Volunteer Profile

Andrew Foy

How did you get involved with the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre? After retiring from full-time work, volunteering at the Cultural Centre is one way of “paying it back” to the community that’s supported me personally and professionally since I moved to the mountains. Here you are warmly welcomed to contribute to the broader creative community. Excellent coffee may also have had something to do with it.

Who are some of your favourite artists? After compulsorily “worthy” childhood Sunday visits to the AGNSW, then the high school art lessons on caricature, Impressionism and Expressionism… and years teaching and studying the industrial revolution and modern history I blame my teachers for my ”taste” in art. If the Nazis labelled it “degenerative”, if Kōjirō Matsukata (arms dealer businessman; alleged Japanese spy) amassed it into his vast collection, if it resides in former Soviet capitals’ collections of “Socialist art”, if it’s Art Deco, or if it’s in the annual “Behind the Lines” exhibition, you will find my favourite artworks.

Do you have your own arts practice? More occupational therapy than “art”, I suspect: black and white sketching, still using scratchy mapping pens. A collection of mainly black and white landscape, industrial and transport photos has been taking up space since I was handed my first box-Brownie camera. Digitising the best of way-too-many 35mm negatives turned into an ongoing Covid project.

Why would you encourage others to volunteer at the BMCC? Covid-safe peace is a placid morning surrounded by diverse artworks in the Gallery.

And did I mention the coffee?