2017 Strand Ephemera Exhibition Summary

Publisher Galleries

Galleries, Townsville City Council

PO Box 1268

Townsville Queensland, 4810 Australia

ptrg@townsville.qld.gov.au

©Galleries, Townsville City Council and the authors 2017

28 July - 6 August 2017

Organised by Gallery Services

Judith Jensen Acting Team Manager Galleries and Libraries

Erwin Cruz Exhibitions and Collection Coordinator

Louise Cummins Education and Programs Coordinator

Rob Donaldson Digital Media and Exhibition Design Coordinator

Carly Sheil Digital Media and Exhibition Design Officer

Samuel Smith Digital Media and Exhibition Design Fellow

Sarah Monts Public Art Officer

Leonardo Valero Exhibitions Officer

Jacquelina Jakovljevic Exhibitions Officer

Sarah Reddington Education and Programs Officer

Nicole Richardson Education and Programs Assistant

Wendy Bainbridge Administration Officer

Danielle Berry Arts Officer

Jo Lankester Gallery Assistant

Madisyn Zabel Gallery Assistant

Chloe Lindo Gallery Assistant

Jake Pullyn Gallery Assistant

Contact

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery Cnr. Flinders and Denham Streets Townsville QLD 4810

Mon - Fri: 10am - 5pm Sat - Sun: 10am - 2pm

Pinnacles Gallery

Riverway Arts Centre 20 Village Blvd

Thuringowa Central QLD 4817

Closed Mondays Tues - Sun: 10am - 5pm

(07) 4727 9011 ptrg@townsville.qld.gov.au whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au

PercTuckerTCC

(07) 4773 8871 pinnacles@townsville.qld.gov.au whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au

PinnaclesTCC

IMAGE:

Photograph: Andrew Rankin Entry in the Strand Ephemera Photographic Competition, depicting Alison McDonald’s Shimmer, winner of the Award for Artistic

OVERVIEW

2017 was the ninth Strand Ephemera; an event that began in 2001 and then became a biennial exhibition from that time. The event has grown over the years to be loved not only locally, but to be an outdoor sculpture exhibition of state and national significance.

The impetus for Strand Ephemera was twofold. Firstly, the exhibition was to provide Townsville City Council, developers, and the broader Townsville public with possibilities in the public art arena. Permanent public art pieces in Townsville up to this point had not engendered broad public support. A temporary exhibition was seen to have greater potential to present ideas and concepts for public feedback.

Strand Ephemera presents a spectrum of work from the popular to the conceptually demanding. Townsville City Council has previously selected a number of works from the exhibition for permanent display and the exhibition has provided a reference for developing public art in Townsville. Such permanent works include Bruce Anderson’s Landboat and Gavin Ryan’s Lyin’ Fish

The second impetus was to provide opportunities for regionally-based artists. The Queensland Government had announced a 2% for public art program creating massive funding opportunities, with regionally-based artists expressing interest in improving their competitiveness.

Strand Ephemera provided the opportunity for these artists to hone their skills and compare and contrast their work within a national context at a local venue. The focus on works being “ephemeral” encouraged artists to use inexpensive materials, for a “short-lived” exhibition of around 10 days.

The exhibition has attracted national and international entries, but it continues to provide the possibility for regional participants to prepare and present works in the public arena.

A number of local artists have developed their public art profile and been commissioned as a result of their involvement in the exhibition. Townsvillebased artists have also noted that the networking and skills development as a result of the exhibition and its programs have proved worthwhile. A Public Art Symposium is also staged as part of the event, and this is the opportunity to discuss current trends and ideas in public art with relevant speakers sourced.

Numerous models were investigated in developing this exhibition, including Sculpture by the Sea and the Mildura Palimpsest. The exhibition has also been informed by the Sydney Biennale and the Munster Sculpture Triennial, and continues to evolve.

The exhibition has grown from within the community, with the support of a range of collaborating partners, and consistently offers developmental opportunities for the artists and public who participate.

IMAGE:

Tanya Coventry with Bowen State High School

This Heart within me Burns

500 x 500 x 400 cm

Driftwood, sea plastic, wire

Photograph: Samuel Smith

STRAND EPHEMERA 2017

Once again, Galleries, Townsville City Council has exceeded expectations to deliver the biggest and best Strand Ephemera in history, and reward the community for their support and enthusiasm over the many years the event has been staged. We now reflect upon the success of this year’s installation of the North’s Sculpture Festival, which was again proudly supported by Glencore.

Again in 2017 record numbers of visitors came to see the artworks and performances and participated in workshops and events. Throughout the 10 days of the exhibition it is estimated that 155,704 visitors engaged with the exhibition during the 9am-5pm period alone. Over 110 programs were delivered by gallery staff and artists for the community and school groups, proving their consistent popularity with visitors and locals alike.

Taking almost 2 years of hard work and preparation, Strand Ephemera ran for 10 days from 28 July to 6 August 2017. The exhibition showcased 31 stunning artworks; 25 of which competed for the major $10,000 Award for Artistic Excellence. Again this year, Galleries invited additional artworks as non-competitive entries to complement the competitive entries, and these six additional works were huge crowd pleasers.

