C U LT U R E
ARTICULATE
DUO MAGAZINE IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH PERC TUCKER REGIONAL GALLERY AND SHANE FITZGERALD, MANAGER GALLERY SERVICES, TOWNSVILLE CITY COUNCIL, IN A SERIES THAT DISCUSSES CURRENT TRENDS, MUSINGS AND INSIGHTS INTO CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTS.
01
02
03
04
05
06
01 Guest Lecture Series, Jo Lankaster with Annandale Christian College 02 Art-In-A-Suitcase with Cassandra Roberts at Mutarnee State School Term 3 2014 03 Art Escape School Holiday Program, Manga Madness 04 Troy Emery Into the Wild, Gallery Tour 2014 05 Guest Lecture Series, Troy Emery at Heatley Secondary College 06 Guest Lecture Series, Donna Foley with Kirwan State High School
GROWING TOGETHER IN THE ARTS TRANSCENDING THE TRADITIONAL understanding of the Gallery by imagining innovative and interactive learning experiences, expanding minds and developing intellectual and emotional acumen is all in a day’s work for the Education and Public Programs team at Townsville City Council’s Gallery Services. Bridging Pinnacles Gallery and Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, programs are offered to a range of stakeholders within the Townsville and greater region. During the 2013/2014 financial year, Gallery Services engaged 24,242 members of the Townsville community in art workshops targeted at young children, youth and adults. During this time 792 programs were delivered at the Galleries, in schools, on the strand and in shopping centres, which were specifically intended to expand the minds of the community through visual arts. Take a moment to reflect on that – our public galleries deliver an average of 2.1 public programs per day, every day of the week. These programs allow the community to engage with the visual arts both in a practical and experiential sense, providing the public with alternative creative experiences. Through the Galleries programs, members of the community can explore and expand on their current visual arts knowledge. Our After School Art program, for example, aligns with current
visual arts curriculum and encourages personal growth by placing an emphasis on exploration of the elements of art and the mediums to which they can be applied. Working alongside experienced and qualified practitioners, participants have the freedom to investigate unconventional art avenues. The popularity of the recent Art Escape school holiday program – Manga Madness (a Japanese illustration workshop) is just one example of the significant role arts education plays in the Townsville community and reinforces the need to provide varied artistic opportunities. One of the most significant developments in education for the Galleries has been the expansion of the Art-In-A-Suitcase program. Artworks from the City of Townsville Art Collection visited 34 of the 41 primary schools within the greater Townsville region during terms 3 and 4 of 2014. This program provides primary students the opportunity to view art works from local, national and international artists. A local artist is employed to teach the children about the artworks and provide a hands-on art activity that explores visual arts elements represented in the selected pieces. For many of these students, particularly those in the greater regions of Townsville, this may be their first opportunity to learn arts specific skills and interact with collection pieces first hand. This not only expands the minds of the
students, but it introduces teachers’ to new art practices which enable them to enhance their classrooms learning capacity. Gallery Services educational programs give students a varied art experience that enhances and furthers their mainstream visual arts education, encourage a lifelong love of art and inspires a future career in the creative industries. The Creative Classrooms initiative, Artist-In-Schools, affords Townsville regions high schools the opportunity to engage with local artists in intensive workshops. Northern Beaches State High School teacher, Christina Papadimitriou explains, “I have found the expertise provided by professional artists has been invaluable in inspiring and expanding the minds of my students. For the gallery to then allow students to exhibit their work in a professional setting is a fantastic opportunity and one that the students feel very proud of.” Gallery Services is constantly striving to expand resources, knowledge and educational opportunities available to the Townsville community. Block buster exhibitions such as last year’s Brick by Brick exhibition and the highly anticipated WOW, World of Wearable Art opening on 29 May 2015, present opportunities for both the Galleries and the community to connect, learn, explore and grow together in the arts.
DUO MAGAZINE MARCH 2015 duomagazine.com.au 109