts. The invention of the wheel gave rise to chariots and chariot warfare and armies that most effectively wielded these tools won battles. Other taxa of animal were given other roles….pigeons were used for communication, dogs and even pigs for the detection of ordinance. Other animals played an important role in maintaining morale as companions and mascots. And then there were those creatures that undermined war efforts…the opportunistic pests, scavengers and reservoirs of disease.

The utility of animals and their exploitation by man makes many people uneasy. The French philosopher & scientist Rene Descartes proposed in the 17th century that animals were automata; soulless machines with programmed responses & no capacity for pleasure or suffering. Modern philosophers disagree with this and argue that man has an ethical responsibility to consider the welfare of the animals which are being used. This is intuitive to anybody that has ever formed a relationship with a pet or contemplated the social behaviours of a group of wild animals. War is a human construct that causes premature and death and suffering in many of its participants, both human and non human. Animals as machines have been responsible for determining the outcomes of wars but it is our empathy with animals impacted by war that generates the most enduring cultural artefacts.

DR BENN BRYANT

Senior Veterinarian, Taronga Western Plains Zoo

On the occasion of the Opening of A is for Animals: An A to Z of Animals in War at the Western Plains Cultural Centre.

BEGINNINGS & ENDINGS

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:20:00 +0000

COUTURE OF PASSION ends this Sunday. This popular exhibition has been a huge success with audiences and will be making way for A IS FOR ANIMALS: AN A TO Z OF ANIMALS IN WAR fresh from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The exhibition will be officially opened on Friday 6 November at 6pm with special guest Dr Benn Bryant, Senior Verterinarian, Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

REGIONAL ART SPACE applications will be closing next Friday 6 November. Regional Artists are encouraged to apply for the opportunity to realise an exhibition at the Centre for 2010/11. Application forms can be found here.

The ANIMAL IN ART lecture series continues with a lecture to conincide with A IS FOR ANIMALS. To be held on Thursday 26 November, the lecture will explore Animals in War Zones and feature speakers from both the WPCC and Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The lecture will held be held at 7pm in the QantasLink Auditorium. Entry by gold coin donation.

Sunday 1 November is the inaugural ART MARKETS at the WPCC. Come down to the Centre anytime from 10am - 1pm and check the stalls and exhibitors and support this fantastic local initiative.

Having trouble leaving comments? See where it says the number of comments at the bottom of this entry below? (eg. 0 comments) Click on this to take you to the comments page and let us know what you think. We crave feedback!

Return to WPCC website.

THIS WEEKEND CALLED ART

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:07:00 +0000

FARE YE WELL

Adnan Begic, Curator WPCC is leaving the Centre to pursue other opportunities. Adnan has finished this week after an 18-month stint in Dubbo. We would like to thank Adnan for his contribution to the Centre during this time and wish him well for his future endeavours. Thanks Adnan!

Kent Buchanan will be Acting Curator until the position is filled. Lea Tucker will be Acting Assistant Curator.

TIME TO READ

Reading Time will be staged in the Children's Gallery each Thursday at 11am until 6 December as part of Hooked On Books: The Albert Ullin Collection. All are welcome and its FREE.

THIS WEEKEND CALLED ART

This Business Called Art will be held this weekend (Saturday 24) at the WPCC. The ever-popular professional development workshops for artists will present three aspects of the art business. See previous blog post for details. Hurry book now!

SANG SONG SUNG
Penny Volkofsky will be giving an artist talk this Saturday 24 at 2pm about her installation Singing in the Regional Art Space. Entry Free.

LODE-ING ZONE
WPCC is pleased to present The Line of Lode & Death of Charlie Day by 2009 Blake Prize winner Angelica Mesiti in the New Media Space. Mesiti (who is also a member of the multimedia powerhouse The Kingpins) participated in a Broken Hill Art Exchange in 2002 and 2007. This video is the culmination of a collaboration with the community of Broken Hill. The Line of Lode... will be on display until 31 January 2010. (Watch out for the 2009 Blake Prize at WPCC in 2010)

AY 2 ZEE
Next up in the Main Gallery is A is for animals: An A to Z of Animals in War. This exhibition from the Australian War Memorial (AWM), was extremely popular whilst in display in Canberra. Using objects from the vast collection of the AWM, this exhibition will provide insight into the hitherto little known role animlas play in warfare. The official opening will be held on Friday 6 Novmber from 6 - 8pm. Special guest speaker will be Dr Benn Bryant, Senior Veterinarian, Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The exhibition will be on display from 7 November 2009 - 31 January 2010.

Until next time........

Return to WPCC website

(R)october 2009

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:23:00 +0000

The Western Plains Cultural Centre (WPCC) is a veritable nest of activity this October with a host of new shows and events to inspire and provoke.