Strand Ephemera once again aligned with the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, and this year also enjoyed the company of Umbrella Studio’s Pop Up North Queensland (PUNQ), ensuring arts and culture were well and truly celebrated in north Queensland through a hat trick of amazing events.

Townsville’s own Dancenorth delivered a spectacular dance performance on the beach near the Rock Pool in collaboration with Urab Dancers from Poruma Island. Their showcase Tectonic explored issues of climate change. Their unique stage of 180 partially buried fit balls drew attention to Poruma Island’s 180 residents threatened by rising sea levels.

Putting Townsville on the international stage, Strand Ephemera invited some of the world’s leading artists to Townsville: the Texan “Da Vinci of Dirt” Scott Wade, and Canadian CLOUD sculptors Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett, in what were undoubtedly the two most popular elements of the festival. Scott transformed a car junkyard into a surprising work of art, and invited the community to join him to create works each day; then as the day drew to an end and dusk fell, CLOUD came alive to the delight and wonder of those who interacted with it.

This year’s Public Art Symposium again provided professional development opportunities through presentations about sculptural works, interactivity, street art, collaboration and the creative process. The wilson/ryan/grose lawyer’s People’s Choice Award, and the Photographic Competition both proved popular once again, receiving over 1623 entries combined!

Of course, none of these elements of the festival would be possible without the support of the community, the festival’s sponsors and supporters, the participating artists, and our tireless volunteers. As always, we are so thankful to everyone for their contributions.

ARTISTS AND ARTWORKS

This year’s Strand Ephemera featured 31 artworks, with over 42 artists, assistants, participants, and volunteers contributing to the realisation of these works.

Of the artworks, 25 were competitive entries, with the remaining included as noncompetitive curated works. Participating artists hailed from three states in Australia, and three countries, including numerous Townsville and north Queensland residents showcasing their talents.

While all of the works were visually impressive, many also touched on issues as diverse as the environment and conservation, immigration and culture, and the human condition.

Participating artists and artwork titles are listed below, and detail images of the works are included overleaf numbered according to the list:

1. Alison McDonald - Making Waves

2. Banana Splits (Bernadette Boscacci & Sharon Kitching)Yellow Peril - the shape of things to come

3. Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett - CLOUD

4. Cameron Rushton - Giant Pacific Octopus

5. Carla Gottgens - Portal

6. Christopher Trotter - Sonic Bay Beacon

7. Dancenorth and the Urab Dancers - Tectonic

8. Daniel Wallwork - Earth Fish

9. Erica Gray - Visceral Bodies

10. Fiona QuinStory Chairs... Story Chairs... What Do You Hear?

11. Garth Jankovic with Annandale Christian College and William Ross State High SchoolStrand Ephemera Schools Project

12. Harriet Geater-Johnson - Transient Cabinet

13. India Collins - Urban Blooms

14. Jan Hynes - Fenced

15. Jane Hawkins, Rhonda Payne and Sally MunnsSand Ephemera

16. John Heard - They Are Biting Well On Money Today

17. John Nesirky - Look Again

18. Joy Heylen - The Crab

19. Katri Pekri & Alide Zvorovski - AUDITORIUM

20. Lance Seadon - Billy Carts “Cruzin’ The Strand”

21. Marion Gaemers & Lynnette GriffithsAncyent Marinere … Are Those Her Sails?

22. MJ Ryan Bennett - Ebb and Flow

23. Pamela Lee Brenner & Johannes MuljanaRe-Evolution

24. Pimlico State High School - Legacy Of Lanterns

25. Robbie Rowlands - Light Falls

26. Robert Crispe - Lantis

27. Scott Wade - Dirty Car Art

28. Sue Tilley - The Gatherings

29. Tanya Coventry & Bowen State High SchoolThis Heart Within Me Burns

30. Tom Emmett - Strangers In The Wind

31. Vanessa Stanley - Your Altered Gaze Returned

IMAGE: Cameron Rushton

Giant Pacific Octopus

145 x 120 x 120 cm

Steel

Photograph: Samuel Smith

DIRTY CAR ART

Utilising the main beach near Strand Park as the main activity hub again, Strand Ephemera filled the beach with 13 wrecked cars, causing mixed reactions from curiosity to outrage. These reactions turned into wonder and delight when invited artist, Scott Wade, AKA “the Da Vinci of Dirt” arrived from Texas, USA to transform the cars into wondrous canvasses for his unique Dirty Car Art.

Wade created a series of illustrations in the car dirt to the delight of the public, exploring a cultural exchange through the imagery. His depiction of Little Crystal Creek in Paluma was instantly recognisable by locals, and the public were enchanted by the rock wallabies and underwater reef scene. He included some local legends of Texas, and a lone soldier as a nod to the people and culture of each location.

His discovery of the dirty car art technique sprang from childhood years of living on a long stretch of dirt road and drawing into the dirt on the window with his fingers to make pictures. One day, he used a stick to make thinner lines, and the epiphany to use other, more sophisticated tools, like paintbrushes and blending sponges naturally followed.

Music and art always held great interest for Wade, who attended Texas State University on a partial music scholarship, and then after a year, transferred majors to explore his other big passion, art. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Commercial Art and spent the next decade illustrating and designing for various clients, composing and performing music in the university theatre department, and generally exploring his creativity.

