Tooled Catalogue 2022

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This catalogue is a collaborative project from ENVIROPAIRS - a creative partnership lasting 22 years between artists Bernadette Boscacci of Townsville (sculptor & wordsmith, among many other talents) & Robyn Veneer Sweeney of Batlow (b: ATELIER, sculptor, painter, curator etc).

The intention of the partnership is to develop works that present environmental, ecological and socio-political commentaries.

Operating costs funded by: Robyn Sweeney’s Aged Pension Þ Thanks goes to our Department of Human Services for allowing me to subsidise our cultural life without recognition of what volunteers and artists do for local communities Þ No thanks to those who decide to keep social security recipients below the poverty line.

Bernadette Boscacci’s Independent earnings Þ Grateful for my IT, computer and digital design skills gained over time (from applied activity and practice) and skills shared by fellow collaborators, mostly through the Golden Bee Collective, Black Ink Press and JCU Library Þ Thanks to my dogs and partner who put up with my long hours on the computer and in the studio when I could be paying them more attention and patting them at night.

Acknowledging: Þ The generous owners of this beautiful building for providing b: ATELIER with a rent free space. Þ Snowy Valley’s Sculpture Trail for the new life and hope they are bringing to the Snowy Valleys. Þ The many social security recipients who have contributed to the SVST project as volunteers

We acknowledge and thank the Wiradjuri Nation as the traditional custodians of the lands on which b: ATELIER stands and on which we live. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Always was always will be.

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INTRODUCTION This exhibition has become a reflection of a current trend which sees many contemporary exhibitions focussing on female artists. For the very first time, women artists have overwhelmingly dominated the Venice Biennale and have a strong presence in the Sydney Biennale, currently showing at several Sydney venues.

‘TOOLED’ includes 3 internationally known female artists who might have been ideal candidates for the recent series of NGA’s ‘Know My Name’ exhibitions.

With apologies to the solo male exhibitor Scott Howie, who has a proven track record of supporting women artists in his role as an arts administrator, I am claiming this exhibition as Batlow’s version of ‘Know My Name’. A contribution to addressing the gender imbalance that has existed in the artworld for centuries.

This in no way dismisses the work of important male artists who have dominated our cultural landscape.

‘TOOLED’ is a celebration of 3-dimensional works made of varying materials. From delicate paper to heavy stone or metal, the 3-dimensional object is often overlooked. An object that can sit on a table, or placed on a floor. Some can be wall mounted like a painting, throwing shadows to show their 3 dimensionality.

Others are large and sturdy enough to sit in the landscape.

Sculptors are highly skilled and wonderful problem solvers, relying on their innovation and imagination to bring their ideas to life. The sculptures usually start off as sketches and drawings, presenting puzzles to the artists who then must bring the structures into being.

Robyn Veneer Sweeney (Curator & Artist)

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MAY BARRIE 1918-2014

May Barrie was believed to have been Australia's oldest practising sculptor.

During the 1950s she studied under some of the most influential figures working at the height of the Australian Modernist period, including William Dobell, Edmund Harvey and, most influentially, her sculpture lecturer Lyndon Dadswell.

When she won Sculpture by the Sea's top award in Sydney in 2009, her daughter Tori de Mestre explained that she still worked for three or four hours most days.

"Doing the sculpture is her reason for getting up in the morning."

The artwork's then 91-year-old creator admitted the giant piece had been "bloody hard work ... but still, because you want to do it, it doesn't matter".

The winning work, Time and Tide (pictured), is now located at Lady Macquarie’s Chair, Sydney NSW.

B: ATELIER is proud to have access to 2 rare examples of May’s small works available for purchase.

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MAY BARRIE

ARTWORKS FOR SALE

‘Column’ Epidote 2 pieces approx. 40cm H $7,000.00

Ángaston Gold Rising Marble Approx 35x30x25 $4,000.00

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BERNADETTE BOSCACCI

Cartography of the Heart, 2019.

Private collection, Canberra.