In the Main Gallery is Couture of Passion: Costumes of Dame Joan Sutherland from the Opera Australia Collection which has been a big hit with audiences.
The Children's Gallery is playing host to an amazing array of original ilustrations from some of the most well-known Australian children's picture books from the collection of Albert Ullin (pioneering Melbourne children's book specialist). Hooked On Books will make you revisit your childhood bookshelf.
The Project Gallery features the amazing digital photomosaics of Spanish artist Joan Fontcuberta. Googlegrams features images created by the artist using Google Images and a host of search terms.
The Regional Art Space features a moving installation by local artist Penny Volkofsky. Singing features exquisitely constructed dresses formed out of relief-printed tissue paper. The works stand as memorials to individuals interred in the Dubbo Cemetery.
The New Media Space features an interactive project entitled Intimate Transactions. Developed by the Transmute Collective, the piece features a body-shelf on which the participant stands and controls an avatar on a screen, using only their body. An identical set-up at the Albury Regional Gallery, allows both particpants to interact on-screen.
The Museum Space features an exhibition entitled Dubbo 10: Community Voices which features objects from the Dubbo Regional Museum collection. 10 members of the Dubbo community were asked to respond to the objects and the results are a fascinating insight into the collection.
Check out are Fabulous Fifties display in the foyer display cases. Curated and sourced by WPCC Ambassador Mary Ratcliffe, it features a trove of objects that will take you back to those crazy 1950s.

READ TO ME
Each Thursday morning at 11am, join our WPCC Ambassadors for book readings in the Children's Gallery until 6 December. All are welcome (there's plenty of pillows) and its free. Discover old favourites as well as new books you may not know.

50/50 VISION
This Saturday 17 October sees the Centre celebrate its 3rd birthday with a 1950s inspired family fun day. Continuing our decade-inspired events (last year's 20s theme was positively smashing), this year will see a visual explosion of the Fabulous Fifties! There'll be heaps of entertainment, food, exhibitions, dancing demonstrations, hula hoop competitions, 50s displays, music, movies.....fun for one and all! The celebrations kick off at 5pm and continue until 8pm. All are welcome and its FREE!

NO SILLY BUSINESS
Saturday 24 October sees the next installment of the ever-popular professional development workshops for artists This Business Called Art. This session will feature 3 speakers discussing differing aspects of the art world - Curator Dr Julia Jones will present a session devoted to the fundamentals of Curating, Arts Lawyer Rebecca Laubi will explore the legal realm in relation to arts practice, and the Artists Anonymous session, Euan McLeod will give us the good oil on his career and experiences as a successful contemporary artist. The workshop will end with an artist talk by current Regional Art Space exhibiting artist Penny Volkofsky, about her haunting installation Singing. The workshop kicks of at 9am and will conclude at 4pm. Registration fee is $25 and includes morning tea and lunch. Contact the Centre on 02 6801 4444 for your space now!

MARK IT
The WPCC will be the venue for the inaugural Art Markets on Sunday 1 November from 10am - 1pm. The markets are being organised by the leader of our hardworking Guides, Waste to Art coordinator and general WPCC stalwart, Lee Cooper. Lee is keen to hear from any artists wishing to set up a stall on the day. Says Lee - "Artists are encouraged to set up a display of their works on the grassy area between the Outlook Cafe and No. 3 Oval (Cricket Oval). One should bring an umbrella (hoping for a sunny day), easels to display, folding chair/table and some float money. There will be access to some easels from the WPCC, and if the weather is inclement, works will be displayed in the QantasLink Auditorium." Further information is available from Lee Cooper on 02 6884 3498.

We would like your feedback on any of the information listed above so feel free to leave a comment or suggestion below by clicking on the COMMENTS button. Thanks.

Back to the WPCC website.

Andrew Frost Archibald Prize 09 Opening Address - Thursday 30 July 2009

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:34:00 +0000

Good evening.

The Archibald prize is the most accessible of art prizes. Yet it is also the most frustrating, beguiling, annoying, fascinating and infuriating prize, and more than that, it’s the also the essential art prize on Australia’s annual calendar of art events.

The Archibald Prize is a publicity magnet, it draws in the crowds, it has a decent purse attached to it and it can make the careers of artists. It is liked and loathed in equal measure... Its past controversies are well remembered too - and every New Year promises another.
I think we could agree that the Archibald Prize produces great paintings, some even win, and there are some terrible paintings, and some of these win too.

For any artist who enters the prize, they are potentially taking their place among the pantheon of the greats.

The Archibald’s grand tradition goes back to the teens of the last Century. J.F. Archibald, a journalist and the founding editor of The Bulletin, died in 1919 and bequeathed ten per cent of his £90,000 estate to the Art Gallery of NSW to set up an annual portrait prize. As Peter Ross’s history of the Archibald Let’s Face It wryly notes, the competition’s first year in 1921 was a period of great artistic innovation in Europe with Surrealism, Dadaism, Cubism and Futurism all existing side by side. In Australia, however, the tradition of 19th century academic portraiture was alive and well, as if preserved by its isolation from the rest of the artistic world like a lost land of dinosaurs