Scott Wade also conducted a series of workshops throughout the festival to teach school children and adults his “dirty” drawing techniques. These workshops proved immensely popular, delivered to 2970 participants during the 4 weekend sessions. During the week, Wade also delivered workshops for school children as part of the Creative Classrooms program, which saw a total of 47 activities for 1383 students.

IMAGE:

A detail of one of the cars on display created by Scott Wade for Dirty Car Art

Photograph: Samuel Smith

CLOUD

This year Strand Ephemera brought the night to life by incorporating two very special night-time elements; Dancenorth’s nightly performances of Tectonic, and the inclusion of what was undoubtedly the most popular interactive sculpture, CLOUD, by Canadian artists, Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett.

Created from 6,000 incandescent light bulbs, this sculpture used pull chain switches and everyday domestic globes to create a collaborative, experiential environment. Viewers were delighted to play with the work, working together to animate “lightning” on the surface of the sculpture.

Open every night for interactive sessions between 6-10pm covering a total of 40 hours, the popularity of the sculpture was evident through a record-breaking attendance of the 26,000 people who came to see it over the course of the festival.

CLOUD captured the imagination of photographers who visited nightly to get the perfect shot of this whimsical sculpture.

IMAGE ABOVE:

Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett’s CLOUD

Photograph: Samuel Smith

IMAGE:

Photograph: Kai Wilson Entry in the Strand Ephemera Photographic Competition, capturing a detail of Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett’s CLOUD

TECTONIC

A dynamic performance element was a night-time highlight in Strand Ephemera with Dancenorth’s site-specific and thoughtful production, Tectonic

Collaborating with Urab Dancers from Poruma Island, Tectonic was a truly unique performance installation uniting sculpture, movement and sound. Performed atop 180 fit balls partially buried in the sand, which acted as micro-trampolines to ignite the performance, the dancers ran, bounced, flipped, soared and ricocheted across the stage. With the Coral Sea and Magnetic Island as the backdrop, this work was a collective journey toward creating a sustainable future.

The intent of the performance was to contribute to the preservation of Porumalgal (Poruma Islander) culture, history and heritage. As global sea levels begin to rise, Poruma Island is slowly sinking. The Poruma community has nurtured a deep connection with their natural environment, but this uniquely synergistic relationship is beginning to come under question.

Underpinning the choreography of this work was an exchange of 360 letters between Poruma Island and Townsville residents, encouraging cultural exchange and the sharing of personal stories about the weather, climate change, and community members’ hopes and dreams. These letters were displayed alongside the performance space for the public to read.

In total, 15 performances were staged as part of Strand Ephemera; 6.30pm and 7.30pm sessions each night from Saturday 29 July until Friday 4 August, plus an additional Sunday afternoon performance on the 30 July. An impressive 7880 guests turned out to enjoy the performances.

Workshops were also held during the day within the Tectonic performance space, offering the community opportunities to engage with the artwork. The workshops offered the public a chance to free play with Dancenorth dancers, participate in traditional dance with the Poruma Island Urab Dancers, and to enjoy the sunrise in an eighties-inspired aerobics classes. A total of 9 workshops were held throughout the festival, for a total of 789 participants.

For many, Tectonic provided a unique festival highlight, and marked Strand Ephemera’s continued evolution from strictly an outdoor art exhibition, to a truly holistic festival.

For others, the ingenuity of the installation matched with the thought-provoking message within the performance provided inspiration for the transformation of our public spaces, and for the possibilities of performance art in Townsville.

IMAGE: Dancenorth Tectonic

PUBLIC PROGRAM

In 2017, Strand Ephemera featured an exciting variety of activities and programs across the 10 day festival including artist talks, guided tours, artist-run workshops, watercolour postcard workshops, the public art symposium, and amazing performances by Dancenorth and the Urab dancers.

In total 94 public programs were delivered to 32,742 participants. All of the Strand Ephemera public programs were provided to members of the public for free.

The artist-run workshops were designed and led by Strand Ephemera artists and were a highlight of the festival. Dirty Car Artist Scott Wade provided weekend community workshops to the public as well as engaging students in workshops as part of the Strand Ephemera school tours. Other artists included Erica Grey, India Collins, MJ Ryan Bennett, Carla Gottgens, Bernadette Boscacci, Fiona Quin, Jan Hynes, Pamela Lee Brenner and Johannes Muljana.

The crowd favourite watercolour postcard workshops gave visitors the opportunity to paint their own Strand Ephemera postcard, and all workshops were very well attended.

Guided tours were also popular, with tours taking place during the day as well as at twilight. The twilight tours allowed people to explore the many wonderful night-specific works which were a feature of Strand Ephemera 2017.

Dancenorth and the Urab Dancers performed at The Strand throughout the festival as part of Tectonic. Their exciting and dynamic performances attracted huge crowds and rave reviews.

Strand Ephemera also hosted an artist market featuring works from local artists and artisans. The market attracted a huge crowd of visitors and was a wonderful day overall.

The Public Art Symposium was both interesting and insightful, with talks from both artists and arts professionals. The Symposium was held at the School of Arts Building in the Townsville CBD.

The launch weekend was an exciting time during Strand Ephemera with a number of events taking place across these two actionpacked days.

