Where art, words and landscapes collide

24 November, 2020

Two local Gunnedah Creatives, Anne Bell and Maree Kelly, feature in the nationally toured exhibition Art Word Place coming to Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery in December, 2020.

Art Word Place was on exhibition at The Tamworth Regional Gallery in November 2019, as part of Regional Arts NSW’s Artstate event and has also been on display at the Regional Australia Institute in Canberra from March 9- June 9, 2020.

Art Word Place focuses on the interplay between text and image and was co-ordinated by Caroline Downer, Executive Director, Arts North West.

Eighteen writers from the Arts North West region have been commissioned to create a short poem based on their home landscape. Selected artists have then drawn on this composition as the basis and inspiration of a new work capturing the identity and sense of place of the New England North West. There are recurring themes – of rivers, plains and sky, of drought, of adversity but also of optimism.

“There are depictions of drought and bushfire ravaged lands, of sky and clouds, of adversity and of the challenges in this landscape,” Caroline Downer said. “But then there is also the representation of strength, of resilience and of perseverance. Here we have the works with more optimism; the river, the majestic mountains, the glimpse of a new day, the detail of new growth and a sense of hope.”

Curlewis artist Maree Kelly said had enjoyed working with her friend Anne Knight to create a painting inspired by Anne’s poem Resonance.

“Anne’s words evoked for me a snippet of hope, the smell of rain, early morning light, hope before the sun came up and bared the hard dry ground, teasing and giving hope rather than depicting just how hard the drought was impacting on us – generations of families looking for even just a glimpse of rain,” Maree said.

Art Word Place will be exhibiting at The Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery throughout December and January with the Official Opening from 1pm Friday 18 December, 2020. The exhibition continues until 3pm Sunday 31 January, 2021.

Participating artists: Bernard Alberecht, Gabi Briggs, Leah Bullen, Peter Champion, Jan Clark, Sharon Gilmour, Michelle Hungerford, Nancy Hunt, Paula Jenkins, Maree Kelly, Rowen Matthews, Liz Munro, Liz Powell, Max Powell, Jo White.

Participating writers: Nicole Alexander, Anne Bell, Michael Burge, Esther Gardiner, John Heffernan, Lizzie Horne, Heather Kerridge, Yvonne Ledingham, Yve Louis, Lucy Munro, Bronwyn Parry, Helena Pastor, Virginia Tapscott, Michael Thorley, Nate Weatherall. Places: Armidale, Ebor, Deepwater, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Inverell, Invergowrie, Manilla, Moree, Narrabri, Quirindi, Rocky River, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Uralla, Walcha, Warialda and Yarrowyck.

Caption: Maree Kelly and Anne Knight have worked together to contribute to the Art Word Place exhibition.

ENDS

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