Author: Chris Johnston

Newstead Arts Hub – in full Spring Swing!

Posted on by Chris Johnston

Apologies for cross-postings while we convert our eNews to a new system.

Crosscurrents – Open each weekend during November

Artists – Cherryl Fyffe, Barbara Semler, Anne Tyndall, Judith Warnest, Joan Halpin and Liz Carkeek

This exhibition draws on creative ties that bind with works by a group of women who have maintained a deep shared interest and connection with mark making and creative practice since working together through Visual Arts studies at Bendigo TAFE.

All six artists have an affinity and connection to their surrounds, a potent source of inspiration. The work on show includes printmaking, drawing, watercolour, collage and textiles, ceramics and contemporary image making processes.

And for those who want to get all hands-on, come join the Crosscurrents artists for a:

Visual Thinking Workshop
A hands-on exploration of thought, word and material
Saturday 16 November, 1-3pm
Free event, all welcome!

Crosscurrents will be on show 3 – 24 November, 11am-4pm on weekends.

[Image: Elizabeth Carkeek]
[Image: Elizabeth Carkeek]
[Image: Judith Warnest]

Arts and Community Events wanted!

Expressions of Interest are sought from artists and community members who would like to be part of Newstead Arts Hub’s 2020 program.

2020 will see an expansion of our current exhibition program to include a wider range of activities and groups using the space. So we warmly welcome proposals for exhibitions, performances, talks, workshops, events, and other activities from the arts and broader community.

The Newstead Arts Hub has multiple light-filled exhibition spaces suitable for solo and group shows, and “the platform” is a great outdoor space for projections, performances and dinners.

Our workshop space can accommodate half, full and multiple day workshops. The Hub has a well-equipped kitchen, wifi, tables and chairs on hand, and is wheelchair accessible.

We encourage proposals that will:

  • Build and strengthen creative networks in our region
  • Support arts activities in Newstead
  • Connect with Newstead community and Newstead and district events

For more information and to submit your Expression of Interest via our online form visit the Bookings page of our website. Proposals are due by Sunday 10 November 2019.

Hub Volunteers

Now recruiting!

Volunteers are the foundation of our lovely Hub! We would be delighted to hear from you if you are interested in either (or both!) of these opportunities – roles you can definitely put your own stamp on:

photographer

Seeking someone (or someones!) who could provide photographic documentation of our events, shows, gatherings, community moments …. be part of telling the Hub’s story as it continues to unfold.

handyperson

Seeking a go-to person for the little maintenance tasks that crop up now and then in a community facility like the Hub … help us keep this lovely space ‘on the rails’.

If you would like to know more, or make an offer related to either of these positions, we very much welcome you to get in touch.

You can email us at newsteadartshub@gmail.com, or phone Julie Patey on 0408 528 536.

Friends of the Hub

Become an integral part of the Newstead Arts Hub Community!

We are always ready to welcome more Friends of the Hub!

Through donations, Hub Friends support the development of the Arts Hub. In return they are invited to a special annual Friends event each year.

You can become a Friend of the Hub with a donation of $20 or more. For more information or to make your donation email us at newsteadartshub@gmail.com

And a big thank you to all our current Hub Friends. Your valuable support goes a long way!

Supporters

 

 

 

Maldon & District Community Bank

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Newstead Arts Hub – October Update

Posted on by Chris Johnston

A SPRING WELCOME!

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How lovely to be enjoying Spring weather! We invite you to come along and enjoy our current and upcoming shows at the Newstead Arts Hub. See below for more on Selina Wilson’s exhibition Endless BeauTEA (hurry last days!) and our upcoming group show Platform 4.

We are also welcoming Expressions of Interest from artists and community members who would like to be part of our 2020 program. Do you have an event or exhibition you would like to run at the Hub? Then we would love to hear from you! See below for more info.

And perhaps you’d like to join as a Friend of the Hub. Our Friends are at the heart of our community and are great supporters of all the creative things that happen at the Hub. Look below for more info on how to join us.

Above: Newstead Arts Hub has a range of welcoming, light-filled spaces and is much loved by the Newstead and district creative community. 

CALL FOR ARTISTS & EVENTS

The Newstead Arts Hub is inviting Expressions of Interest from artists and community members who would like to be part of our 2020 program.