On Saturday the Main Exhibition Tour was held. This special tour of all the artworks in Strand Ephemera started at The Rockpool and included brief talks by participating artists at their works and was attended by 215 people.

The launch of DanceNorth’s performance artwork Tectonic was also on Saturday. Just over 3,000 people saw the performance during the two opening night displays.

On Sunday the artist market at attracted well over 12,000 attendees with over 1,600 people attending artist-run workshops as well.

PUBLIC ART SYMPOSIUM

A free event covering topics of public art, urbanization, development opportunities, and education from experienced experts, academics and artists. Speakers include international artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and

Wayne Garrett, academic Dr Cameron McAuliffe and industry professionals Owen Craven and Carolyn Karnovsky from Urban Art Projects. RSVPs are essential, please contact

IMAGE:

Performers on The Pink Piano during Strand Ephemera 2017

Howitt St Headland and includes brief talks Strand. Join us along the way!

Howitt Street Headland

interactive guided tour of some of the works

Ephemera 2017. Starting centrally, then moving Sunday 30 July, Friday 4 & Saturday 5 August

Saving Club toward

28 JULY - 6 AUGUST 2017

WORKSHOPS

DIRTY CAR ART

Create your own ephemeral dirty car artwork in the junkyard with artist Scott Wade!

DATES: Saturday 29 July, Sunday 30 July, Saturday 5 August & Sunday 6 August

TIME: 9am - 3pm

PLACE: The main beach near Strand Park

MJ RYAN BENNETT

Use a variety of mixed media to create a textural art panel to hang up at home!

DATES/TIMES: Sunday 30 July 11am-1pm, Monday 31 July 3-5pm, Tuesday 1 August 3-5pm, Friday 4 August 3-5pm

PLACE: At artwork (#15), Strand Pier

ERICA GRAY

Create your own sea creatures utilising colourful felt fabrics.

DATES: Wednesday 2 August, Thursday 3 August

CARLA GOTTGENS and

TIME: 3-5pm

PLACE: At artwork (#2), The Rock Pool

PAMELA & JOHANNES

Make wind flowers in the form of a pinwheel to take home!

DATES/TIMES: Friday 4 August 3-5pm, Sunday 6 August 11am-1pm

PLACE: At artwork (#24), near Kennedy St HARRIET GEATER-JOHNSON

Work with clay and learn building techniques to make animal forms.

5 August

IMAGE ABOVE: Erica Gray discussing her work Visceral Bodies during the Strand Ephemera 2017 Artist Talk.

IMAGE: Children participating in the Dirty Car Art workshops during Strand Ephemera 2017

EDUCATION PROGRAM

Galleries was excited to offer all schools in north Queensland the opportunity to participate in tours, workshops and artist talks to students of all ages as part of Strand Ephemera 2017. The gallery team also produced and provided an activity book and education kit which responded the exhibition and its themes. These resources were provided to all schools that visited the exhibition. 30 minute guided tours of sections of the exhibition were provided along with the chance to participate in Dirty Car Art workshops with international artist Scott Wade.

More the 2,000 students visited Strand Ephemera across the course of Strand Ephemera. These groups participated in artworks, tours and other activities. This figure is only representative of the official involvement from schools who applied to be a part of the public program and does not capture the schools and students who visited the exhibition independantly.

2017 also marks the second year of the Strand Ephemera Schools Project. This year street artist Garth Jankovic worked with three local secondary schools to create a collaborative piece of work which was displayed as part of the Strand Ephemera exhibition.

In total 25 kindergartens, primary and high schools participated in Strand Ephemera 2017. This is 9 more that were involved in 2015.

• St Patrick’s College Townsville

• William Ross State High School

• Annandale Christian College

• St Margaret Mary’s College

• Townsville Grammar School

• Charters Towers State School

• Woodstock State School

• C&K Kindergarten

• St Joseph’s The Strand

• Blackheath and Thornburg College

• Village Kids Childrens Centre

• St Anthony’s Catholic College

• Shalom Christian College

• St Joseph’s Mundingburra

• Calvary Christian College

• Good Shepherd State School

• Bowen State High School

• Northern Beaches State High School

• Annandale State School

• Townsville South State School

• Ayr State School

• Pimlico State School

• Townsville Home School Group

• Innisfail State High School

• Townsville Central State School

IMAGE: Garth Jankovic works with students from Annandale Christian College

FRINGE EVENTS

In 2017, Strand Ephemera again promoted a series of Fringe Events to coincide with the festival.

These events, organised and delivered by hardworking and talented Townsville artists and arts organisations, were supported through inclusion in Strand Ephemera publications and cross-promotion throughout the festival.

These events complemented Strand Ephemera’s program, built on public engagement and further developed mutually-supportive arts relationships within the Townsville region. Most significantly, they painted a true picture of the vibrant arts and creative community of Townsville and the host of possibilities for locals and visitors alike.

2017 was also the first year that there was a free “park-n-ride” festival bus to enable visitors to travel to and from Strand Ephemera, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music and Pop Up North Queensland events. There were 4 bus stops covering 2 routes across 2 weekends.

- COMMENT FROM WILSON/RYAN/GROSE LAWYERS’ PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD VOTING FORM

EVENT DATE

Australian Festival of Chamber Music

The internationally acclaimed Australian Festival of Chamber Music presented a world-class program of over 30 concerts, conversations and masterclasses performed by the world’s best chamber musicians.

