artscentre.blacktown.nsw.gov.au
Spring/Summer 2015
Thank you Blacktown Arts Centre is an initiative of Blacktown City Council supported by Arts NSW
Project Partners & Supporters
WestWords Western Sydney Young People’s Literature Development Project
Program Credits Kevin Vo Design Joshua Morris Photography (unless otherwise credited) Tania Bowers Hair & Make-up Glenn Warner Printing Printer ISBN 978-1-921482-42-7
Front cover Natalie Rose and Chris Dunstan "The Drawing"
Welcome This season, we are thrilled to be collaborating again with Natalie Rose and Chris Dunstan, who worked on FUNPARK 2014. In January, we present The Drawing, an original theatre production made by kids for kids (page 18). In the lead up to the performance season, local children and young people are invited to participate in a series of free workshops where they help us create The Drawing (page 30). From developing the story to creating props and sets to starring in the show, kids control the action at Blacktown Arts Centre this season. This year marks the 19th anniversary of the Blacktown City Art Prize (page 6)! The prize is considered one of the most popular in Western Sydney and is recognised as a key exhibition for the development of outstanding local and emerging artistic talent. Visit the Centre over summer and cast your vote in the People’s Choice category or consider acquiring an artwork for your own collection.
In February, we present the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (page 8). As part of the exhibition, we will be running free photography workshops for schools in the Blacktown local government area. For more information on this project, and our wider schools program, educators are invited to attend an Information Session on 30 October (page 30). In October, we invite you to join us for two special musical performances. We welcome the Sydney Symphony Fellows for their annual concert (page 14) and present Leyli & Majnun (page 16), a musical conversation between two classical performers – acclaimed Australian-Turkish opera singer Ayse Göknur Shanal and world-renowned multiinstrumentalist and singer Shohrat Tursun. There is so much happening at Blacktown Arts Centre this season. Subscribe to our mailing list or like our Facebook page and you won’t miss an event. Jenny Bisset Director Blacktown Arts Centre Manager Arts & Cultural Development, Blacktown City Council
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Visual Arts
Recent Acquisitions from the Blacktown City Art Collection Cilla Davis, Jennifer Gabbay, Simryn Gill, Rew Hanks, Mehr Javed, Hyun-Hee Lee, Brendon Mogg, Marikit Santiago, Grant Stevens, Terrence Wright 19 September – 1 November For over 30 years, Blacktown City Council has acquired artworks, ranging from community murals to substantial commissioned pieces by established local, national and international artists. Recent Acquisitions features works purchased between 2011 and 2014. Many of these works have been purchased through the Blacktown City Art Prize and highlight the talents and voices of our local and regional artists. The exhibition promotes the act of collecting art as an important source of civic pride and community inspiration now and for future generations.
Join us for On Collecting – an artist and curator talk – on Wednesday 8 October from 6pm – 7.30pm
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The Collectors Martin Mischkulnig 19 September – 1 November Martin Mischkulnig’s celebratory photographs explore the intimate and subjective world of individual collecting. In his series, the collectors’ objects of desire are composed to fit like comfortable extensions of their personal spaces, but objects never outweigh the presence of each personality. The spectrum of keepers of the rare and precious spans Anne Schofield with her antique jewellery, to devotee of the very ordinary, Peter Fay, and his collection of soft (and often misshapen) toys. The Collectors illuminates through the photographer’s eye, the intriguing idea that far from representing merely an accumulation of things, collecting is an almost philosophical project. Possessions become an extension of persona. This exhibition, which was commissioned by Blacktown City Council in 2004 and supported by Visions of Australia, includes a new print by Mischkulnig. Martin Mischkulnig, The Collectors, 2014
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Visual Arts
The Blacktown Native Institution Artists’ Camps This is a C3West Project in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and UrbanGrowth NSW. Following on from our 2013 exhibition, The Native Institute, Blacktown Arts Centre presents The Blacktown Native Institution Artists’ Camps. Established in Blacktown in 1823, after it was relocated from Parramatta, to ‘educate’ and ‘reform’ Aboriginal children during colonisation, The Blacktown Native Institution site on the corner of Richmond Road and Rooty Hill Road North represents the origins of the institutionalisation of Aboriginal people in Australia. The site is a profound symbol of race relations and cross-cultural interaction in Australia. In 2014 and 2015, a series of camps will be staged on this potent site.
