Arts Update - July 2012

July 2012

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Arts Queensland’s bi-monthly update of arts and culture

Welcome to the July edition of arts update. In this month’s edition we take a look at the CIAF Symposium, Queensland photography, Queensland Music Festival, GoMA’s latest blockbuster, 2012 Queensland Smart State Design Awards and black&write.

State’s great songwriters battle it out in Grant McLennan’s memory A talented line-up of musicians are in the running for Queensland’s major songwriting prize, the $25 000 Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship.

The finalists for 2012 are Brisbane-based Kellie Lloyd and Edward Guglielmino, Laneway (Louise O’Reilly and Paul Hannan) from the Gold Coast, and Sue Ray from Toowoomba.

The winner will be named at Bands of Your Town, a special concert on 3 August at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts.

Tickets to Bands of Your Town are $20. For further information or to book tickets visit http://www.judithwrightcentre.com/ Image: 2011 Fellowship winner Scott Spark.

Two class acts to speak at CIAF Symposium The countdown is on to this year’s Cairn Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) and the good news about this year’s event just keeps coming! The latest big news is the CIAF Symposium will feature two of Australia’s leading Indigenous actors Jimi Bani and Aaron Fa’Aoso.

CIAF Artistic Director Avril Quaill said the addition of these two actors will bring a star factor to this year’s Symposium, with the actors joining Destiny Deacon, Shirley Macnamara and Michael Reid at the annual event that is part of the CIAF (17-19 August).

“Hot on the heels from the success of the ABC-TV telemovie Mabo, Jimi Bani will participate in the symposium in a Q&A format.

Audiences will be able to ask him questions about his career and hear his views on the Indigenous film industry,” said Ms Quaill.

“Jimi Bani is a Torres Strait Islander actor who recently rose to stardom for his highly acclaimed portrayal as Indigenous land right activist Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo.

“Also joining Jimi in the Q&A is fellow The Straits actor and the show’s creator, Aaron Fa’Aoso.

“Aaron has been gracing Australian television screens since 2004 where he starred alongside Jimi in RAN, a role

which lead to a nomination for an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Drama and a LOGIE Award nomination for Most Outstanding New Talent.

“Aaron received multiple accolades for his roles in City Homicide, Sea Patrol the highly acclaimed SBS series East West 101.”

The theme for this year’s CIAF Symposium is: Where does the vision to innovate come from?

What is the current state and future direction of the contemporary arts market?

The symposium will be held across two morning sessions, allowing for a wide audience from within the arts industry and a variety of interest groups.

CIAF Symposium: 17-18 August Where: Centre of Contemporary Arts Cairns Tickets: $25/$15 concession, per day and can be purchased via www.ticketlink.com.au Tickets are on sale for the Opening Party of CIAF, featuring The Briscoe Sisters and the Torres Strait Islands Choir, Lockhart River Dancers and King Kadu.

Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketlink.com.au

Left: Aaron Fa’Aoso. Right: Jimi Bani

A slice of Germany in outback Queensland Queensland art photographer Joachim Froese and the Flying Arts team have collaborated to develop a state-wide touring exhibition featuring important works from the artist’s 10-year survey exhibition Still Life: Joachim Froese Photographs 1999-2008. The exhibition brings together a selection of exceptional photographs from this internationally recognised artist.

The tour will hit regional and remote galleries across the state, travelling to venues including Texas Regional Gallery, Mt Isa Civic Centre and back again to the SE corner at Hervey Bay Regional Art Gallery. The exhibition will be at seven venues, offering gallery visitors across the length and breadth of the state a unique opportunity to view the artist’s distinct approach to storytelling, through still life photography.

Hot on the heels of the touring exhibition will be a series of photography workshops delivered

by Joachim.

Joachim is an experienced lecturer and tutor and has already presented a number of workshops in pin hole, action and landscape photography and dark room techniques throughout the state.

He has travelled from Normanton to the Gold Coast, out to St Lawrence and Emerald.

Joachim was born in Montreal, Canada, to German parents. He then spent his youth growing up in a divided Germany, on the cusp of reuniting. In the 90s, Joachim immigrated to Australia and undertook his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania. Eventually, Joachim and his young family made the move to Queensland to undertake his masters at the Queensland College of Art ... and we are so glad he did. He now divides his time between Brisbane and Berlin, Germany. http://www.flyingarts.org.au

Photo: Joachim Froese.

The Yarrabah Brass Band to make music once again Queensland Music Festival Artistic Director James Morrison is partnering with local musicians in Yarrabah in Far North Queensland to kick-start a revival of the Yarrabah Brass Band After a visit earlier this year, James discovered that the rich history of Indigenous brass bands in Far North Queensland is something few people know about.