Complaints over the Archibald’s perceived lack of innovation, subjects and techniques were voiced by critics as early as 1920 and they seem eerily familiar to critical attitudes today. The Sydney Morning Herald noted in 1932 that “the prize has acted as a magnet to every person with even the most rudimentary knowledge of art. The work has been of an extremely varied nature, ranging from the very fine to most ludicrous and pathetic.” Writing in the Herald art critic John McDonald once described the Archibald competition – along with a range of other portrait themed competitions and exhibitions in Sydney timed to cash in on the Archibald excitement - as a disease. “I’ve often suspected that the Archibald Prize was an antipodean sickness,” he wrote, “but now it seems like a virus that has infected every venue in Sydney.”
The various celebrated instances of protest, litigation and controversy over the Archibald prize are all related to its struggle with the evolution of the contemporary practice of painting. The 1943 court case over William Dobell’s portrait of Joshua Smith – which, it was claimed, was a caricature and not a proper portrait – was eerily echoed in the legal stoush between rejected artist Tony Johansen and the trustees of the AGNSW over his claim that Craig Ruddy’s 2004 winning portrait of David Gulpilil was a drawing and not a proper painting. The Archibald’s controversies have taken on a traditionalist bent, much like the prize itself.
This maelstrom of claim and counter claim is forgotten every year and I have to confess that, no matter how I have felt about a year of entries and winners, I never miss the show. I always feel the excitement and anticipation of each new crop of finalists and hope, not so secretly, to be outraged, thrilled, excited and infuriated all over again. There’s nothing like the smell of oil paint in the morning.

I think the Archibald’s main success as an institution is its enduring popularity with the general public. It’s not for nothing that the Archibald attracts big crowds, not just at the opening and throughout its run at the Art Gallery of NSW, but at places such as here, as a selection of finalists and the winner goes on tour. What is it that makes this prize so appealing?
To look upon the faces of others in art, just as we do in our day to day life, is to make contact with humanity in its most immediate essence. The portrayal of the human body is the direct link between the art of virtually every culture on Earth, and our consistent fascination with the subjects of Archibald portraits is a demonstration of the most meaningful exchange between those people within a culture. I think art at its best when it’s a conversation between people, between the egalitarian impulse and the private need to commune with the creativity of others, to see the world how others see it. That to me is the value of the Archibald Prize, and the reason we all keep going back.

Thanks so much for asking me to be here tonight.

Without any further ado it gives me great pleasure to declare this exhibition open.
Thank you.

Andrew Frost, Writer & Host of ABC1s The Art Life
www.artlife.blogspot.com/

ARCHIE'S BACK

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:58:00 +0000

Its that time again, The Archibald Prize is back in Dubbo.

Each year in accordance with the bequest of Jules F. Archibald (1856-1919) the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales invite artists to submit paintings in competition for an annual prize which is awarded to the best portrait of a man or woman ‘distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics’. All works are judged by the Trustees of the Gallery with the winner receiving a prize of $50,000.

The annual exhibition has grown over its 88 years to become the most popular, sought after and controversial art prize in Australia. A cross section of contemporary artistic practice in Australia, the Archibald Prize, creates debate every year, from the nature of portraiture and painting to who we have come to see as 'distinguished'.

We would love to know what works you loved, or what works you hated, but before that be sure to come and view all 39 works.

The exhibition is on display at the Western Plains Cultural Centre until September 13Entry: $8 / $5 Friends / concession) 10am to 4pm Wed - Mon

A Long Weekend Read

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:53:00 +0000

A fantastic blog by genius film-maker Errol Morris on one of the most fascinating instances of art-forgery the world has seen.

http://morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/bamboozling-ourselves-part-1/

enjoy your long weekend.

My Favourite Work

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:21:00 +0000

Great Collections is truly a show for everyone, featuring historical documents, precious objects, and works of art. Visitors to the show will surely find at least one work that they respond to. We are interested in finding out your thoughts on that particular work. If you have visited the show we'd like to find out from you what your favourite work is in the show and why. If you haven't seen the show, and may not get a chance, we'd like to hear what your favourite work from any collection in New South Wales is and why. We look forward to your responses!

Culture in a time of Crisis

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:12:00 +0000

The Historic Houses Trust has recently been in the news after criticism labeled at the organisation by Ian Evans a Heritage Conservationist via Crikey.com. The article, picked up by the ABC's 7.30 Report , calls for the NSW State Government to sell off under performing ( low visitor numbers, low income streams) historic houses managed by the Trust. Properties such as Vaucluse House, Elizabeth Bay House, Government House and Rose Seidler House, could, he argues, be sold to not only raise money for the State Government, but would eliviate the issue of paying for their upkeep.

Evans believes that changing attitudes and a new 'now' generation uninterested in Historic properties has seen a decline in numbers and interest in the properties. The 'House Museum is Dead'.

His comments raise a series of very important questions faced by culture and cultural institutions in time of economic difficulty, should heritage, art, opera, dance, music be supported by the government while factories close, jobs are lost and families face increasing economic pressure.

But should we all ways think of the money, can culture be reduced to a simple sum, should we sell and get what we can or does culture transend money. At at time when some of the states greatest treasures are on display at the Western Plains Cultural Centre, it is timely to stop and think about the idea of 'value' and be brave in a time of crisis to stand up for cultural value over financial value.

