Showing posts with label Creative Spaces 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creative Spaces 2012. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Creative Spaces publication

As part of the acquittal for the grant provided by the Sunshine Coast Council (SCC) for Creative Spaces 2012 Fiona Dempster created a 37 page blog book of the whole event.

Shown below are the cover and a couple of openings of the book to give an idea of the quality, form and content of the book.

Basically the book includes the content and photos of all the blog posts that reported on the Creative Spaces 2012 event from the announcement of the receipt of the grant from the SCC right through to the last event - the art4place end of year celebration and launch of Peace in the Trees at Maleny Retreat.





The blog book provides a great record of the event; recognises the artists who participated; and provides the SCC with a unique record for grant acquittal purposes.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Visiting Peace in the Trees

On the 6 October the public were able to access three Creative Spaces 2012 activities: Noela's installation of sails - Sailing Inland; Cathy and children's display of the Creatures of the Obi Obi in the Maleny Library; and the sculptural installation Peace in the Trees.



The Peace in the Trees sculptural installation of 12 sandstone monoliths is located in trees at Maleny Retreat. The monoliths were carved by  12 local artists who volunteered two days of their time to create pieces that reflected nature, the environment or some aspect of peace and peacefulness.  Wendy van der Drift is a member of art4place; and she and other residents of Maleny Retreat (Maria, Michael and Roman) gave permission for this installation to be carved, installed and open to the public at certain times.

On Saturday 6 October the installation was open for the second time between 10am and 4pm. As you can see from the photos below couples and small groups of visitors took the opportunity to view this unique sculptural installation.  

©2012 E-A Murray - Visiting Peace in the Trees 1
©2012 E-A Murray - Visiting Peace in the Trees 2
©2012 E-A Murray - Visiting Peace in the Trees 3
As visitors meandered through the trees they could stop and reflect on each of the monoliths - the 12 artists had provided a brief description of the message behind their work.

©2012 E-A Murray - Judy G's - Reflection 
©2012 E-A Murray - Kim M's - Solace 
©2012 E-A Murray - Carolyn S's - Heartfelt 
To some visitors it may have seemed that the 12 artists have made but a small impression on the large stones as much of the stone remains natural and unmarked by chisel and hammer. One of the important aspects of this placemaking art installation is to let the combination of sculptural work and the stones themselves tell their story - nature will continue the creative process.

These monoliths will peacefully merge more with the trees as they age; and visitors will be invited to reflect on peace and the natural environment that is so much a part of Maleny Retreat.


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Water creatures of the Obi Obi display

Cathy Lawley worked with two groups of children (Water Dragon group and Platypus group - 17 in each group)  to crate; glaze and then install their Water Dragons and Platypi in the two display cases at the local Maleny Library. This was all part of the Creative Space's Water Creatures of the Obi Obi placemaking activity.





As you can see both cases are just filled to the brim with finished works.




What an amazing hands on way of learning about these important creatures who live in the creek just behind the library. See just a few of the raku fired pieces on display.






I'm sure that the 34 children who took part in this activity;  their families; and now the broader community will be much more aware of these special creatures and their place in our environment.

Creative Spaces 2012 was sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Council; and the Water Creatures of the Obi Obi was made possible through the support of staff of the Maleny Library - thanks.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Flight of the Glossy Black Cockatoo - cont.....

This is the fourth time I have done this post - is it me or is it the bloggersphere?

As Barry mentioned in the last post, Christine held her last Glossy Black Cockatoo workshop at Russell Family Park, Montville, yesterday.

'The Glossy Black Cockatoo lives around the Hinterland, but sadly is becoming endangered. This creative placemaking art project aims to remind people of the Glossy Black Cockatoo and its beauty and encourage them to help protect and save it.

Going on a Treasure Hunt for their food source – the She-Oak - helps show young people how hard it is to find the right food for the Cockatoos to eat.

By encouraging children to imagine the cockatoos flying around the hills and by making wings and masks and performing “the flight of the Glossy Black Cockatoo” we hope that we can raise awareness about these precious birds and the risks they face'.

