Wednesday 8 February 2012

Celebrating diversity in Marrickville through visual arts and poetry



LATEST NEWS: 
 
Mayor opens Art Exhibition: Spirit Life in Marrickville

Fifty five art works from artists around the Marrickville area were exhibited on Friday and Saturday, August 24 &25 at Seaview Gallery Dulwich High, Seaview Street, Dulwich Hill.  Mayor of Marrickville,  Councillor Morris Hanna and Dr Rod Pattenden, Chair of the Blake Prize, opened the exhibition of visual art and poetry created by local residents of all ages. About 80 people gathered for the opening.
The exhibition was sponsored by The Marrickville Multifaith Roundtable and supported by Marrickville Council and the Blake Society’s Engage program.  The Marrickville Multifaith Roundtable is represented by local faith bodies from the Anglican, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Uniting traditions. The Roundtable aims to create a space for dialogue and understanding in faith and culture.
The artists range from primary and secondary school children to adults and commendations were awarded in each category. The project was designed to provoke dialogue within the community about mutual understanding, respect, acceptance, diversity, values, beliefs and social justice. The judges, Sueanne Wallis, (Blake Prize Board);  Stella Ford (Marrickville Council Community Development Officer) and James Yeo (Spirit Life In Marrickville Committee member), chose according to this criteria.
Three children from Year 2 at St Brigid’s Marrickville, Daniel Arriguetti, Benjamin Nguyen and Nikita Xenos, were awarded a commendation for their depiction of families, while other children’s works included Spirit trees by Mya Nguyen and Icon by Tuan Nguyen who also were awarded. Secondary students, Bree Sullivan (Beauty), Ariel Turgeman-Fabrizio (Green Planet) and Waqar Younas (Beliefs) received commendation in their section.
In the open section the commendations went to Deborah Ruiz Wall for her photography & poetry called The Spirit of Country about Aboriginal reconciliation; Anna Beresford for Multicultural Rosary and  Janey Kossy’s for Windows.  
Marrickville Council supports the Roundtable and the Arts Project.  The Blake Society, holder of the national art prize for religious/spiritual art, the Blake Prize, included this project as part of the Blake Society’s Engage program to foster local community conversation around values and spirituality. 

How To Retrieve Your Art Work: 
All artwork yet to be collected are available by arrangement at 109 Lennox Street Newtown between August 26 and September 1.  Please call 9557 3197 to arrange a time.
Download brochures at Marrckville Multifaith Roundtable Website

 
The Marrickville Multifaith Roundtable (MMR) Community Arts Project explores the variety of values, beliefs and spiritual life in the Marrickville Local Government Area. We invite people of all ages to do this through drawing, painting, photography, sculpture and poetry.  We invite all to participate in the conversation by visiting the exhibition.
The Community Arts Project will enable people of all faiths and value systems to express their hopes, concerns and interests through imagination and creativity.  The arts can inspire people from different perspectives to engage in a conversation that is both illuminating and provocative.
This arts project is sponsored by The Marrickville Multifaith Roundtable which is represented by faith groups from Anglican, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Uniting Church traditions. It is supported by Marrickville Council. We invite local residents, community groups, schools and artists to create art works that engage the wider community in a conversation to promote mutual understanding and respect. 
It is supported by Marrickville Council. We invite local residents, community groups, schools and artists to create art works that engage the wider community in a conversation to promote mutual understanding and respect. 
This project is part of the Blake Society’s Engage program to foster local community conversation around values and spirituality. The Blake Society conducts the national art prize for religious/spiritual art. See more about TheEngage Project
The Exhibition
A selection of the submitted works will be open for public viewing at the Seaview Gallery Dulwich High, Seaview Street, Dulwich Hill. Exhibition Opening: 6 – 8pm August 24 and general viewing 10am - 4pm on August 25, 2012.
Who Can Contribute:
All residents, schools, community groups, and others within the Marrickville local government area.
Criteria For Art Works:    
Art work will be judged on its potential to provoke dialogue within the community about mutual understanding, respect, acceptance, diversity, values, beliefs and social justice. 
Specifications For Art Works:
· Two Dimensional Media: Drawings, Paintings, Photography, wall based sculpture or embroidery, maximum A2 size (420 x 594 mm) either landscape or portrait format. Only pieces ready to be hung will be considered for the exhibition.
· Sculpture: That could sit on a surface dimension of 300mm x 300mm.
· Poetry: The length of the poem is determined by its presentation on a single A4 page.
While we intend to exhibit all the art works submitted, if there are more than the space allows, works that best meet the criteria will be given priority.  We hope all artwork submitted will be on show at the exhibition through electronic media.
Judging And Awards:
 Judges will be community members who will look for work that provokes community discussion according to the criteria, and that creatively use artistic means to express ideas.  Awards of commendation will be made based on the criteria above in age categories.  There will be awards in the following categories:  Primary school; Secondary school and open section.  Three contributors in each age group will receive a special commendation by the judges.  The primary and secondary school sections will receive a book voucher, while in the open section, they will be invited to share a meal with Dr Rod Pattenden, chair of the Blake Prize (date TBA). 
Where And When To Submit:
Works may be submitted at St Brigid’s Catholic Church Parish Office, 392 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville during office hours (weekdays 10am – 4pm), Tel: 8577 5670  or 109 Lennox Street Newtown by appointment.  All entries must be received by July 25.  Further information on submitting works - please email mmrcommunityarts@gmail.com or call Peter on 9557 3197 or Steve on 0400 530 405.  


Art Work Submission Form
(to accompany the artwork).

Name
Section:
Primary        Secondary          Open
Address

Email:
Phone:
Title and Description of Art Work (10 words maximum)





I agree to this work being exhibited publically on August 24 and 25, 2012 at Seaview Gallery, Dulwich Hill.  I understand the details above re the MMR Community Arts Project.


Signed:




Enquiries And Further Information:   mmrcommunityarts@gmail.com

or  call Peter on 9557 3197  or Steve on 0400 530 405.  

Website: mmrarts.blogspot.com.au