Pop up art exhibitions, an aerial performance about retrenched workers, a Chilean Cantata and vibrant panel discussions are just some of the activities happening in the city this week as part of Wollongong City Council’s inaugural Artist Week.
Running from today until Friday, 5 November, Artist Week will provide residents with a chance to talk and learn more about emerging issues in cultural development and creativity.
Cultural Development Coordinator, Megan McKell said Artist Week is a chance to celebrate the city’s wealth of artists and creative talent.
“We want to recognise and promote our local arts and cultural scene, as well as look at ways we can increase the role of creativity in our city and reach more people in the community,” Megan McKell said.
“Artist Week has been held this week as a lead in to Saturday’s free arts and cultural festival in MacCabe Park- Viva la Gong.”
Artist Week kicks off tonight with a panel discussion at the City Gallery from 6.30pm called Creativity and Innovation in our City. Panel members include Amanda Lawson from the University of Wollongong and Director of Creative Industries at UTS, Lisa Colley.
On Tuesday night a second forum will be held at the Gallery from 6.30 pm to discuss recent initiatives in Sydney, Newcastle and Melbourne such as pop- up galleries and artist run spaces. Panel members from across the country will also talk about how Wollongong can engage new audiences and communities.
“Both forums are free to the public, and Council encourages anyone interested in art, culture, or the future of our city, to come along and listen or take part in the interesting discussions,” Megan McKell said.
Wednesday night between 7 and 9pm Wollongong City Gallery will host its first Pecha Kuctha. Not sure what that is? Come along and listen to local creative people pitch their new and exciting ideas to the crowd in six minutes.
Also on Wednesday, 3 November, tickets are still available for an amazing jazz performance called The Sea by world renowned bass player Jonathon Zwartz and chanteuse extraordinaire Tina Harrod, at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.
Thursday night is when Artist Week really hits its peak, with a huge night of performance and exhibition launches between 6.30 and 8.30pm at the Wollongong City Gallery.
To tie in with this year’s Viva la Gong theme, ‘Stories from Land and Sea’, Council will launch a project by Kurt Brereton, Janine Coddingto, Peter James Hewitt and Marc Wheatley, who have transformed the outer Gallery Panels with their future visions of land and sea.
Also to be launched on the night, local young artists were invited to revamp the laneway between the Town Hall and the Galley by reflecting on the themes and issues surrounding ‘sustainability, global warming and our local environment’.
The artworks are an edgy and contemporary collection of visions of the future by Ness Cieca, Jasmin Carter, Mitchell Guerin, Trait, Kimberley Orlowski, Isaac Nixon, Nathan Sharkey and Joshua Wiffen.
Following these public art launches, residents can venture inside the Gallery for the opening of Garage Days, a video installation by Joanne Saad which explores the city’s rich cultural heritage and the migrant experience.
At 7pm guests will be treated to an aerial performance by Circus WOW inspired by women retrenched from the Bonds and King Gee factories in Wollongong. Following this, the crowd will walk through the Crown Street Mall to check out the CBD’s first official pop-up exhibitions in a series of empty CBD shops.
Artist Week will finish on Friday Night with a spectacular celebration of Latin American Songs by Trio Martiz. Everyone is welcome to attend this timely performance from 6pm at the City Gallery as a homage to the historic plight of Chilean Miners. The Chilean Cantata is free and no bookings are necessary.
Council will wrap up the week with thread and colourful material at the launch of the Wearable Art Show. Coordinated by Red Point Artists, the show will feature art, costume and performance from 8pm at the Port Kembla RSL Club.
“Artist Week is a jam packed week of exhibitions, events and activities right here in Wollongong. I’d encourage everyone to get out and see some of this fantastic prelude to Saturday’s Viva la Gong,” Ms McKell added.