Jessica Moore
Collections Officer, WPCC

Great Collections - The Ultimate Pool Room

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:28:00 +0000

The classic Australian film The Castle makes no small reference to the importance of placing prized family possessions in the “Pool Room”. However much as a nation we joke about what we’ll put in the Pool Room, the fact of the matter remains that this stuff is actually important to us. These objects may have little meaning to one family but mean a great deal to the family who own them.

If you think about the State of NSW as a family home, Great Collections, an exhibition coming to the Western Plains Cultural Centre (WPCC) next week, is like all the stuff you’d put in the Pool Room – and as NSW residents we own them all.

Drawn from the magnificent collections of New South Wales’ eight premier cultural institutions, these significant items are representative of Australia’s vibrant history. They shape our psyche, record our development, provide insight into our national spirit and inspire us for the future.

The Art Gallery of NSW, Australian Museum, Botanic Gardens Trust, Historic Houses Trust of NSW, Museum of Contemporary Art, Powerhouse Museum, State Library of NSW and State Records NSW have embraced this ground-breaking exhibition’s innovative vision and made cultural material from their extensive collections available for inclusion.

This landmark exhibition brings iconic treasures together for the very first time and showcases them to metropolitan, regional and interstate audiences. If you have been to Dubbo Regional Gallery – The Armati Bequest before, you will know that the huge space is divided into a number of smaller galleries. This exhibition, however, is so big it takes up the entire exhibition space, and as such is the largest exhibition ever shown in the Dubbo region.

There is a Picasso, a Durer, as well as colonial furniture, Jurassic fossils, and a Banksia collected by Joseph Banks himself (wow!) and other natural history objects to name but a few of the 100 + items that will be on display.

Yet to have this exhibition alongside the collection of the Museum’s permanent display is significant in its own right. Whilst we as residents of NSW can take pride in what our State has collected for generations, and continue to do so into the future, we can as a local community take great pride in what our own city has gathered throughout its history. Our objects may not have the big International names that the larger State institutions have, but it doesn’t mean our Pool Room is any less significant, it just tells a more intimate story of us – and there isn’t a set of joisting sticks in sight!

This fantastic exhibition opens on Saturday April 4 and runs until May 10 – in the mean time there is always People, Places, Possessions: Dubbo Stories on show at the Museum.

Art and Artifice of Captivity

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:24:00 +0000

There comes a time in everyone’s life when one must front up to unpleasant truths about oneself. Today is that day, when I lay bare my soul and allow others to glimpse my shame.

I own a poodle.

Now, to be fair, when the family chose it we were assured it was a labradoodle, a cross between a Poodle and a Labrador, but when it arrived (looking more like a gibbon than anything vaguely canine) it was clear that there was precious little Labrador coursing through its shaggy veins.

But it was a dog, and so the family was happy. Because every family needs a dog – don’t they?

It got me thinking about why we, as a culture, surround ourselves with dogs or cats or birds, fish, rats, lizards, in fact any number of vertebrate and invertebrate life forms. The dog, in particular, has been with us for eons. Some evolutionists believe that the arrival of the dog, with its superior snout, led to our own snout becoming less and less useful. We relied on the dog to track those tasty mammoths.

Today, where food actually advertises itself with giant glowing billboards, the dog as a hunting companion is less useful. But the dog remains with us. My theory is that the dog reminds us of the wild, of those days when we also roamed the grasslands, free of all laws, contracts and expectations. It is a link to our primeval selves.

Yet no-one looking at my dog (remember it, the poodle?) could ever imagine that it could survive on its own. It is the result of hundreds of years of selective breeding to make it more ‘convenient’ to us. It doesn’t shed hair, it’s small, child friendly and cheap to feed. So we have constructed a form of irony, where we want animals to remind us of freedom, then immediately set about changing that very ‘freedom’ we claim to admire. And we do it all the time, as pets, in zoos, in movies, on posters and in art, the animal is changed to make it more convenient to us.

This is a theme picked up by a variety of artists whose works are in the Dubbo Regional Gallery – The Armati Bequest Collection. The captive animal often tells us more about ourselves than the animal in question. Works by Ben Quilty, Beverly Veasey, Hayden Fowler and Simon Cuthbert all explore this issue. These artists and others, have been on show at the Gallery as part of In-Captivity: Animals in the DRG Collection. It closed last Sunday but this Thursday the Curatorial and Collection staff from the Centre (Adnan, Jessica and Kent) will join with Taronga Western Plains zoo keeper Heidi Quine, to talk about these issues in the third of the Animal in Art forum series. Heidi’s section, on how Zoos judge, in part, the happiness of animals and how they use enrichment to encourage natural behaviours, promises to be hugely informative.

So if you have an interest in animals, art or even the family mutt, come down to the WPCC this Thursday night at 7pm to hear how the zoological and art worlds have confronted this issue. Ring 6801 4444 to register or for more information.

Road Train (After Lambert)

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:46:00 +0000

Jack Randell, is a regional artist well known to Western Plains Cultural Centre. He lives and works in central west New South Wales with his home base being Geurie.

After a twenty-five year career in business, Jack now devotes most of his time to artistic studio practice and teaching.