A line-up of 42 national and international musicians performed at the event over a 9 day program. The Festival delivered something for everyone, from beginners to chamber music devotees.

Fringe Ephemera at The Village

For the second time this exhibition was funded and organised by The Village, and the Queensland Government Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, with significant logistical support and advice provided by Galleries, Townsville City Council.

The exhibition ran throughout Strand Ephemera and featured eight works by local and national artists; Marcia Bird, Mimi Dennett, Sylvia Ditchburn, Toni Rogers, Adriaan Vanderlugt, Oonoonba State School with Fiona Banner, Railway Estate State School with Virginia Hurst, and The Village Starweavers. A launch event and a range of public programs and workshops was also staged.

Friday 28 July

–

Saturday 5

August 2017

Friday 28 July

-

Sunday 6

August 2017

"FANTASTIC, A BUS. WONDERFUL - KEEP IT UP. GREAT COMMUNITY VIBE."

Pop Up North Queensland (PUNQ)

Umbrella Studio contemporary arts

Pop-Up North Queensland was an exciting new addition, taking place throughout various locations in the Townsville CBD. Designed to occupy empty spaces and breathe new life into the city with creative activity, PUNQ presented 40 pop-ups over 10 days with exhibitions, apparel, music, workshops, performance, puppetry, pottery and heaps more!

PUNQ was proudly presented by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts and was made possible with funds from a Catalyst Grant, provided by the Ministry for the Arts, administered by the Australia Council for the Arts.

Black Mist Burnt Country Testing the Bomb. Maralinga and Australian Art

Pinnacles Gallery

A national touring exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the British atomic test series at Maralinga. The exhibition visited the events and its location through artworks by Indigenous and non-Indigenous contemporary artists across the mediums of painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation, photography and new media.

Teeming with Life: The Wongaloo Project

Pamela Griffith

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery

In 2014 artist Pamela Griffith visited Clevedon/Cromarty protected wetlands 30 km south of Townsville. Some of the most extensive water-bird habitats in Australia occur between Giru and Cleveland Bay. This area, with Wongaloo Regional Park at its core is seen by many thousands of travellers passing along the Bruce Highway.

My Country, I Still Call Australia Home Contemporary Art From Black Queensland

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery

QAGOMA’s largest exhibition of contemporary art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to date examines the strengths of the Gallery’s holdings and explores three central themes — presenting Indigenous views of history (My history), responding to contemporary politics and experiences (My life), and illustrating connections to place (My country).

Friday 28 July –

Sunday 6 August 2017

22 July –

3 September 2017

14 July –20 August 2017

14 July – 2

7 August 2017

IMAGE: Toni Rogers

They came in tall ships from other lands Palm fronds, mulberry strutts, seagrass, wool, alpaca, raw silk, bunya pine seeds, lomandra flowers On display in Fringe Ephemera at The Village 2017

AWARDS

Strand Ephemera, the North’s Sculpture Festival, was officially launched in spectacular fashion at the Rock Pool on Friday 28 July, and the moment everyone was waiting for was the announcement of the 2017 winner of the $10,000 Award for Artistic Excellence.

This year’s Strand Ephemera judge was Robbie Rowlands, internationally-renowned artist and academic in the sculpture department at RMIT in Melbourne. Rowlands has developed a solid arts career creating urban interventions and temporary art installations and sculptures for the public realm throughout Australia and the United States of America.

He has been a practising artist for 15 years, having graduated from the Victorian College of Arts with a Bachelor of Arts in Sculpture in 1999. With over 9 years of experience in the College of Design and Social Context at RMIT, he wealth of knowledge about sculpture in the public realm stood him in good stead to critically look at the 25 competitive works in Strand Ephemera.

“It has been a daunting task to judge this event, but wonderful to spend time with each work and I’d like to highlight how incredible the work is across the show. I know

how hard it is to exhibit outside of the safe confines of the traditional gallery. There are no white walls and track lighting. There is so much more to consider, so many visual and environmental factors that you have to contend with,” Rowlands explained, and gave his congratulations to all exhibiting artists.

In 2017, two works were highlighted for their outstanding achievements: an overall winner, as well as a highly commended. David Zammitt, Manager of Strand Ephemera’s major sponsor Glencore’s Port Operations, announced local artist Harriet Geater-Johnson as runner-up with her work Transient Cabinet, and Queensland artist Erica Gray’s artwork Visceral Bodies as the 2017 overall winner.

Providing some insight into his selections, Rowlands said, “Harriet’s work exposes the loss that is occurring in our natural world. These critically endangered creatures, memorialized in white ceramic, appear forlorn and forgotten. Harriet’s placement of this museum like display in the direct environment rather than behind closed doors, confronts us and provokes us to consider what’s at risk. The high degree of skill in Harriet’s work prompts us to imagine multiple cabinets, but in a sense this could only mean a greater loss for that which we must be protecting.”