“The Yarrabah brass band originally formed in 1901 and lasted many decades, only to disappear in the 1970s,” he said.

The Queensland Music Festival will work with Gindaja Treatment and Healing Indigenous Corporation to create a music program for the Yarrabah community.

James Morrison will be hands-on with the Yarrabah Brass Band

project and is very keen to give local participants the chance to work with professional musicians.

“We are visiting Yarrabah at the end of July to do our first community workshop and to plan the next phases of engagement,” he said.

“I will be joined by my brother John Morrison, who apart from being a superb musician, shares my passion for music education.”

James said that remote communities like Yarrabah have missed out on orchestral music and access to formal instrumental

programs and the Yarrabah Brass Band project will work to address this.

“The exciting news here is that Yarrabah will once again be making music. Anyone with a passion for music can get involved, including local rock and folk bands who are interested,” he said.

“The Yarrabah Brass Band project is one of several Queensland Music Festival initiatives with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Cape York and the Torres Strait Islands.”

For James, these projects exemplify Queensland Music Festival’s vision to transform lives through unforgettable musical experiences.

“Seeing the impact of music programs, that many of us in urban areas take for granted, on these communities is incredibly rewarding.”

Queensland Music Festival has worked closely with Yarrabah

in two previous projects: a hugely popular workshop and performance by the Queensland Youth Orchestra as part of QMF 2011, followed by a film composition workshop in 2012.

“The Queensland Music Festival as an organisation works hard throughout the year to ensure our many partner communities continue to experience an enriching musical journey,” James said.

The Queensland Music Festival presents the best of local, national and international talent performing every conceivable style of music to Queenslanders from all walks of life, in Brisbane, and in regional and remote centres from Thursday Island to the Gold Coast.

The next Queensland Music Festival will take place in 2013.

Photo: James Morrison launching the Yarrabah Band Project with local school children - Arts Update July 2012

A taste of Spain comes to Queensland The much-anticipated Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces from the Prado at the Queensland Art Gallery will be a feast of more than art.

Spanish history, contemporary design, food and culture will be offered to exhibition ticket holders in the La Sala Del Prado.

The first exhibition from Madrid’s prestigious Museo Nacional de Prado to visit Australia, it is exclusive to Queensland and is expected to be a major cultural tourism extravaganza.

Visitors will also be able to create a ‘Prado Portrait’ of themselves, while regular guitar sessions – from classical to flamenco – will be a daily feature of the La Sala Del Prado.

Visitors will be dazzled by more than 100 artworks from a period spanning almost 400 years beginning in the 16th century. The masterpieces of Spanish greats including El Greco, Velaquez and Goya will be on show, along with paintings by artists from elsewhere who worked in Spain during the period covered – Titian, Peter Paul Rubens and others.

Throughout the exhibition, which runs until 4 November, visitors can book into themed exhibition tours, a Spanish art, culture and history series, a Sundays in Spain series, Tapas ticket packages, Prado by Night, Prado Up Late and a retrospective of films by Pedro Almodovar.

The exhibition will be complemented by a dazzling range of experiences that relate to its themes and artists.

Image: Alonso Sánchez Coello and workshop /The infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia and Magdalena Ruiz (La infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia y Magdalena Ruiz) c.1585– / Collection: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid / © Photographic Archive, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.

2012 Queensland Smart Design Awards winners announced Internationally-renowned Brisbane architect Shane Thompson was awarded the $40 000 2012 Queensland Smart Design Fellowship, presented at The Edge, State Library of Queensland, on 28 June.

Landscape architect Amy Saunders was also a winner, awarded by the $10 000 Emerging Design Leader Award.

The 2012 Queensland Smart Design Awards also marked the launch of Design Minds (www. designminds.org.au), a central online location for design education resources, developed along with State Library of Queensland’s Asia Pacific Design Library’s Design Online website and promoted through Education Queensland’s The Learning Place.

Shane Thompson’s contribution to Queensland’s design culture, as an advocate, teacher, mentor and architect, throughout a career spanning 30 years won over the judging panel.

His projects include the Athletes Village at the Olympic Games in London and over the years he has won more than 100 awards.

A director and principal of BVN Architecture from 1987 to 2011, he recently established Shane Thompson Architects. He is also an

Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland and President of Australian Institute Architect’s Queensland Chapter.

“Shane has championed design principals and been a leader in designing buildings to suit Queensland’s unique subtropical climate,” said Stephanie Pemberton, Chair of the judging panel and program director of the Australian International Design Awards.