The primary influence for Jack is the color and light of the regional landscape. The use of new media is his secondary interest. But this interest in the new does not mean he is unmindful of the past:

“Landscape as a genre occupies a privileged space in the Australian psyche: everybody seems entitled to an opinion on representations of landscape.

In Australia it is a truly egalitarian cultural form, whether of the ‘romantic’ or the ‘modern’ style. I am intrigued by the on-going dialogue between our view of the landscape as ‘pastoral romantic’ and ‘modern formalist’ and how that dialogue might inform other diachronic issues such as nature/ industry and Aboriginal/ settler histories”.

Road Train (after Lambert) is a hybrid artwork which refers to one of Australia’s best-known bush images – Across the black soil plains. The original artwork was painted in 1899 by George Lambert - one of Australia’s most influential artists. This exquisite work, on loan from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, was on display for three months here at the Western Plains Cultural Centre when it opened to the public in 2006.

The original painting was inspired by Lambert’s memories of horse drawn teams hauling heavily laden wool wagons across the bare, flat lands of Snakes Plain from Warren to the railway station at Nevertire.

Identified as an outstanding depiction of the Western Plains’ landscape, the rhythmic rise and fall of the horses’ heads and the tilt of the wagon, Lambert’s image is known for its particular sense of movement and atmosphere.

Following the original composition, Jack Randell’s Road Train (after Lambert) depicts a modern-day wagon in an identical looking landscape. This image of the road train painted on a large canvas is then overlaid with a video projection onto the canvas.

In contrast to the original painting, there is a different sense of movement. In the darkness of the projection room the mixture of paint and digital video creates scenery of a different kind; the truck loaded with wool appears alternately as a symbol and then an historical account. This stationary picture becomes ‘active’ when an enigmatic sense of time becomes visible with the almost ghost-like appearance of the trucker checking his load and the accompanying bush soundscape.

Jack Randell has deployed time as a digital and metaphoric proposition which reflects the history of wealth and power in contemporary regional industry.

Road Train (after Lambert) is on display in WPCC Video Space from 7 February to 22 March 2009. In addition to the advertised event program, you will have the opportunity to meet the Artist on Saturday 7 March at 2 pm and find out how the work came together.

This post first appeared in the Daily Liberal on Saturday, 7 February.

The Inner Object

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:27:00 +0000

OK. Quiz time. Who remembers doing Australian history at school? Of course, this question only counts for those with a few years under the belt – it’s not fair answering yes to remembering anything at school if you’re still going there. Anyway, I do remember and it is not pretty. I obviously grew up in a time when history was a giant list making exercise. List of ships in the 1st fleet? Check. List of Governors of New South Wales? Check. List of major farm exports of the Riverina? Check. List of lonely farmers captured by aliens for probing? Actually, that last one might have been interesting which is probably why we didn’t do it. My point being that for many of us Australian history was boring. Egypt got mummies, America got a revolution, England got most of the world. Australia got Edmund Barton. Now Edmund was probably a fine man, but placed alongside such characters as Henry VIII or Abe Lincoln, he paled somewhat. And of course, we learn very little about Aboriginal culture.

Now, however, Australian history is getting seriously sexy; sexy enough that even TV is taking notice. First, SBS screened the excellent First Australians and in the past few weeks the ABC has shown The Bridge and just last week, the story of Alexander Pearce. All were great shows for their type, and presented Australian history as richly hued, complex, passionately driven, and mercifully free of lists.

Last week’s show on Pearce particularly caught my eye. I first came across Pearce when I was a youngster visiting my grandfather in Cowra. He owned two books I read every holidays – one was on bush rangers (Hall was my favourite) and the other on convicts. I loved poring over grainy photos of lean looking men leaning laconically against fence posts, dodgy drawings of the dogs at Eaglehawk Neck and lastly an engraving of Alexander Pearce.

He was shown gaunt, dreadfully lined, dressed in rags, recoiling in fear as troopers advanced upon him - at his feet was a fire and a small parcel wrapped in cloth. The contents of the cloth are not hinted at, but the story makes it plain that hidden inside those cotton folds was the flesh of a newly murdered man.

Pearce was the first man in Australia to be hung for the crime of cannibalism, a crime he committed twice whilst escaping in Van Dieman’s Land. Last Sunday the ABC did us all a favour by putting this little slice of Australian history on the box in a very juicy docudrama. It was a fine show and did a very good job, through the use of original documents and getting into the head of Pearce exposing the why and how of what he did.

This is something museums often find hard to do – the tyranny of word limits somewhat precludes really long stories with gory details. But just because museums find it hard to do does not mean that visitors have the same problem. In fact, an active museum visitor is more than capable of exploring the hidden parts of the objects on show. All it takes is time.

For example, the Western Plains Cultural Centre has the artificial arm of William Cross on display in the Dubbo Stories exhibition. William, a local boy, lost his arm at Gallipoli. As an object it has some interest, but it is also dry. However, spend some time looking at the arm and trying to put yourself in his mind and it becomes a point of fascinating departure. Did he ever regret signing up? Did he ever rage in frustration at his disability? Did he consider the price he paid a fair one? What would I have done in his place? It is a fascinating way of touring a museum and opens up new places not just in your understanding of the past, but also of yourself.