IMAGE ABOVE: Harriet Geater-Johnson’s Transient Cabinet, runner-up of the Award for Artistic Excellence in Strand Ephemera 2017

Photograph: John DeRooy

IMAGE ABOVE:

Entry in the Strand Ephemera Photographic Competition, capturing a detail of Marian Gaemers and Lynette Griffith’s Ancyent Marinere...are those her sails?, winner of the wilson/ ryan/grose Lawyers People’s Choice Award

Photograph: Patricia Barron

Of the overall winner, Visceral Bodies, Rowlands enjoyed that the work “encourages us to reflect on the fragile aquatic worlds that are currently under threat. Each form as a synthesis of the real can only capture part of the experience. They have the richness of colour, translucency and form, but I’m sure with direct experience they can only attempt to mimic. This being said, Erica’s skills as a maker and how well she has orchestrated the gesture in the site entices us to be part of this world, within this world, so that even as an ‘interpretation’ it opens up a conversation that allows us to consider notions of fragility and ephemerality in what we possibly take for granted.”

The viewing public also had their say on the best work. In a very close result, the beautifully woven sails, Ancyent Marinere…. are those her sails? – a collaborative piece by local artist Marian Gaemers and Cairns artist Lynnette Griffiths – was crowned the winner of the wilson/ryan/ grose Lawyers’ People’s Choice Award

Ancyent Marinere…. are those her sails? took 14% of the 632 votes registered.

The work expressed themes of life, death, seas and nature as noted in an 1834 poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The artists chose to use “ghost nets”, ocean rubbish collected from beaches near their homes, to highlight the plight of the reef and our marine creatures threatened by water pollution. The exquisitely detailed work depicted two large sails on the horizon, carrying a swarm of colourful sea creatures across the oceans.

IMAGES ABOVE: Erica Gray’s Visceral Bodies, winner of the Award for Artistic Excellence in Strand Ephemera 2017

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

The Strand Ephemera Photographic Competition and ran throughout the 10 day festival, and called for visitors to The Strand to capture their favourite moment for a chance to win some great prizes.

The Photographic Competition was judged by photographer Ian Hitchcock who graduated with a Bachelor of Photography from James Cook University in 2003. He has worked for Getty Images (the worlds largest photographic agency) in the North Queensland area for the past 13 years.

Mr Hitchcock had a tough decision choosing an adult and under 18s winner from more than 150 entries.

The adult winner was Wade Howlett for his photograph of Portal by Carla Gottgens and the under 18s winner was Kai Wilson for her photograph of Vanessa Stanley’s Your Altered Gaze Returned.

The adult prize was $500 and the under 18s prize was $250.

IMAGE ABOVE: Wade Howlett Winner of the 18+ Category of the Strand Ephemera Photographic Competition for his shot of Carla Gottgens’s Portal

IMAGE OPPOSITE: Kai Wilson Winner of the under 18 Category of the Strand Ephemera Photographic Competition for her shot of Vanessa Stanley’s Your Altered Gaze Returned

PUBLIC ART SYMPOSIUM

Strand Ephemera once again delivered a thought-provoking professional development opportunity for the Townsville community through the Public Art Symposium, delving deeper into the possibilities, benefits, triumphs and challenges of public art.

Presented in the theatre at the heritagelisted School of Arts building in the CBD, this free event was held as a morning of insightful guest lectures on Monday 31 July.

35 members of the community attended the event, and participated enthusiastically with comments, thoughts and questions for the presenters.

The Public Art Symposium featured three presentations by leading minds in public art with backgrounds in creative cities and street art, developing design concepts into large scale public artworks, and creating interactive artworks for the public realm.

Owen Craven from Urban Art Projects (UAP), presented an informative lecture on the implementation and vision of several projects across Australia.

In a curatorial role, he led teams to develop from artists’ design concepts to realising fullscale works within the public space.

Dr Cameron McAuliffe, a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography and Urban Studies at Western Sydney University, has a keen interest in the effect of street art on the urban environment. His thoughts on the recent developments in this area aligned with the increasingly sophisticated street art collection throughout Townville’s CBD.

Canadian artists, Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett, creators of the incredibly popular Strand Ephemera sculpture, CLOUD, discussed their evolving practice creating interactive artworks for the temporary art space. Their experience in bringing art communities together for experimental and collaborative exhibitions was inspiring for those in the audience.

Feedback about the Symposium from those in attendance was overwhelmingly positive, with the audience both entertained and inspired by the possibilities of public art.

IMAGE OPPOSITE (TOP RIGHT): Owen Craven from Urban Art Projects presenting his informal lecture during the Symposium.

IMAGE OPPOSITE (BOTTOM LEFT): Dr Cameron McAuliffe discussing his thoughts during the Symposium.

IMAGE BELOW:

Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett discussing their practice during the Public Art Symposium.

SPONSORS

Strand Ephemera is organised and funded by Galleries, Townsville City Council, with the generous support of numerous sponsors, supporters and partners enabling the delivery of specific prizes and components of the exhibition. This additional support has once again enabled Galleries to go beyond its base level and provide an exhibition that has delighted the general public and attracted impressive numbers of visitors.

Galleries wishes to thank all of the Strand Ephemera sponsors, supporters and partners for their invaluable contributions.

Sponsors, supporters and partners of the 2017 Strand Ephemera were:

MAJOR SPONSOR

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

MEDIA SPONSORS

PROGRAM SPONSORS

PRINT SPONSORS

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

VOLUNTEERS

The contribution of volunteers to the running of a major public art event such as Strand Ephemera cannot be understatedwithout their input, the event simply would not be able to be staged.