Bernadette Boscacci (b.1969) is an Australian artist based in Townsville, north Queensland. She works across multiple media, including drawing, sculpture, printmaking, painting, public art, literature and design. In her sculptural works she prefers to use found and recycled materials Her approach is typically interdisciplinary - interweaving her studio-based practice with project work in the professional and community arts industries, including arts in allied health, the education industry, environmental and community cultural development projects and other arts focussed initiatives.

Bernadette started exhibiting in 1987 and commenced work in the Arts Industry in 1988 before breaking to undertake formal art studies at National Art School, Sydney. From there she went on to work with and train under senior Aboriginal artists in the Gulf of Carpentaria and western Cape York. She later studied at James Cook University in Townsville, focussing on the Arts, Literature and Sociology.

Her work has been exhibited within Australia, (Queensland, NSW, Victoria) and internationally (Sweden and the United Kingdom).

The works included in this exhibition are from the exhibition series’ Bread & Circuses (2017) and Travelling by String (2019). Both of which are continuing lines of enquiry for the artist.

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BERNADETTE BOSCACCI

ARTWORKS FOR SALE

H-bomb—doughboy Mixed media 26 x 38 x 19 cm $220.00

Widow’s basket Mixed media 15 x 12 x 5 cm $220.00

Coal Flower Mixed media 11 x 10 x 17 cm $100.00

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BERNADETTE BOSCACCI

Headland hollow 1 - Brahminy tree & Headland hollow 2— granite and agave, 2000-2019 Recycled lino print blocks, suede and leather 15 x 5 x 5 cm $80.00 each

Chariot and beast (detail) 2019 Mixed media 23 x 48 x 30 cm $320

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TORI DE MESTRE

Bronze from Farmgate Series 2015 – ongoing Tori grew up on ‘Callemondah’ with her mother, the artist May Barrie.

She studied art at the NAS (National Art School) and later earning a Masters in Creative Arts at University of Wollongong . In between, Tori was selected for a major international exhibition in Switzerland and was awarded an Australia Council Grant to do a study tour travelling through the UK, USA and Europe.

Tori returned to the family farm where she set up a studio and continued her arts practice, showing locally, nationally and internationally. She runs workshops, Community Arts Projects and continues to keep ‘Callemondah’ operating as an arts hub and stone carving facility for a number of artists located on the south coast and further afield.

‘Callemondah’ also has a gallery which can be visited by appointment.

Please refer to accompanying documentation for full details of Tori’s many achievements . The accompanying catalogues are few in number and b:ATELIER would like you to return the catalogues after reading.

Learn More about Çallemondah Studios

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TORI DE MESTRE

ARTWORKS FOR SALE

Small Change Pulped recycled bank statements 400cm variable $2000.00

Gallery view (left); Detail (above)

Lineage Flints from May Barrie’s ‘Time & Tide’ granite monolith— winner of the Balnave Sculpture by the Sea Prize 2009 $50 for 3 pieces. (A posthumous collaborative work between mother and daughter)

Cavalier Mixed media 30 x 30 x 5 cm $200 Equis Mixed media 10 x 50 cm $150

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APRIL GLASER-HINDER

Stuhl 1992 Polished aluminium, approx 60cm cube

The niece of Frank and Margel Hinder, Glaser-Hinder (born 1928) began her studies at East Sydney Technical College (now the National Art School) as a mature-age student in her forties before taking courses in panel beating and spray painting at night school in Ultimo, where she was the first female artist in the workshop. Her earliest sculpture, Yellow (1970), portrays the deft weightlessness that defines her abstract geometric constructions.

Glaser-Hinder’s sculptures evoke the dualities and rhythmic patterns found in nature, synthesised to their simplest form.

Although sculpture is the medium through which Glaser-Hinder identifies herself as an artist, the expanse of her discerning eye is all-encompassing, including videography, photography, painting and poetry. Her film Ice and Water (c. 1995–99) provides a glimpse into the way the artist views the world as it documents rushing water pushing against and penetrating melting sheets of ice. She captures the moment that frozen German rivers begin to thaw with the coming of spring.