A museum may not have the fancy tricks available to the modern TV Director, but it has something better – the imagination of the human mind. So why not bring you and your imagination down to the Western Plains Cultural Centre and see what new things you can discover.

This post first appeared in the Dialy Liberal on Staurday, 31st January 2009.

Degas - An impression of a revolution

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:45:00 +0000

Impressionism is Australia’s favourite art form, exhibitions featuring works by leading exponents Monet, Renoir, Pissaro are some of the most well attended exhibitions across the nation. Currently at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Degas: Master of French Art is looking to become a blockbuster. Since it opened on December 12, ticket sales have averaged 1200 a day, more than twice the target set by the NGA.

Why is Impressionism so popular? What is it about this art form that it can garner such dedication and commitment from the public? Partly it has to do with access, with very few Impressionist works in the collection of our great institutions, the opportunity to see these works means we flock to see these exhibitions, but mostly it is that Impressionism is an art form that more than any other, is enjoyed for its aesthetic qualities over its subject matter. Edgar Degas' beautiful depictions of 19th-century Parisian ballerinas are the kind of pictures that people just love to love. Pretty, inoffensive and positive, his works typify the perception of Impressionist Art.

So in the end what have we really lost, what damage has been done if all we see when we look at Degas or Monet are pretty girls and flowers?

Behind the conscious "prettiness" of Degas' ballerinas there is a latent sexuality that many galleries found confronting in 19th-century Paris, leading to some refusing to show his work. All the Impressionists had some trouble exhibiting, their work scorned by critics as unfinished and vulgar. Over the years and after the shocks of postmodernism, the radical nature of Impressionist art had been lost.

If we fail to recognise this radical aspect of Impressionism and the path that it forged, then we miss out on the opportunity to ever really understand Modern Art. The achievement of Degas and his colleagues was that they broke a tradition of western composition, with its careful, predictable, flawless presentation of reality; they created a new vision of reality that was shifting, disorderly, and often frantic but ultimately truthful.

For your opportunity to experience Degas, in the first exhibition of his work to be shown in Australia, be sure to join the Friends of Western Plains Cultural Centre Inc who are hosting a once in a life time bus tour to visit the exhibition in Canberra on the 20 to 22 February 2009. Combined with tours of the brand new National Portrait Gallery and the renowned Canberra Glassworks studio, the tour also includes an exclusive afterhour’s dinner at Old Parliament House.

Included in the $345.00 price ($330.00 for Friends of WPCC) is accommodation, transport and entry to all exhibitions and dinner at Old Parliament House. To book your seat or for more information please contact Chris Smyth on 02 6884 1179.

This post originally appeared in the Daily Liberal on 24th January 2009.

A Guiding Light

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:44:00 +0000

One of the most satisfying things you can do is guide at the WPCC. You learn new things, work with a great group of people, and get the unique opportunity to share your passion and enthusiasm with a whole range of visitors.
The WPCC is having an information session for new guides this Wednesday (28th Jan) at 2.30pm. You'll learn what it takes to be a WPCC guide, find out about the training sessions, and get to meet people that are already guides who'll share with you the enjoyment they get from what they do.
So if you are thinking of taking your interest in art or heritage one step further, come down to the WPCC this Wednesday. It could be the best thing you do all year.

Things for the Kids

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:16:00 +0000

Where can kids learn to make art in a creative atmosphere, with fully equipped and air-conditioned studios, expert tuition by practising artists and art professionals and have an exclusive tour of the Gallery thrown in? At the Western Plains Cultural Centre, that’s where! We specialise in providing entertainment, fun and learning opportunities for kids (just don’t mention the word ‘education’ and they will be eager to enrol!).

School holiday workshops start on Tuesday 20 through until Friday 23 January and cater for kids from five – 15 years old, with two hour workshops for beginners and five hour Master Workshops (including a lunch break) for the older or more experienced artists. There are clay, photography and painting workshops to choose from.

Lara Scolari, who holds a Diploma in Fine Arts and is currently undertaking a Post Graduate residency in Fine Arts at Dubbo Western Institute of TAFE will introduce kids to a unique way to apply paint. Lara enjoys working with children and with her enthusiasm and vibrant personality brings out the creative flare in all children.

Kent Buchanan, Assistant Curator at the WPCC, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Media and a Diploma of Education. Kent has extensive experience in exhibitions, education and is a practising artist in his free time – his specialty is photography. His laid back demeanour and quirky sense of humour makes him a hit with the kids.

Milena Sallustio studied Fine Arts and Ceramics at Curtin University, ANU, Canberra School of Art and Dubbo Western Institute of TAFE. She has studied oversees and is a part-time teacher and technical assistant at TAFE. Milena enjoys working with kids and taking them on a spiritual discovery exploring symbols and their interpretations whilst wrist-deep in clay.

These programs are a great way to finish the school holidays on a high and allow mums and dads the time to do that last minute school shopping whilst keeping the kids entertained.