Volunteers for this year’s event were drawn from the Gallery’s exisiting volunteers, the broader public who expressed interest in the event, as well as the participating artists and their supporters.

Strand Ephemera utilised 104 volunteers, who completed 336 shifts totalling 900.75 hours of service across all areas of the exhibition, namely:

• Visitor Experience and Administration

• Data Gathering

• Public Programs

• Exhibition Installation, Maintenance and Demount

Volunteers were provided with a Council run WH&S induction prior to commencing their participation, and were provided with correct PPE and appropriate training to ensure their safety during all duties undertaken.

Galleries and Townsville City Council extends its immense thanks to all 104 volunteers for their invaluable contribution to a hugely successful community event.

IMAGE BELOW: Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett speaking during the Strand Ephemera Artist Tour at their sculpture CLOUD

PUBLIC FEEDBACK

Galleries undertook the collection of feedback and data throughout Strand Ephemera via a comments section on the wilson/ryan/grose lawyers’ People’s Choice Award voting slips, and via surveying of visitors to the exhibition. In total, 553 comments about the festival were received via these means, of which 531 (96.4%) were positive, while 20 (3.6%) provided constructive criticism or suggestions for improvements.

A sample of some of the comments received about Strand Ephemera are provided on this spread, along with the Visitor Survey results.

"I THINK ITS GREAT TO HAVE FREE EXHIBITIONS LIKE THIS FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY ALONG THE STRAND."

"FANTASTIC! I'M FROM VICTORIA AND THIS MADE MY STAY IN TOWNSVILLE!"

VISITOR COMMENTS

Positive

Negative/Constructive

Negative/Constructive comments suggested having a longer display period, an annual staging of the event, more judges, bringing back previous popular artworks, and having the information on each work at the artwork.

"EXCELLENT. WONDERFUL ACTIVITY THAT BRINGS ALL OUT. I HAVE GREATLY ENJOYED INTERACTING WITH STRANGERS AND ACQUAINTANCES ALIKE."

"LOVE STRAND EPHEMERANOT TO BE MISSED. CROWDS ABOUNDTOWNSVILLE LOVES IT TOO! VIVA EPHEMERA!"

"VISITING FROM CENTRAL COAST NSWVERY IMPRESSED."

"GREAT ARTWORK. LOVED MANY OF THE WORKS ARE INTERACTIVE. GREAT FOR KIDS. IT IS FREE AND WONDERFUL EXPOSURE TO THE PUBLIC WHO MAY NOT ATTEND A GALLERY."

"GREAT JOB. WE REALLY ENJOYED IT AND WILL BE BACK FROM BRISBANE FOR THE NEXT ONE!"

"WE ENJOY THE HIGHLIGHT THAT STRAND EPHEMERA BRINGS TO OUR MORNING WALKS EACH YEAR THAT WE COME UP FOR THE AFCM"

HOW VISITORS HEARD ABOUT STRAND EPHEMERA

WORD OF MOUTH (22.4%)

DIRECT FROM THE GALLERY (18.4%)

INTERNET (20.4%)

WALKING/DRIVING BY (14.3%)

TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN (12.2%)

A

"FANTASTIC - THE THING THAT MADE OUR HOLIDAY IN TOWNSVILLE EXTRA SPECIAL."

"IT WAS FANTASTIC, THANK YOU SPONSORS! WE CAME DOWN SPECIALLY FROM CHARTERS TOWERS AND WEREN'T DISAPPOINTED."

"THIS FESTIVAL MADE OUR HOLIDAY FROM BRISBANE EVEN MORE EXCITING AND INTERESTING. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!"

"WONDERFUL. WE TRAVELLED 450KM FROM MACKAY TO SEE IT!"

"GREAT EVENT! LOVELY BOOK ON THE ARTISTS."

WHERE ON THE INTERNET DID YOU HEAR ABOUT STRAND EPHEMERA?

VISITEDSTRAND EPHEMERA BEFORE?

DOYOUALSO VISIT...?

Tucker Regional Gallery (57.28%)

"IT IS WONDERFUL TO BE ABLE TO TAKE

LOVELY STROLL AND ADMITE ALL THE WORKS. IT IS FANTASTIC FOR TOWNSVILLE :)"

MEDIA AND MARKETING

An extensive media and marketing strategy was put in place, which resulted in high levels of exposure and positive media coverage for both the event and the participating artists.

The strategy’s objectives were:

• Further develop Strand Ephemera’s reputation as a first class event

• Increase the awareness of Strand Ephemera locally, nationally and internationally

• Increase recognition/awareness of Townsville City Council as the official presenter of the event

• Increase awareness of Galleries through marketing the event

• 10,000 + people on top of the number of visitors (138,000 in 2015)

Townsville City Council’s marketing was to a broad audience; it was recognised that Strand Ephemera’s target audience is people of all ages with an interest art, outdoor events, and recreational activities. Although some of the marketing efforts focused nationally and internationally, the majority of activities targeted the local Townsville community. Day visitors from outside the immediate area (i.e. Ingham, Ayr, Charters Towers, Cairns and Mackay) were also a priority.