Each camp will feature a large studio space and focus on three separate but linked aspects of the site: storytelling, caring for country and physical site interpretation. Blacktown Arts Centre is forming an advisory group comprising members of the local Aboriginal community to help shape the future of the Blacktown Native Institution project. If you are interested in joining the group, please contact the Centre for more information on 9839 6558 or email artscentre@blacktown.nsw.gov.au. This program has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body, and is supported through an Artist in Residence grant. The Artist in Residence Grant Program is supported by the Copyright Agency Limited’s Cultural Fund, and is managed by Museums and Galleries of NSW.
C. Tobin, L. Tobin, S. Tobin, Ochre Tree Painting, Blacktown Native Institution Site, 2013. Photograph by S. Tobin
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Visual Arts
Blacktown City Art Prize 2014 6 December – 10 January Entered by hundreds of artists each year, Blacktown’s annual art prize showcases the best of current artistic practice. Now in its 19th year, the Blacktown City Art Prize has grown in popularity and reputation to become Western Sydney’s premier art prize.
In 2013, first prize in the Sculpture section was awarded to Jody Graham for her work Someone else’s life. The judges praised the beautiful piece that communicates the universal narrative of human life.
It features outstanding works by local artists, as well as works from across NSW and environmentally themed works by children and young artists. Painting, watercolour, works on paper and sculpture sections are judged by industry professionals with prize monies and acquisitive funds totalling $24,000. If you are not submitting an entry, you can get involved and cast your vote in the popular People’s Choice Prize, or purchase a work for your personal art collection or for a loved one.
Download an entry form from our website or pick one up at the Centre. Entries (forms and fees) close Monday 20 October. See our website for key dates, including artwork delivery.
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Visual Arts
Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 26 February – 18 April The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize comes to Blacktown Arts Centre in 2015. The prestigious exhibition has encouraged excellence and creativity in contemporary Australian portraiture for the past 26 years. Selected works from the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize, which interprets ‘contemporary life in Australia’ with an emphasis on day-to-day life, will also be on exhibition.
Nigel Milsom's work Uncle Paddy, won the 2013 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. Uncle Paddy was one of the few non-family members to attend Milsom's grandfather's funeral. "There is a quiet sadness about Paddy that seems to stem from the realisation that death will be visiting him too soon," said Milsom. "When I painted his portrait I got a sense that he has learnt to sit with this feeling of sadness which has given him a greater strength and wisdom. He is prepared to face death."
Free photographic workshops will be offered to schools in the Blacktown local government area as part of the Moran Prize exhibition program. For more information, attend our information session for educators on 30 October (page 28) or email artscentre@blacktown.nsw.gov.au.
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Performance
Democratic Garden 13 August – 1 November Campbell St Car Park, Blacktown Arts Centre Workshops Every Wednesday 3.30pm – 5.30pm Weekend Planting 10am – 3pm on Sat 13 – Sun 14 September Garden Opening Thursday 9 October Harvest Day Saturday 1 November This is an Urban Theatre Projects initiative, commissioned by Blacktown Arts Centre, in partnership with the Environmental Sustainability section of Blacktown City Council. The Democratic Garden is taking over the carpark of Blacktown Arts Centre from August to November! Urban Theatre Projects, in collaboration with the Arts Centre, will plant a vertical garden for Blacktown with the help of local residents. They will create a large scale green living installation that shows a snapshot of the people who call Blacktown home. For three months, the Democratic Garden will be the springboard for performances, gathering, workshops and spontaneous events. In November, this project will culminate on a harvest and a feast. 10
Like our Facebook page so you don’t miss an event! fb.com/BlacktownArtsCentre
Performance
Sydney Sacred Music Festival 2014 Sacred Journeys Now in its fourth year, Sydney Sacred Music Festival brings communities and artists together to celebrate and create diverse devotional music.
Wednesday 10 September Blacktown Hospital, foyer entry Time 4pm – 4.30pm Cost Free Blacktown Arts Centre and Health Arts Research Centre present two local choirs who represent the great singing traditions of Samoa and the Philippines. Celebrating the language of sacred and devotional music, the Samoan Methodist Choir of Blacktown and Sydney Sonata Singers will present a diverse program of music at Blacktown Hospital.