Amy Saunders represents the new breed of Queensland designer. A public space designer at ecological design firm Yurrah, she is also a design tutor at Queensland University of Technology, and volunteers with the sustainability and community-focused [co]design studio.

In 2010, Amy launched Vibrant Places with the project Games Night @ King George Square, now a regular monthly event sponsored by the Brisbane City Council.

The 2012 Queensland Smart Design Awards were supported by ABC Radio National, Architecture Media and the Indesign Group.

For more information on the design awards go to www.arts.qld.gov.au and www.queenslandersign.com Image: Shane Thompson.

Photo: Elleni Toumpas

State Library’s writing prize adds to Indigenous literature The publishing dreams of three Indigenous Queenslanders will be realised through black&write!

Indigenous Writing and Editing program, an initiative from the State Library now in its second year.

“My long term goal is to become a successful illustrator and theatre designer. In the short term, I would love to attend the School of Illustration at The Academy of Arts University in San Francisco,” said Tori-Jay.

Teagan Chilcott, an Aboriginal author from Redcliffe, won with her entry Rise of the Fallen, the first in a planned series of dark fantasy novels based in South East Queensland.

Each of the two fellowship prizes is worth $10,000, and includes a publishing deal with leading Australian Indigenous publishing house, Magabala Books.

“I’ve enjoyed reading and writing stories since I was a little girl,” said Teagan.

“When I was seven I wrote a short story and I remember instantly knowing that I wanted to be a writer.”

Like Teagan, Brisbane-based Jillian is also a first-time writer, having penned Bakir and Bi after a writing workshop at State Library last year.

She shares the fellowship with her 17-year-old niece Tori-Jay Mordey, from Hervey Bay, who illustrated the children’s picture book.

Jillian said her win showed how anything was possible if you put your mind to it. “It’s never too late to go after your dreams and aspirations,” she said.

Tori-Jay wants to continue working with her Aunty Jillian as she writes more stories.

Based in Broome WA, Magabala Books is Australia’s oldest independent Indigenous publishing house, and its aims of supporting, developing and promoting Indigenous culture align closely with those of the State Library and black&write!

The books published through black&write! are making an impact on the imbalance of the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait authored novels produced in Australia.

The prizes were chosen following a national competition for published or non-published Indigenous authors in a range of genres. black&write! is supported by Arts Queensland and Copyright Agency Limited’s Cultural Fund.

Image: Bakir and Bi team: author Jillian Boyd, editor Linda McBride-Yuke, and illustrator Tory-Jay Mordey.

Arts Queensland Media Releases Regional arts funding brings arts to all Queenslanders

New home for the training of indigenous performing artists

Arts Minister Ros Bates has announced more than $2 million in funding for Regional Arts Development in Queensland.

Arts Minister Ros Bates has joined students from the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) for a brief tour of their new home at Brisbane’s Kangaroo Point.

Ms Bates said the Regional Arts Development Fund supports more than 3000 arts and cultural projects each year in communities across the state. Read more http://bit.ly/QXM9HE

Acting Director Announced for Queensland Art Gallery Arts Minister Ros Bates today announced Ms Suhanya Raffel as the acting Director of the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art. “Suhanya Raffel is well qualified to lead the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art following the departure of Tony Ellwood,” Ms Bates said. Read more http://bit.ly/MVM6rp

Hamburg Philharmonic goes live to regional Queensland Queenslanders in regional areas will be able to see and listen to one of Europe’s great orchestras next month – for free.

As part of The Hamburg Season at QPAC, The Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra is to play to audiences in six regional centres across the State via a live simulcast on Friday 24 August. Read more http://bit.ly/QXLRjN

“ACPA is the only organisation in Australia offering performing arts training across all genres - music, voice, dance and drama to young Indigenous people,” Ms Bates said. Read more http://bit.ly/MeJM2p

Mummy extended due to popular demand The Queensland Museum will extend its blockbuster exhibition Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb until 21 October following record tickets sales and sell-out weekend crowds.

Nearly 100,000 tickets have been sold for the Mummy exhibition since it opened in April – the highest number of tickets for any touring show in the history of the Museum.Read more http://bit.ly/Laingt

New Screen Queensland Board announced Arts Minister Ros Bates today announced new appointments to the Board of Screen Queensland.

Ms Bates said the new look team will bring much needed industry management skills to the enterprise. Read more http://bit.ly/OnirpC

Arts Minister on location for the Railway Man Arts Minister Ros Bates will today join the cast and crew of international film The Railway Man filming on location in the Numinbah Valley.

Ms Bates said the project will boost tourism, one of the four pillars of the economy, as well as employment. Read more http://bit.ly/N8qPMX