2020 will see an expansion of our current exhibition program to include a wider range of activities and groups using the space. So we warmly welcome proposals for exhibitions, performances, talks, workshops, events, and other activities from the arts and broader community.

The Newstead Arts Hub has multiple light-filled exhibition spaces suitable for solo and group shows, and “the platform” is a great outdoor space for projections, performances and dinners.

Our workshop space can accommodate half, full and multiple day workshops. The Hub has a well-equipped kitchen, wifi, tables and chairs on hand, and is wheelchair accessible.

We encourage proposals that will:

  • Build and strengthen creative networks in our region
  • Support arts activities in Newstead
  • Connect with Newstead community and Newstead and district events.

For more information and to submit your Expression of Interest via our online form visit the Bookings page of our website.

Proposals are due by Sunday 10 November 2019.

Above: Selina Wilson, Endless BeauTEA, works from the Teacup Series

Selina Wilson: Endless BeauTEA

Until Sunday 29 September

The series of works in Selina Wilson‘s exhibition Endless BeauTEA came to her in a dream.

Upon awakening she followed her intuition and came upon her first antique tea cup at a local op shop, and so the series of mixed media artworks began.

Reminiscent of tea at Nana’s, and evoking the other worldliness of Alice in Wonderland, the works enchant and soothe. If there’s a message, says Selina, it’s “laugh, live for now and drink in the joy.”

The teacup works are accompanied by additional works on canvas and board, as well as the charming Petri Dish Series, of small alcohol ink and resin works. Created using silicone moulds, the resin repels and resists the ink, with the piece only revealed to the artist once it’s cured and turned out. A process Selina describes as a “practice in faith.”

Come see the show on its final weekend:
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 September, 10am – 4pm
or by appointment.

COMING SOON: Platform 4

Diane Thompson, Jodie Curtis, Marcela Olea, Libby Noblet
Saturday 5 – Sunday 27 October
Opening Saturday 5 October 2-4pm

Artists Diane Thompson, Jodie Curtis, Marcela Olea and Libby Noblet came up with the name Platform 4 in reference to the Newstead Arts Hub’s past life, and recognition of the platform a collective show would offer their group.

This exhibition will feature a rich array of sculptural works by Diane and Marcela using such media as feathers, textiles, resin and clay, as well original etchings, collagraphs and silk screens on paper and fabric by accomplished printmakers Jodie and Libby.

Throughout October the artists will also present artist talks and demonstrations and a free pop-in & print studio where members of the public can try their hand at silkscreen printing.

Open 10am – 4pm on:

Saturday 5 – Monday 7 October
Friday 11- Monday 14 October
Friday 18 – Monday 21 October
Friday 25 – Sunday 27 October

or by appointment.

Above: Works by Selina Wilson, (L to R from top) Diane Thompson, Big Mouth Strikes Again 2019, resin and mixed media; Jodie Curtis, from the Circles series 2019, multiplate collagraph; Libby Noblet, Rose and Dahlia Show 2019, silkscreen on cotton; Marcela Olea, Holding Balance Together 2019, resin.

Friends of the Hub

Become an integral part of the Newstead Arts Hub Community!

We are always ready to welcome more Friends of the Hub!

Through donations, Hub Friends support the development of the Arts Hub. In return they are invited to a special annual Friends event each year.

You can become a Friend of the Hub with a donation of $20 or more. For more information or to make your donation email us at newsteadartshub@gmail.com

And a big thank you to all our current Hub Friends. Your valuable support goes a long way!

OUR SUPPORTERS

Copyright © NEWSTEAD ARTS HUB, All rights reserved.

We are located at: 8A TIVEY STREET, NEWSTEAD, VICTORIA 3462

 

 

 

Newstead Arts Hub – What’s on in September

Posted on by Chris Johnston

The Arts Hub is blooming: it might almost be spring.

Welcome Friends

Welcome to all our new Friends who signed up at our morning tea on Sunday June 23. If you are not a Friend yet, please become an active supporter of the Arts Hub. In exchange we’ll run a Friends event each year and you’ll be invited to other special happenings. To join as a Friend, download the form, make a donation, and send or drop it in to the Arts Hub.

