A grassroots art exhibition that used the Silver City as a backdrop was hailed an “enormous success” by organisers at an awards presentation yesterday at Bushy White’s Mineral Art Gallery.
Thirty-three entries vied for two major prizes in the categories of ‘Natural’ and ‘Unnatural’ in the 2017 desert Equinox Earth Prelude.
The Unnatural winner was photographer Letisha Jane who captured a mining scene to represent the correlation between the natural and unnatural.
The full-time law and criminology student who also works full-time at Doyle Kingston an Swift solicitors, entered three other works, all of which were located at Art on Argent Gallery at 311 Argent Street.
The Natural winner was an artist who goes by the name of ‘Asma’. Her work ‘The Mountains are moving like clouds’ was made from paper and light and was “a small meditation upon the nature of light and material”.
Asma is a mixed media artist, who focuses on metaphysics, printmaking, landscape and language, and her artwork was displayed at her personal studio at 329 Oxide Street.
Broken Hill Art Exchange artistic director Susan Thomas said she was thrilled with the outcome of the prelude, which was “bigger and better” than those before it
It was absolutely brilliant,” she said after yesterday’s awards ceremony which attracted about 60 people. “It was a wonderful chance to thank all of the artists of Broken Hill,” she said “They are always contributing so much to the creative industry.” The format of the exhibition proved popular with tourists who poured into the city during the school holidays.
“It was really gratifying to see so many people walking around with maps in their hands, and dropping by and doing the treasure hunt to find all the artworks in the shops that were supporting the event,” she said.
“A lot of feedback II got from the tourists was that they thought it was a really fabulous way to explore the city.”
BH Art Exchange President Gary Cook said the “preludes” represented the “grassroots” of art in Broken Hill and the exchange had a big idea about where they would lead. “We are trying to develop momentum with all these preludes,” he said.
The idea is to actually get a full blown Biennale of Art going in Broken Hill, so that’s a major event which we hope will not only be local and national, but also international.”
Artist 'Asma' (left) and Letisha Jane are all smiles after winning prizes in the 2017 Desert Equinox Earth Prelude yesterday afternoon.
Picture: Michael Murphy
The art exchange is already preparing for the next prelude, and exhibition with a water theme.
Artists and businesses interested in hosting artworks can go to www.brokenhillartexchange.org.au or phone 80883171
Youngsters interested in chalking the world’s next masterpiece can add a new dimension to their artistic talents through a scholarship offered by The Broken Hill Art-Exchange.
The iStreet Young People’s Art Scholarship is part of the exchange’s contribution to the Broken Hill Fringe Festival, and it is open to people aged 10 to 15 years.
Six budding artists will be accepted into the program, a series of Sunday workshops headed by TAFE counsellor and artist Gary Cook, who has been experimenting with the third dimension.
“I have been interested in 3D for many, many years,” said Gary, adding that “stero views” from the 19th century had caught his eye. “But I also discovered these glasses at an art exhibition at a little gallery on Gold Coast,” he said.
“You Put them and look at a 2D painting and suddenly they turn into 3D … it’s a separation of colours where some go forward and some go back.”
The Duff Street art group has dabbled with chalk on at least two other occasions, most recently in Patton Street over the Christmas Holiday break.
“We found that when you do the chalk on the footpath you put your glasses on, it suddenly pops up off the footpath,” Gary said.
“Now we are thinking OK people walk all over our footpath art, so we are actually going to do it on a board. “So it will be fairly pristine, and it will jump out from the wall.”
The four workshops will begin on Sunday, August 7, and end with an exhibition of the final work on Sunday, August 28, just after the opening of the Fringe Festival.
Art lovers will be given special glasses to view the giant blackboard art. Do you want to take part? Call the Broken Hill Art Exchange on 80883171 or go to the website brokenhillartexchange.org.au anf fill out the form.
Applications close Wednesday, August 3.