Bazme Qawwali Saturday 20 September Performance Studio, Blacktown Arts Centre Time 6pm – 7pm Cost Free A collective of brilliant traditional musicians from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Bazme Qawwali will present an intimate gathering of durational music in our Performance Studio. 12
Performance
Sydney Symphony Fellows Liisa Pallandi (Violin) Nicholas Waters (Violin) James sang-oh Yoo (Cello) Aurora Henrich (Double Bass) Georgina Roberts (Oboe) Alexei Dupressoir (Clarinet) Timothy Murray (Bassoon) Carl Lee (Viola) Saturday 11 October Performance Studio, Blacktown Arts Centre Time 8pm Cost $20 adult, $15 conc (under 12 years free) Each year, the Sydney Symphony welcomes a group of emerging artists to the orchestra family through the Fellowship program. Chosen from national auditions, these rising stars play with the orchestra in the Opera House, present many beautiful chamber concerts and participate in workshops and masterclasses. Now in its 13th year, the Fellowship continues to be run under the expert guidance of Sydney Symphony Orchestra Principal Viola and Fellowship Artistic Director, Roger Benedict. These eight gifted young musicians will perform their annual concert at Blacktown Arts Centre in October. 14
2014 Sydney Symphony Fellow Alexei Dupressoir grew up in Valley Heights in the lower Blue Mountains and began his clarinet studies at the local public school at the age of nine. “I went to Blaxland East Public School which had a very good band program and I remember feeling really engaged. Initially I wanted to play the saxophone but they didn’t have a spare one so I chose the clarinet instead – it’s fair to say that worked out really well."
Performance
Leyli & Majnun Ayse Göknur Shanal Shohrat Tursun Joanne Saad Alissar Chidiac Diana Blom Ayxem Eli Saturday 18 October Performance Studio, Blacktown Arts Centre Time 8pm Cost $20 adult, $15 conc (under 12 years free) Leyli & Majnun is a musical conversation between two classical performers – acclaimed Australian-Turkish opera singer Ayse Göknur Shanal and world-renowned multi-instrumentalist and singer Shohrat Tursun. Shanal and Tursun hail from two different performance traditions but are connected by a shared ancient history. This work is an exploration of the ancient love story of Leyli and Majnun – a song cycle that demonstrates the cultural links between present day Turkey and Central Asia. This program has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
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Ayse Göknur Shanal and Shohrat Tursun will also perform a matinee of Leyli & Majnun on Thursday 16 October at 2pm. To book, call 9839 6558 or go to www.artscentre.blacktown.nsw.gov.au.
Performance
The Drawing
The Drawing is the creation of Natalie Rose, Chris Dunstan and the 2013 Shopfront Junior Ensemble. It is a continuation of the work they began with the Bidwill community in FUNPARK 2014.
Natalie Rose Chris Dunstan Clare Britton Matt Prest James Brown Children from Shopfront, Blacktown and Greater Western Sydney 21 – 24 January 2015 Blacktown Arts Centre Time 1pm (Wednesday to Saturday) Time 4pm (Friday and Saturday only) Cost $20 adults Time $15 children/concession Time $45 Family of three (1A/2C or 2A/1C) Time $55 Family of four (1A/3C or 2A/2C) This project is a partnership with Performing Lines, Shopfront Contemporary Arts and Performance, WestWords and the Environmental Sustainability section of Blacktown City Council. Walking home you make a wrong turn. You’re lost. It’s dark and raining. A house looms in the shadows. What do you do? The Drawing is a joyful and immersive mini-festival of contemporary theatre and installation where the audience gets to decide. The Drawing explodes the “Choose Your Own Adventure” genre. The journey begins as audiences find their way through an eclectic set made from recycled materials, led by children's storytelling. 18
In the next room, kids and parents lose themselves in children’s literature, then the action shifts to the Performance Studio where The Drawing, an hour-long theatre production, takes audiences on an adventure through a house that celebrates the astonishing imaginations of the children who helped create it. It's an original work made by kids for kids! Make Blacktown Arts Centre your family hang-out in January! This project is supported by City of Sydney Council, Les Twentyman’s 20th Man Fund Sydney and Pacific West Foods.