2017 was the first year that Strand Ephemera had its very own section of the Townsville City Council website along with a domain name. This website gathered a total of 10,521 unique visitors, primarily to the Explore page which provided information on all of the artworks.

The graph at the bottom of this page shows the pageviews from Go Live until the end of August. There is a clear spike to views just before and during Strand Ephemera.

Marketing materials and exhibition collateral developed to promote the event, and assist visitors in interpreting and enjoying the exhibition, included:

• Townsville City Council websitededicated webpage and key event graphic links on front page

• Staf email footers

• Invitation - print run of 4000

• Flags installed along the length of The Strand

• Publication - print run of 5000

• Artwork labels

• Program of Events - print run of 1500

• Activity Booklet - print run of 5000

• Airport display

• People’s Choice Pads - print run of 45 tear sheet pads (80 forms per pad)

• Education Booklet - print run of 200

• Public Art Symposium Poster

• Facebook - daily sharing of community participation in the Festival

• Instagram - regular posts

• Digital editions of all festival publication via Issuu

• Photographic Competition entry forms print run of 1000

• Advertisement in Q Weekend - 27 May

• Advertisement in Arts Guide and Arts Guide tablet edition - June/July edition

• Advertisement in Mackay Daily Mercury21 to 28 May

• Advertisement in Rockhampton Morning Bulletin - 2 to 16 July

• Advertisement in News Corp Digital Network desktop, tablet and mobile - 21 May to 11 June and 25 June to 2 July

• A Advertisement in rts Guide Website

Banners - 5 June to 31 July

• Advertisement in Arts Guide newsletter banner - 28 July

• Advertisement in Artshub Top Leaderboard Banner - 5, 15, 21, 26 June and 5, 13, 19, 24 July

• Advertisement in Artshub eNewsletter

banner - 30 June

• Advertisement in Google AdWordsTargeted Audiences (Eastern Seaboard) - 6 June to 10 July

• Advertisement in Google AdWordsTargeted Audiences (Cairns & Townsville

surrounds) - 10 July to 31 July

• Advertisement in Jetstar e-ticketing booking confirmation web boarding pass to/from Cairns & Townsville: Australia wide - 21 May to 3 July

• Advertisement in Jetstar e-ticketing

booking confirmation web boarding pass

to/from Townsville: Australia wide - 3 July to 5 August.

The marketing of and public reaction to Strand Ephemera also resulted in consistent positive media coverage in local and national outlets.

This outcome was also aided by the contibutions of the festival’s Media Sponsors, Nine Network, Townsville Bulletin, and 4TOfm.

Media coverage for the festival (generated through media releases and media interest, as opposed to the media coverage included in the marketing strategy) included:

The following pages highlight the high levels of interest in Strand Ephemera as evidenced by increased traffic through Perc Tucker Regional Gallery’s social networks; Facebook, Instagram, and Issuu.

Posts in the lead up to and during Strand Ephemera reached a far wider audience than prior to and following these brackets. The most popular Strand Ephemera post on Perc Tucker Regional Gallery’s facebook page reached over 17,000 accounts.

The #strandephemera2017 hashtag garnered 397 posts on Instagram, and further posts were also shared under #strandephemera, #thisisqueensland and #townsvilleshines.

High School (Artwork #5) highlight the 85 species of endangered due to plastic litter. and recycled materials to artwork. piece message? of engaging people the materials this message? thinking change

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery’s issuu account featured digital copies of all major Strand Ephemera publications, including the main exhibition catalogue, Activity Booklet, Education Kit, as well as the Map and Program.

Unsurprisingly, the catalogue is the best performed publication by Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, having been read by over 700 unique accounts, and making over 2600 impressions. In total, the document has been read for 2 days in total at an average of 4 minutes spent reading.

EDUCATION KIT

28 JULY - 6 AUGUST 2017

PLANNING A VISIT Free guided tours are available, and for further information, or to give feedback on education and public programs provided by the Gallery contact Perc Tucker Regional Gallery on (07) 4727 9011 or email ptrg@townsville.qld.gov.au

THE GALLERIES Townsville City Council owns and operates two premier regional galleries, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in the city’s CBD, and Pinnacles Gallery located within the Riverway Arts Centre in Thuringowa Central.

STRAND EPHEMERA 2017 Strand Ephemera provides Townsville residents and visitors the opportunity to engage with contemporary art that enriches the community with its diversity and imagination. “Ephemera” means something that is temporary or short-lived. This is a creative element that artists otherwise address within this exhibition.

MAJOR SPONSOR

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

MEDIA SPONSORS

28 JULY - 6 AUGUST 2017

Issuu also indicates the various ways in which audiences are engaging with the festival, and from where. While most are reading the publication on their home desktop computers, others used their mobile or tablet devices, perhaps while visiting the exhibition in preference to picking up a physical copy. The publication has also been read numerous times in the United States, Europe, and the AsiaPacific region.

FREE ACTIVITY BOOK AND EDUCATION KIT A free activity book and education kit designed in response to this exhibition are available for all school students, teachers and members of the public.

#STRANDEPHEMERA #TOWNSVILLESHINES #THISISQUEENSLAND STRANDEPHEMERA.COM.AU

EPHEMERA