TALENTED ARTISTS PUT THE FOCUS ON MAUGEAN SKATES

The art exhibition was a key to improving the recognisability of this elusive fish, as very few images of the species exist The strategy was to harness the skills of artists to create a range of artworks that would stimulate interest and conversations about this iconic micro-endemic species A total of 76 entries were submitted by artists from all over Tasmania and attracted the interest of a couple of mainlanders.

The competition launched on National Threatened Species Day and allowed the artists 100 days to create their works and submit them, just before Christmas

"RARE FISH IN THE SPOTLIGHT" WAS THE HEADLINE IN THE ADVOCATE ON 10/1/23 AND THE OPENING OF SKATE-BASED ART EXHIBITION SKATEX IN STRAHAN CERTAINLY RAISED THE PROFILE OF THE SPECIAL MAUGEAN SKATES OF MACQUARIE HARBOUR.

A panel of three local art-savvy judges, Troy Ruffels, Anne Morrison and Sally Sadler, kindly volunteered their time to appraise the diverse entries and select the exceptional works

The open category spanned the ages from 4 – 70+ years young and there was a huge variety of art mediums including paintings on canvas, pastel and pencil drawings, carved skates from Huon and King Billy Pine, sculpted skates from recycled metals, skates crafted from felt and vintage woollen blankets as well as skates made from driftwood, glass and pieces of marine debris A number of wearable skate art pieces included delicate jewellery ear rings and brooches made from silver and polymer clay.

The pre-opening anticipation increased with the NRM Facebook page running red hot in early January, with record numbers of people visiting the virtual exhibition and voting online in the People’s Choice awards A sweltering 32 degree day in Strahan didn’t deter exhibition-goers with more than 40 people attending the opening event on Saturday 14 January

The People’s Choice awards were hotly contested and true to form the people saw things very differently to the judges In the end it turned into a family affair with both local NW Coasters Linda and Paul Ledger, who both used recycled materials to create their skates, getting the nod They were both very excited to receive prizes that will see them travelling on the West Coast Wilderness Railway for the first time but wondered if rafting down the King River might be just a bit outside their comfort zone!

The exhibition was deliberately planned for the peak visitation to Strahan over the summer and by creating a Skate Art Trail displaying the works in twelve different venues across Strahan and Queenstown gave both locals and visitors the opportunity to see one of Tasmania’s rarest fish.

Congratulations to all the artists who received a commendation from the judges:

Josephine Lawrence, Darren Wakefield, Jennifer Pelham, Janet Fenton, Minnow Flora, Iona Flett and Etta MacFie.

Strahan Primary School students each created either a clay model (Kindies) or a poster, with a catchy skate tagline Judging from the sentiments expressed by many of the students, there is considerable concern for this species among the next generation of skate stewards. The support of school principal Emma Scicluna, and her staff was critical for the success of the project and the school hall was the only venue large enough in Strahan to accommodate all the pieces under one roof for the grand opening.

Well done to entrants from Strahan Primary School for their wonderful contributions and particular congratulations to the nine students who received judges' commendations. If you missed the exhibition you can still view the entries electronically online

An interview with Helen Shield ABC Radio Evening Show helped to ensure that the Maugean Skate becomes a household name. Listeners were also able to learn more about Maugean Skates from species expert Prof Jayson Semmens, one of the principal researchers from IMAS, in the following segment.

This project also partnered with PWS Tasmania and included educational activities conducted by Discovery Ranger Ella, which were well attended by both locals and visitors with 323 people attending 11 skate-based activities. The tactile, life-sized latex skates ‘Spike’ and ‘Katie’ were great conversation starters and they joined Ella on two cruises on Macquarie Harbour and also attended the popular local event, the Mt Lyell-Strahan Picnic Day at West Strahan Beach.

This three-dimensional approach is going to be utilised again, but this time in bronze, using the same moulds Sculptures are being cast of a male and female skate, some egg cases and a couple of crabs, which are one of the primary food sources of these skates The sculptures will be installed in Strahan and will be accompanied by an interpretative panel framed by a steel stencil in the shape of a skate’s egg case The effectiveness of using life-like sculptures that are designed to be touched by people has been proven in many settings elsewhere. They will enable people to connect with these denizens of the harbour and they will also add to the aesthetic value of the visitor precinct

The project has already hatched other important art-based initiatives with the West Coast Council getting local youth on board to work with some renowned street artists Denni and Greeley from the Tasmanian Hip-Hop collective to create a permanent piece of skate art appropriately located on the skate ramp on Strahan’s waterfront. CCNRM were able to contribute some paint to ensure that the vibrant mural could be completed in a day!

We are very grateful to all the artists who spent so much time, effort and imagination to create so many varied and interesting art works A special thanks to Jo and Peter Lawrence for joining The Advocate photoshoot at short notice We are also extremely grateful for the fantastic prizes that were kindly donated by local businesses: Gordon River Cruises, World Heritage Cruises, West Coast Wilderness Railway, Strahan Village, NRMA Resorts Tasmania, West Coast Council and King River Rafting. Thanks also to all the local businesses that have hosted pieces in the skate art trail over the summer