‘One does nothing alone’ showcases the formalist sculptures of April Glaser-Hinder in a close collaboration between Glaser-Hinder and Wagga Wagga Art Gallery Curator Andrew Halyday, who have known one another for more than 20 years. Highlighting key moments in the artist’s five-decade career in Australia and Europe, the show encourages us to contemplate her meditative harmonisations of space, line and curve as she intuitively explores tangents to their fullest capacity.

Rebecca Blake, Wagga Wagga The meandering line in April Glaser-Hinder’s ‘One does nothing alone’ Art Monthly Australasia. Issue 331 Autumn 2022

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APRIL GLASER-HINDER

WORKS ON EXHIBITION

Stool with book - Waiting for you in sun yellow On loan from owner

Waiting for you in sun yellow On loan from owner

Hammer On loan from owner

Swage On loan from owner

Untitled (Reverse of Swage) On loan from owner

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APRIL GLASER-HINDER

WORKS ON EXHIBITION

Untitled (Reverse of Hammer) On loan from owner

Corner of a room—with object On loan from owner

Series 4 The Ribbon Series 1975—1978 On loan from owner

Series 18 Steel Objects The Hanger 1989—1990 On loan from owner

April Glaser-Hinder won the Medal of the 1998 XIII Biennale Internazionale Dantesca for small bronze sculptures.

Her expansive practice cannot be covered in this small catalogue. We have several publications which you may peruse but please do not remove them from the gallery.

If you are interested, we may be able to track down further copies on request.

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LOUISE GLUT

Maw (detail), 2022 Palm Inflorescence.

Louise Freckelton lives at Highfield Farm and Woodland - a small scale ecological farm and a conservation area protecting critically endangered habitat. Highfield Farm and Woodland was burnt during the Black Summer Fires While textiles have always been a focus for my creative endeavours, my weaving practice started not long after moving to Highfield after attending workshops run by or in conjunction with Wiradjuri women artists who generously shared their knowledge.

I mostly work with materials found in our garden - jonquil, iris, gladioli, or in our farmland - carex, juncus, lomandra, grasses. However following the Black Summer Fires I sought materials elsewhere that would otherwise be regarded as garden waste as I didn't want to impede the recovery of our property by collecting my usual materials.

All three pieces reflect the emotions felt following the Black Summer Fires. Þ Maw represents the open-mouthed horror of fire and climate change Þ Void represents the powerlessness one feels in the midst of disaster and the hollowness of the exhaustion that follows disaster Ache represents both the gradual repair of the country and also the gradual recovery of our capacity to function.

But Ache also acknowledges that disaster always leaves aching longing for the past and that healing is never complete

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LOUISE GLUT

ARTWORKS FOR SALE

Maw 2, 2022 Palm Inflorescence Approx. 80 x 45cm $260 for trio

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SCOTT HOWIE

Scott Howie in performance Claimant Scott has been making significant contributions to the cultural landscape of regional NSW for over 20 years as an arts manager, artist, educator and advocate.

From his home on Wiradjuri Country (Wagga Wagga) Scott is currently the general manager of Regional Arts Australia.

Previously led Eastern Riverina Arts as the Executive Director and later Creative Producer for ten years, producing many significant and impactful community-based projects. He has a deep and diverse understanding of the arts sector in regional Australia.

Over the course of his career he has maintained an individual practice as a performance maker and exhibiting visual artist, lectured in the creative industries, established an independent theatre company, managed a performing arts centre, and sat on boards of artist run initiatives and established arts organisations

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SCOTT HOWIE

ARTWORK

ashes 2019/ 2020, wood, rubber, NFS

“Going to be a great summer of cricket, and for our firefighters and fire-impacted communities, I’m sure our boys will give them something to cheer for.” - ScoMo ashes (2019/20) was originally exhibited at Western Plains Cultural Centre Dubbo between 4 December 2021 and 6 February 2022 as part of Scott Howie’s how good is unaustralia.