Building Stronger Connections project

We were delighted to receive funding under the Mount Alexander Community Grants Program for Building Stronger Connections a project designed to expand the range of activities at the Arts Hub, streamline our communications, and get to know more about what our communities want from their Arts Hub. Creating our Friends group is one of our first steps. The project runs until the end of 2019.

To support the Building Stronger Connections project, we are pleased to announce that Melissa Proposch and Kir Larwill from Artpuff will be working with us, bringing fresh eyes, great connections and a wealth of experience. We were very fortunate to have had many talented people apply for the role, and we look forward to them getting involved in other ways.

Selina Wilson’s stunning colours – Endless BeauTEA

Our next exhibition is by Newstead local Selina Wilson: 31 August – 29 September, weekends, 10am-4pm. Opens 2pm, 31 August.

Selina’s recent works, created over the last 18 months, speak to her love of colour and play. Not one to take herself too seriously, her paintings aim to offer a smile and some joy. Colour, beauty and fun remain her primary sources of inspiration.  Selina explores these themes across a broad range of media including synthetic polymer (acrylic) paint, resin, inks, porcelain, cloth and paper. Selina is a regular contributor in Arts Open, Newstead Open Studio Arts Trail and the Castlemaine State Festival.

Looking to 2020

Watch out for our call for Expressions of Interest for exhibitions, workshops, talks or other activities in October. Or if there is a workshop you’d love to go to, let us know too! The Arts Hub is open to all kinds of creativity.

 

Earth and Stone exhibition – Open Sat-Sun, 10am to 4pm to 26 August

Posted on by Chris Johnston

Welcoming people to the opening of Earth and Stone, an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by John A. Smith and David Waters, local printmaker Diana Orinda Burns drew attention to the strong sense of place evoked in the exhibition. She pointed out how the exhibition conveyed the sensations of being in the landscape, not only seeing, feeling, but how hearing and imagination help channel a new understanding of place.

Both artists use earth and stone in their works, John in his ground gravel and earth pigments, David with his volcanic basalt sculptures and pigment paint. Both engage the viewer in ceremony and ritual, whether it be a mark in the landscape or a pattern on a rock, reminding us of the fragility of the earth we stand on, and the importance of creativity to bridge time and cultures.

Referring to John’s paintings, Diana said: “We are not outsiders, we are one with country, this is not a landscape but an actual place of being, it has no artifice or pretence, the paint surface rises up to meet us, inviting us to just be. We travel through exterior spaces to the interior space of place where imagination meets the mysteries of history and what has happened before.”

The Celtic weaving patterns on some of David’s sculptures and paintings, also drew her attention. Diana noted that the method is simple, with a simple figure-of-eight or infinity sign creating a pattern that is said to bring harmony, balance, unity, and rhythm. The clay-rendered weft pattern in his paintings are subtle and considered, conveying a sense of connectedness and belonging. In Diana’s eyes, harmony with oneself, others and the environment are at the heart of David’s work.

David’s pigments are not permanent; he causes no harm to the environment nor to each rock’s natural form and surface. In time, his drawings on the volcanic basalt collected from his home in Redesdale will wash away, but the invisible networks that express his intention will remain. Rock paintings and the rituals associated with them take us back to the beginnings of art history as we know it.

John Smith, Diana Orinda Burns, David Waters

Diana concluded that, for her, the exhibition is refined in its material content but very raw in the questions it provokes. It offers a humility where reverence prevails.

Open each weekend until 26 August. Don’t miss it!

Love communicating and communications?

Posted on by Chris Johnston

Newstead Arts Hub is looking for someone with a passion for community and the arts, and great communications skills, to work with us on our 5 month Building Strong Connections project.

What is this project about?

The Building Strong Connections project aims to build the capacity of the Arts Hub to engage effectively with its stakeholders and users for the benefit of the local community and those who visit. We think that engagement opportunities can be further realised by expanding our networks and relationships, developing quality engagement/communication tools, stronger promotion of the Arts Hub’s arts and other activities, and maximising use of all the spaces at the Arts Hub.

Are you the perfect person for this role? 