Once the school term starts up again - how about encouraging your child to join a gang? Art Gang! that is. The group meets once a week on a Monday from 4 to 5.30 pm during Term 1 and 3 and caters for nine – 15 year olds. The young artists will receive expert tutelage from two well-known local practising artists; Lara Scolari and Leanne Watt. Leanne has worked with children for many years and is widely recognised in the field of creative water-colours. Her work is currently displayed in regional galleries and in private collections both here and overseas.

The program series covers themes explored in current exhibitions on show at the Dubbo Regional Gallery – Armati Bequest and the budding artists will learn all about the exuberance and texture of colour and paint balanced with the beauty and delicacy of watercolours as well as all the technical stuff in between. The course starts on 9 February and runs until 6 April with a minimal investment of $250 (or $200 for Friends of WPCC). Don’t leave it too late as bookings are filling fast!

For further details, check out our flier or phone reception on 6801 4444. Bookings are confirmed on payment. Don’t forget, the WPCC has free entry, is air-conditioned with icy cold refreshments available from The Outlook Café – a great place to hang out during the blistering hot summer months.

Entertaining the relatives

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:00:00 +0000

And so, in this time of the Global Financial Crisis, Australians have flocked, in fact more rightly swarmed, to typical holiday destinations of our country’s past. Up and down the coast caravan parks and camping grounds are groaning under the weight of visitor numbers. Newspapers are full of happy snaps of kids in ‘rashies’ frolicking in the sun whilst adults watch on benignly from the shade of the awnings. (Of course what they don’t take photos of is the effect on some visitors toes from one too many thongless visits to the communal showers.) Australia is suddenly cool (and cheap).

Dubbo may or may not also be under this financial spell. Things seem busier, Macquarie Street comes to a complete halt more frequently, and there is a longer wait for coffee at the bakery. This might just be the people of Dubbo trying to fill in time during these seemingly endless summer holidays – I have no idea – but I’m going to assume that many people are hosting relatives, friends, and slight acquaintances met at a dinner party whom you drunkenly declared ‘must come to Dubbo’.

And so, I’ve decided to provide you with some interesting facts about the WPCC’s collection that you can use to impress your visitors. Simply memorise these tasty morsels and you’ll soon be on your way to cultural and historical stardom.

Beast by Ben Quilty: This large painting currently on show as part of In-Captivity exhibition appears to be of a large Budgie. What it really is, is a young tattooed man called Beast. Now if you think of young tattooed men as hoons in utes who scream up and down your quiet street, you might consider them a nuisance, but if you think of them as colourful natives birds who add vibrancy to our harsh landscape, then you might tend to be a bit more sympathetic. Of course real budgies don’t park outside your house playing “Soulja Boy” at two in the morning, so there’s only so far you can go with that analogy. Another interesting fact is that the thickly layered paint took over two years to dry – it spent most of that time lazily propped up in the artist’s garage – probably much like the original Beast himself.

The Australian Hero: Speaking of hoons, the love of a fast colourful car goes well back in Australian history. The Australian Hero is a wagon capable of carrying 407 bags of wheat in the early 1900s, though it is now the sturdy colour of sun-bleached wood, it was once a rather fetching bright red and blue - and although not fast, having the top speed of a somewhat disinterested bullock, it was powerful, later on boasting (get ready for this one) 12 horse power! A cheap joke true, but one that guests are obliged, under international treaty, to laugh at.

The Steadman Cloth: Ethel Steadman owned a combined fruit-shop and milk bar in Talbragar Street. Those souls brave enough to venture into the back room, would find Ethel sitting at a table covered by an embroidered cloth. It was here that she would tell your fortune. It was also said that you only had to enter the store and she would have your box of fruit already at the counter, ready to be picked up (although it is possible only locals got this special treatment). In 1936 Ruby Green was murdered in Dubbo and Ethel directed the police to look in the river for her body. Noted tracker Alex Riley was despatched and promptly found the unfortunate lass. So there you are - armed with these few facts, you can amaze friends and relatives, and, if you wish, those slight acquaintances.

This post first appeared in the Daily Liberal on January 10, 2009.

Missing Updates

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:13:00 +0000

Sorry all. We were having trouble posting to our blog, and this may have affected others trying to comment. It seems to be cleared up now so it should be business as usual for th erest of the year!

WPCC needs a new Board member

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:39:00 +0000

The Western Plains Cultural Centre has always been heavily dependent on, and grateful for, community support. Simply coming to the Centre is support enough for many people, but there are many levels of involvement members of the community can take part in. If you are interested in really becoming involved in the continuing success of the Centre, then being a member of the Advisory Board is a rewarding commitment.

The Western Plains Cultural Centre is supported by an Advisory Board of 10 members offering advice on policy and programming at the Centre. The objectives of the Board are threefold:

i) To raise the profile of the Western Plains Cultural Centre in Dubbo and surrounding regions as a progressive and innovative cultural leader in education and entertainment;
ii) To encourage financial support of the Centre for the Gallery and Museum collection and audience development; and
iii) To assist the Manager in providing a high level service to and for the Dubbo and regional community.

Expressions of Interest are invited for the Marketing Representative position on the Board. It is desirable that applicants either have a qualification in Marketing/and or Communications and/or be working in the industry.