Christine worked with and filmed hundreds of Mapleton Primary School children some weeks ago then dozens of children and parents in the park yesterday. Everyone made masks and wings then performed a little play flying down the hill and searching for the elusive she oak seeds. The whole performance was filmed by Christine.
...children making masks and wings with the help of locals, Lorraine and Jim...
...Christine demonstrating flying technique...
...Eric Anderson telling the story of the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoo, with Jim's painting in the background. Eric is part of the Glossy Black Cockatoo Conservancy Board and resident GBC expert. 
...this stand of she oaks was planted by Montville Primary school students 3 years ago to encourage the return of the endangered birds...
...'birds' flying down the hill and settling near the she oaks trying to find some seeds...

It was a great activity, entertaining and educating children [and parents] on holidays from various parts of Australia.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Kim's 'Celebrating Love and Unity'

Kim Schoeberger has been busy cutting, painting and preparing hundreds of leaves ready for her workshop and installation today titled 'Celebrating Love and Unity'.

The lagoon in Russell Family Park was once a watering hole for members of the indigenous Gubbi Gubbi people as they made their way to Baroon Pocket for their annual gathering. At these gatherings stories were told, tools and ornaments exchanged, conflicts resolved and marriages arranged.

Such gatherings speak of love and unity, and by trailing hand-written messages of love and family on a sea of heart shaped leaves, Kim celebrated how Russell Family Park is still a place for gathering and for families to spend time together.

She invited people to write messages of hope, peace, love and unity on the leaves, then they were floated in rubber tubes on the pond  in Montville. Kim interacted with at least 100 people and had hundreds of leaves arranged within 10 floating rings which looked very much like hot pink, black rimmed lily pads.

The installation created a sense of serenity and meditation as it drifted across the lagoon, creating differing designs and patterns as the wind took it in different directions.




Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Creatures of the Obi Obi

Local ceramic artist Cathy Lawley had the first of her Creative Spaces 2012 Creatures of the Obi Obi activity workshops with children at the local Maleny Library yesterday (24 September).

She had two groups of about 17 children for two two-hour workshops. So many children wanted to be in the workshops - Cathy and the Maleny Library staff had a waiting list  but in the end just could not accommodate everyone.

Cathy and the children at work
Creative Spaces 2012 has been strongly supported by the Sunshine Coast Council and the Maleny Library
These first workshops were to create clay water dragons or platypus. And you can see from the photos some amazing forms the children have created.








Cathy will fire these forms and the two groups will glaze them on Wednesday 26 September. Cathy will then raku fire them; and the children will photograph the finished products and install them in the display cabinets in the Library on Saturday 29 September.  What an extraordinary placemaking art achievement this is.

I will try to do updates after each stage. Photos of the children  used in this post were taken with parental consent.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Signs of Creative Spaces

The first of the six Creative Spaces 2012 placemaking activities is to take place in less than a week on the morning of Saturday 15 September in the grounds of the Old Witta School.

Kirsten Cash invites children and other community members to join her in a temporary placemaking activity called Creative Sparks - creating paper lanterns that will reflect and celebrate 'community and cooperation' that are at the heart of the community's use of the Old Witta School.

It is time to roll out the Creative Spaces 2012  signs to let visitors and the local community know what and where the activities are taking place.

Over the weekend the finishing touches were put to the Creative Spaces signs and story boards for each of the six activities.

©2012 Barry Smith - Six unique placemaking activities - six unique signs
©2012 Barry Smith - Every placemaking activity has a story
©2012 Barry Smith - Every placemaking activity has a story
Creative Spaces 2012 is an artist driven and executed event - so each of the six artists will be putting their unique signs and story boards out to showcase their activity. art4place has been fortunate to attract sponsorship from the Hinterland Business Centre and N-Carta Group for promotional material such as the the signs and story boards.

An international development company, Coffey International, has provided 4 metre high art4place flags to attract the public's attention to Creative Spaces activities.

©2012 Barry Smith - Flags - symbols of placemaking in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland
The flags are the symbol of the location of the six Creative Spaces activities across the Hinterland.