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MELISSA MONTGOMERY

Seed pods split open with new possibilities when they are ripe and ready. This sculpture honours that natural process we observe in life.

Pod is as much as a tribute to the region’s resilience and regeneration following the bushfires of 2020, as it is to the strength and courage of one’s personal journey of moving through adversity to a state of post-traumatic growth with new possibilities to explore.

I would like to thank Ms Robyn Sweeney for her invaluable contribution and assistance with this project and more broadly speaking, the “art pod” she has created and nurtured for the benefit of Batlow and her wider community.

Melissa Montgomery 2022

Melissa has been exploring her creativity as a road to healing through a traumatic car accident. She has exhibited at galleries in ACT and this is her first foray into the world of 3D. I would also like to thank Melissa for her time spent at b: ATELIER as a volunteer assistant in putting this exhibition together. RvS

Pod 2022 Paper, string, timber 120 x 50 x 25 cm $200.00

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MISHA SWEENEY

(l-r): Winter night, 2021, Multi block linoprint;

Kosciuzko night sky, 2021, Multi-layer monoprint

Misha Sweeney is a school student who has been exploring printmaking as a post fire recovery project.

Her output is prolific and very popular with her audience. She has exhibited in numerous exhibitions and strives to make each of her prints a one off. She uses a craft press and has a permanent studio space at b: ATELIER. Parallel with printmaking, Misha has dabbled with the 3D form through clay and paper folding.

'The commerce of War 2021 Collage mounted on timber Dimensions variable

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MISHA SWEENEY

ARTWORKS FOR SALE

Floating forms 2021 Engineering paper ….170 x 30 x 30cm $200.00

Assorted monoprints

$60.00

and linoprints

$50.00

for sale in studio area

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ROBYN VENEER SWEENEY

Containment lines 2021 Arbour Festival Pilot Hill Arboretum

Robyn is a practicing artist and the Curator/Operator of b: ATELIER Studio Gallery, Batlow, an ARI and post bushfire recovery project. She a member of the Community Advisory Committee for the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail since 2020.

Robyn’s qualifications include a BCA from Wollongong University, NSW – Sculpture Major (1989), and a Cert IV in Community Arts, Arts QLD 2004. Robyn is also a master paint finish artist, gilder, conservator, cook, Community Arts teacher.

Since 1990 she has worked in Community Arts & Cultural Development projects across north Queensland and New South Wales and has exhibited within Australia, (Queensland, NSW, Victoria & Tasmania) and internationally, (Sweden and the United Kingdom).

2005 Robyn was judge for Strand Ephemera & co-presenter of Art Alfresco Forum, along with Stephen Naylor & Julie Gough.

Publications https://issuu.com/percpin/docs/tree_publication_final Boscacci, B & Sweeney, R. Last supper – Remnants of Bounty: book of poems & essays, Wordmill Publishing, NQ. 2002.

Eyeline, Buried Light – Review, Silver, A., No.74 p.91; Artgaze, Finding Buried Light, No.13, Autumn 2011, p.11.

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ROBYN VENEER SWEENEY

ARTWORKS FOR SALE

Prefabricated landscape device 2021 MDF, timber, paint 120 x 90 x 5 cm ….$600.00

Autumn Avenue 2009 -2022 Concrete, timber, paint 45 x 50 x 20 cm $500.00

Golden joinery 2021 Wood, wire, glue, gold leaf (2 pieces) 15cm variable $120.00

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b-atelier Studio Gallery 14 Pioneer St Batlow NSW 2730 Contact Robyn Veneer Sweeney https://www.b-atelier.net email: b.atelier1416@gmail.com PH 0448477661

Words and images: Courtesy of the artists Layout and Design: enviropairs 2022 Additional links: https://www.callemondahstudios.org/ https://waggaartgallery.com.au/whats-on/current-exhibitions/april-glaser-hinder https://www.daao.org.au/bio/may-barrie/biography/ https://www.facebook.com/enviropairs/ https://bernadetteboscacci.com/ http://howie.space/

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