Performance
Women & Children First Mount Druitt Indigenous Children’s Choir Stella Cunningham Cindy Drummond Krista Pav Ursula Yovich and Adam Ventura Saturday 28 February Performance Studio, Blacktown Arts Centre Time 6pm – 8pm Cost $20 adult, $15 conc (under 12 years free) Taking inspiration from the important place that Aboriginal women and children hold in their communities, Women & Children First is a tribute to the longest surviving culture in the world. Local musicians will sing their favourite songs from different eras and reveal why they chose the songs and what singing means to them. Women and Children First will be a night of beautiful heartfelt music and stories. It will culminate in an intimate program of original music by acclaimed actor and musician Ursula Yovich.
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Stella Cunningham began working with Blacktown Arts Centre on the Blacktown Arm Band project, and will share some of the music she loves most as part of Women & Children First.
Residency
Information Session for Creative Residency Program
For her residency, Annalouise Paul developed the first draft of a new dance work, Self Portrait, with Kristine London-Smith and Jane Harrison.
Wednesday 24 September Performance Studio, Blacktown Arts Centre Time 6pm – 7.30pm Looking for a great space to make new work? Is your project ready for the next phase of development? Blacktown Arts Centre’s Creative Residency Program has been reimagined for 2015. Join us for an information session where our curatorial team outlines the new program: • 1 performing arts space residency (research and development) • 1 $5,000 performing arts residency for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders • 1 $5,000 inter-arts residency (must include at least one artist from the Blacktown local government area) • 1 $5,000 Pat Parker Memorial Residency • 1-2 long-term (6-12 months) studio residencies • 2-3 short term (1-3 months) multi-arts studio residencies
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Key dates Information session Wednesday 24 September Applications open Thursday 25 September Applications close Friday 31 October Applications are available from the Blacktown Arts Centre website.
Special Events
Write Out West Susanna Freymark James Roy Richard Tulloch Deb Westbury Saturday 27 September Blacktown Arts Centre Time 10am – 4pm Cost $25 adults (students and concession free) WestWords invites emerging and established writers from Greater Western Sydney to a day of professional development and networking. Workshops will be offered in creative writing, poetry, journalism and scriptwriting, followed by a panel discussion about life as a professional writer. The workshops are suitable for emerging writers looking for the opportunity to learn from experienced, published writers across a range of genres.
Leanne Tobin Book Launch Ambelin Kwaymullina Leanne Tobin Saturday 25 October Blacktown Arts Centre Time 10.30am Join us as we celebrate the publication of local Aboriginal artist Leanne Tobin's first picture book, The Lost Girl. Published by Walker Books, The Lost Girl is a beautiful story of how Mother Nature helps a lost girl find her way back to her family. The book is written by awardwinning author Ambelin Kwaymullina of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with illustrations by Dharug artist Leanne Tobin.
Write Out West is only open to writers aged over 16 years who live or work in Greater Western Sydney. This program has been assisted by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.
Illustration Š Leanne Tobin from The Lost Girl by Ambelin Kwaymullina, 2014 (Walker Books Australia).
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Workshops
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Workshops
Visual Arts Workshops Danny Eastwood
This season, Blacktown Arts Centre is offering a program of weekend workshops delivered by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. The program encourages artists to share ideas, form new collaborations and explore artforms. The workshops are free, lunch is provided and young people over 15 years are welcome.
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Saturday 11 October – 1 November Time 11am – 1pm Cost Free Join award-winning artist Danny Eastwood for a series of creative workshops using a variety of techniques and mediums including painting, drawing and printmaking. The workshops are suitable for all skill levels. Basic materials are provided but artists are encouraged to bring additional materials.
Weaving Circle Nicole Parsons Saturday 18 and 25 October Time 11am – 3pm Cost Free The Aboriginal Weaving Circle, led by Nicole Parsons, will meet weekly on a Saturday afternoon to weave and yarn. Nicole Parsons is an Aboriginal woman of the Darug-Yuin peoples of Sydney and the South Coast of NSW. She was taught by Uncle Steven Russell, a Dharawal man, and Kristine Stewart, a Yuin woman.
Danny Eastwood, Invasion D-Day, detail, 2012
Workshops
School Holiday Workshops 23 September – 1 October This project is a partnership with Performing Lines, Shopfront Contemporary Arts and Performance, WestWords and the Environmental Sustainability section of Blacktown City Council. Get set for our most exciting school holiday workshop series EVER! Local children and young people are invited to help us create The Drawing, an original theatre production made by kids for kids (page 16). From developing the story to creating props and sets to starring in the show, kids control the action at Blacktown Arts Centre this season. All skill levels welcome. And it’s all FREE! This project is supported by City of Sydney Council, Les Twentyman’s 20th Man Fund Sydney and Pacific West Foods.