We’d love to find someone with a great mix of these skills for the one day a week contract role:

  • website design, function, content creation and promotion
  • social media platforms and how they can be used effectively
  • knowledge of the local and regional arts sectors
  • communication skills and experience
  • administrative, research and reporting skills

As well, we need someone who loves completing projects and delivering outcomes, and combines the ability to work independently and with our volunteer Arts Hub committee. 

Here is more about the Project and the Position Description.

How to apply

Expressions of interest to newsteadartshub@gmail.com or by post to PO Box 123, Newstead 3462 by Sunday 14 July 2019.

Any questions? Geoff Park on 0418 138 632 or Julie Patey on 0408 528 536.

And please pass this on to friends and colleagues who might be interested.

This Sunday! Join us for morning tea

Posted on by Chris Johnston

Don’t be shy – come and mingle over morning tea with your community – locals and artists.

This Sunday is your last chance to see David Oldfield’s magic – flowers seen under UV – so why not come for cake and scones as well.

Morning tea is at 11am this Sunday 23rd June.

You can hear about what’s happening at the Arts Hub and become a new Friend – and each year we’ll run a special Friends event every year and you’ll be invited.

Or if you can’t make it and want to be a Friend, please send us an email with your name, email, address and phone number, and send a donation of $20 or more to our Arts Hub account. Or print the invitation & Friend’s form here.

BSB: 633000
Account No. 155603707
Account Name: Arts Hub.

Don’t forget to include your “Name + Friend” as the reference.

Join us for a special morning tea

Posted on by Chris Johnston

We would love you to join us at the Newstead Arts Hub for a morning tea on Sunday 23rd June at 11am.

We are re-launching our Friends of the Arts Hub.

We would love you to become a Friend again for 2019-20 and help support the development of the Arts Hub. In return we’ll run a special Friends event every year and you’ll be invited.

Come along and become part of our Friends. Or see one of our committee members on the desk on the day.

Or if you can’t make it and want to be a Friend, please send us an email with your name, email, address and phone number, and send a donation of $20 or more to our Arts Hub account. Or print the invitation & Friend’s form here.

BSB: 633000
Account No. 155603707
Account Name: Arts Hub.

Don’t forget to include your “Name + Friend” as the reference.

Live in Newstead? Love our town? It’s Time to VOTE

Posted on by Chris Johnston

Wasteland to Wellspring – A vibrant sculptural garden to inspire our community and the arts

Help fund our vision for a beautiful garden entry to the Newstead Railway Arts Hub precinct: the Station building and Goods Shed. Our project will improve parking and access, create spaces for: activities, celebrations, quiet spots to sit, sculptures, garden ‘galleries’ and more. Look at the garden design we want to implement through Pick My Project funding and then please VOTE!

The Pick My Project funding is based on the number of votes – see reverse side on how to vote for Wasteland to Wellspring. Voting closes Monday 17 September at 5pm. See How to Vote below – but if you need help come to our stall at the Community Market on Sat 15 Sept at Rotunda Park, to find out more about our project and vote on the spot!

HOW TO VOTE 

  • Go to the Pick My Project website (https://pickmyproject.vic.gov.au) and register your name and contact details.
  • Select the local community you want to vote in – choose Newstead. You can vote in any local community. Pick My Project will show you projects within 50km. You can create a short list of between 3 and 6 projects. Wasteland to Wellspring is our project – please pick it!
  • You have three votes and you need to vote for three projects. You can’t give three votes to the one project. And each vote is equal.
  • When you vote, you will need to provide your mobile phone number and then submit the 4-digit number you receive via your mobile phone. This verifies that only Victorians can vote.
  • Once your vote is in you can’t change it, so take your time!
  • And then share who you have voted for via social media.

No internet, email or mobile phone? This is how you can vote.

  • Call the Pick My Project team (1800 797 818) and they will help you vote.
  • First you need to have decided that Newstead is your local community and picked your 3 favourite projects – include Wasteland to Wellspring.
  • Or if you have an email but no mobile phone you can register at Pick My Project, choose your three favourites and then call 1800 797 818 and they will complete the final verification step for you.

Share the love – get others to vote!

Invite your neighbours, friends and relatives to vote for our project. They can vote for projects in Newstead and surrounds no matter where they live in Victoria.

Need help? Call Geoff 0418 138 632 or Chris 5476 2457

Need to know more about the project, our funding submission etc? Check out our webpage