Expressions of Interest should be addressed through the Manager, Western Plains Cultural Centre, PO Box 81 DUBBO NSW 2830 and received by 20 January 2009 and clearly outline:

Interest in applying for the position
Experience/qualifications in marketing

The Advisory Board meet quarterly per year. For further information please contact Linda del Bao, Manager Cultural Centre on tel. 6801 4430 or email linda.delbao@dubbo.nsw.gov.au.

Everyone at the WPCC wishes readers the very best wishes for the season and hopes for a happy and successful 2009.

Old Stuff

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:47:00 +0000

Some old things are, let’s face it, awful. I’m thinking of leftovers which have been in the fridge since, now let’s see, was it last Thursday – no we had chicken on Thursday, so it may have been Friday, or was it Wednesday – anyway, you think it might be bad so you have to resort to the old sniff test. But is it off or just ‘savoury’? So you call the spouse, the kids, and lastly, people walking past the house, before deciding that it’s probably OK and then tuck in. Two hours later you’re in the smallest room cursing humanity’s lack of a decent nose, and vowing to date and label everything you put in the fridge. Other old things that don’t seem to get much love are magazines, newspapers, bent spoons, and Uncle Joe (the one that everyone agrees does smell off). They just make the place look untidy.

And so, we toss ‘em. If we are environmentally aware (and if you’re not, tut tut) we recycle them, but out they must go. And we do it with a grim determination. We have books, actual proper books with indexes and everything, telling us how to throw things out! I’ve even seen TV shows where stern faced women march into people’s garages and force them to throw out three quarters of what’s in there. Granted, the place looks much neater but I reckon there were harsh words uttered when the husband went looking for that bit of wire that was just the right length to keep the gate shut after the next-door neighbour’s tree fell on it.

Anyway, it seems to me that there is an altogether too hasty rush to throw out stuff that might, one day, be quite a remarkable bit of gear. We do keep lots of stuff – children’s drawings, photos and official certificates are high on the list – but, and I need to be careful here, there are only so many random crayon scratches marked “Spider, by Sophie aged 14 months” the world needs.

What the world will need is the stuff currently sitting in a box at the back of your garage, hiding in fear from stern faced TV women. A Rat Sac box from the 1960s, an ‘original Frisbee disc’ from your summer of love back in ’73, two cricket balls from the now defunct factory at the end of your street. Who keeps these things? In a hundred years will museums be full of nothing but bits of paper announcing that young Joshua can swim 20 metres without sinking to the bottom of the pool? They might be.

All this came from a school group I toured through Museum the other day. I’d shown them most of the impressive stuff, huge wagons, bright red army jackets, shiny machinery, when I stopped beside a case with a few bricks and a brick mould. The mould was used to make some of the 60,000 bricks used for Cockleshell Corner, built in 1911. It’s just a few bits of wood, fairly dull to look at, but what a find it is. How many brick moulds survived their working life? How many were used until they fell apart and then put on the fire? Of the thousands of moulds used across this land over the past two hundred plus years how many remain? Not many I’d guess. And the sad thing is that the others were thrown out, deliberately, and with forethought of malice (as TV judges tend to say) on to the (ahem) ‘scrapheap of history’.

So before throwing out that old toy, or newspaper, or frisbee just think about what the world might be missing if you do.

And one more thing, that bacon in the fridge, behind the milk – it’s off. Give it to the dog.

This post first appeared in The Daily Liberal on 20-12-2008.

Tear down, Put up

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:01:00 +0000

All is abuzz in the Regional Art Space as Ana Young comes down and Peter Mortimore goes up. Exhibiting such differnt styles of art is always a big challenge, but one we love.

The Museum - Must See TV

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:33:00 +0000

At the risk of using a copyrighted tag line, tune in to the ABC tomorrow to watch The Museum, a series looking at the goings-on behind the scenes at the British Museum. This week looks at conservators, including those working on restoring 3,000 year old Egyptian paintings. Surely a job that goes along with bomb disposal in terms of a mistake/penalty rating.

Memories of WWII

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:21:00 +0000

Phillip Adams, on Late Night Live, had a great piece about the struggle to preserve WWII sites, especially those in the Pacific Theatre.

The island of Ballalae was used as an airstrip by the Japanese forces from 1942 to 1945. Since no allied landing ever took place there the machinery and buildings left behind are still there, including fighter planes ready for takeoff, trucks and more. However, this site is under pressure from those looking to plunder it for private collections and the like.

Even more pressing is the existence of a grave where some 500 bodies were found. The Japanese at first disavowed any knowledge of it, but research later showed the bodies were most likely Commonwealth prisoners taken from Singapore to build the airstrip and then killed once the job was done.

Given the harsh conditions of the tropics, sites like this need to be preserved and protected. Memories like this fade all too fast.

Fresh Arts 08

info@wpccdubbo.org.au (WORD OF MOUTH: WPCC BLOG) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:16:00 +0000

FRESH ARTS 08 closes this sunday!

If you haven't had a chance to view this exhibition (and if not, where have you been!!!), then this weekend is your last chance to catch this major survey of regional contemporary art.

Ok....... Hurry up!