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The Drawing Theatre Workshops
Visual Arts Workshops
Natalie Rose and Chris Dunstan
Clare Britton
Tuesday 23 and 30 September
Wednesday 24 September and 1 October
Performance Studio, Blacktown Arts Centre
Workshop Studio, Blacktown Arts Centre
Time 11am – 3pm
Time 11am – 3pm
Cost Free
Cost Free
Join acclaimed theatre-makers Natalie Rose and Chris Dunstan for an adventure limited only by your imagination! This series of performance workshops gives local children and young people aged 8 – 15 years, the opportunity to help create our January theatre project The Drawing – imagine, write, draw, make and star in it! Workshops will take place in September and December, culminating in the performance season in January 2015.
Award-winning multi-disciplinary artist Clare Britton will lead a series of workshops where local children build wild props and an eclectic set made from recycled materials. Children and young people will explore their imaginations to come up with the dynamic installation that will welcome families to The Drawing in January 2015.
Sione Falemaka, who exhibited in our recent Stitching the Sea exhibition, will conduct a weaving workshop for adults while the children’s programs are running. Younger children (under 8) are welcome to attend with their parent/guardian but must be supervised at all times. 29
Workshops
Information Session for Educators Thursday 30 October Performance Studio, Blacktown Arts Centre Time 4.30pm – 6pm Get out of the classroom and bring your students to Blacktown Arts Centre! Join us for afternoon tea as our visual and performing arts curators outline our Spring/Summer program – and offer educators an exclusive sneak peek at our 2015 program. Blacktown Arts Centre is an exciting and innovative contemporary multi-arts facility, just 5-minutes walk from Blacktown Station. We offer a variety of excursion packages centred on our curated program of exhibitions and performances which can be tailored to suit your school’s needs. These packages include self-directed tours, guided tours and practical workshops linked to the curriculum. At Blacktown Arts Centre, we offer subsidised excursions. Subsidy is dependent on availability and excursion type.
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Science students were enthralled by Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s intimate images of native and non-native flowers featured in the Uncovered exhibition. This program included a workshop where participants studied and dissected flowers.
Information
Connect with Blacktown Arts Centre Bookings Online
Online
artscentre.blacktown.nsw.gov.au
Online bookings for all performances, workshops and special events are available at www.artscentre.blacktown.nsw.gov.au.
Facebook fb.com/BlacktownArtsCentre
In person Twitter @BlacktownCC
Blacktown Arts Centre is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm.
Phone
artscentre@blacktown.nsw.gov.au
Call (02) 9839 6558 to make a credit card booking over the phone.
Phone (02) 9839 6558
Blacktown Arts Centre staff Jenny Bisset Manager/Director Monir Rowshan Community Engagement Miguel Olmo Operations Paul Howard Visual Arts Paschal Daantos Berry Performing Arts Maria Mitar Performing Arts Miah Wright Aboriginal Arts Wilna Fourie Special Projects Jodie Polutele Marketing Sanki Tennakoon Marketing Erin Rackley Administration Dayna Coyle Administration Joshua Stojanovic Administration Judith Ridge WestWords
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Thank you to our volunteers Gordon Bruton, Gordon Burr, Michelle Genders, Elona Lang, Emily McTaggart, Sharon Mifsud, Tanatia Morrell, Audrey Newton, Amanda Outschoorn, Josh Paton, Erika Prado, Santoshi Praneetha Shastry, Veena Racha, Mikhail Voronoy, Jelena Vunic, Linaine Williams
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Access Information
Location
Entry to Blacktown Arts Centre is via 78 Flushcombe Road Blacktown. We welcome all visitors and are committed to making our programs and services accessible to everyone. Visitors with restricted mobility can enjoy all public areas of the Arts Centre.
Blacktown Arts Centre is located at 78 Flushcombe Rd Blacktown NSW 2148
Public Transport Blacktown Arts Centre is within five minutes walking distance (south) from Blacktown station.
Parking On-street parking is available in the surrounding area. Car parking stations are within walking distance, located at Colo Lane, Westpoint Shopping Centre, Max Webber Library and Kmart. The Council car park (adjacent to the Arts Centre) is open to the public evenings and all day Saturday. Accessible parking is available at the Centre, entry via Campbell St.
The Centre is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm (closed public holidays)