The Overwintering Project: Bound for Botany Bay
Hazelhurst Art Centre, Broadhurst Gallery 8 - 18 September 2018
782 Kingsway, Gymea, NSW
Article and images, unless stated, by Suzanne Newton, Project Coordinator for The Overwintering Project: Bound for Botany Bay
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Presented by Printmakers of Southern Sydney and featuring work by Yvonne Daly, Nicole Low, Georgia Lambropoulos, Stephanie McCready, Suzanne Newton, Julianne Smart, Kim Whitbread and Naomi Woodlands.The Overwintering Project has caught the imagination of printmakers across Australia as they realise the potential to create art for social change. On World Shorebird Day, September 6, eight printmakers from Southern Sydney installed Sydney's second offering for the Overwintering Project at Hazelhurst Arts Centre in Gymea. The significance of the date is not lost on these artists, as they live in an area surrounded by environmentally sensitive shorebird habitats: Botany Bay, the Port Hacking River, and the Georges River.
The artists connected with each other through the Hazelhurst Printmaking Program under the tutelage of renowned printmaker, Laura Stark. They are all avid users of the Southern Sydney waterways listing activities like paddle boarding, outrigging canoeing, boating, swimming, walking and bird watching as some of their leisure pursuits. As residents of the local area, the change in the landscape from development and population growth has not been lost on them. From the outset, the group wanted to ensure there was a strong community link to their art exhibition. They therefore developed educational projects in collaboration with Sutherland Council, ANSTO and a local school to complement the printmaking exhibition. |
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Highlighting a Local Shorebird Protection Project
In April 2018, Sutherland Council opened the Woolooware Bay Shared Pathway Stage 6 along Botany Bay. This high profile project featured in the Overwintering Exhibition as an example of how local Council is working to protect shorebird habitats whilst addressing the community’s need for recreational space. One of the striking features of the pathway is the bird hide, a cleverly designed steel screen which screens users from the east while allowing views of the bay from the west. It features a contemporary artwork of the significant birds inhabiting the site surrounded by mangrove seeds washed up on the beach to reinforce the purpose of the bird hide and other sensitive ecologies within the site. Sight holes, provided by the perforations in the screens allows people to view shorebirds without disturbance. Sutherland Council was very supportive of our desire to raise awareness of the plight of migratory shorebirds. They provided signage graphics for our educational display, sandbag skins so we could create an “island” for our flock installation and the graphic to recreate the shorebird image from the bird hide onto the gallery wall. Brendon Graham, Senior Natural Areas Manager kindly offered to host a tour of the Woolooware Bay Shared Pathway during our exhibition. Hazelhurst Arts Centre set up a webpage for the Overwintering Exhibition and a link to book into the walking tour. You can read more about the Woolooware Bay Shared Pathway here. R: The Woolaware Bay shared pathway, and a detail of the bird hide featuring the head of a Bar-tailed Godwit surrounded by the shapes of mangrove pods. Below: Students from St George Christian School painting The Flock; SGCS Year 3 class reading The Circle by Jeannie Baker.
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Connecting with Schools: A Shorebird Unit of Study for Year 3
The Australian Curriculum places emphasis on sustainability as a priority for study that connects and relates relevant aspects of content across learning areas and subjects. One of the Overwintering artists, Suzanne Newton, worked with teachers at a local school to incorporate a shorebird art activity into a unit of study. During Term 2, Year 3 students at St George Christian School completed an educational unit in English and Visual Arts with a focus on conservation and the protection of migratory shorebirds. The students undertook speaking, listening, reading and writing tasks in response to the acclaimed picture book, Circle by Jeannie Baker. The book tells the story of the migratory journey of the Bar-Tailed Godwit. The Year 3 students also created their own Flock of timber shorebirds. These cutouts were supplied by the Overwintering artists and are based on Flock Oz templates from the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre in New Zealand. The teachers took the project a step further with each student adorning their shorebird with paint and an element of rubbish such as twine, fishing line, plastic straws and lids. These items represented the impact of humans on the shorebird habitats and gave the students pause to consider ways in which their own habits can affect the environment. It is hoped that the Flock Oz project will form a regular part of the year 3 unit of study in years to come. The Year 3 students flock will nest at the Hazelhurst Gallery during The Overwintering Project: Bound for Botany Bay exhibition. A story regarding the project was featured in the local newspaper, The Leader. Environmental Awareness Art Competition One of our artists, Stephanie McCready, is employed as an educational officer for ANSTO. With ANSTO's support, she organised an environmental awareness art competition aimed to encourage students to learn more about shorebirds and their local habitats. ANSTO generously offered over $3000 worth of educational resources as prizes. Details are available here. |
Connecting to Community Programs
The timing of our Overwintering Exhibition was fortuitous as it coincided with several national and international environmental awareness “days”. One of our Overwintering artists, Julianne Smart, worked on promoting the Overwintering Exhibition by linking online to various environmental awareness programs like World Shorebird Day, Saving our Species Day and Threatened Species Day. We were also very fortunate to have Phil Straw, Vice Chairman of the Australasian Wader Studies Group of Birdlife Australia give the Opening Address for The Overwintering Project: Bound for Botany Bay. He also delivered a multi-media presentation at the Hazelhurst Arts Centre throughout the afternoon of the Opening.
Conclusion
The Overwintering Project has been an exciting experience for the artists involved. It has offered an opportunity to marry our art practice with environmental concerns and work towards social change. We have been overwhelmed by the number of people that have offered support for the exhibition, demonstrating the depth of feeling for our endangered shorebirds and their habitats.
The timing of our Overwintering Exhibition was fortuitous as it coincided with several national and international environmental awareness “days”. One of our Overwintering artists, Julianne Smart, worked on promoting the Overwintering Exhibition by linking online to various environmental awareness programs like World Shorebird Day, Saving our Species Day and Threatened Species Day. We were also very fortunate to have Phil Straw, Vice Chairman of the Australasian Wader Studies Group of Birdlife Australia give the Opening Address for The Overwintering Project: Bound for Botany Bay. He also delivered a multi-media presentation at the Hazelhurst Arts Centre throughout the afternoon of the Opening.
Conclusion
The Overwintering Project has been an exciting experience for the artists involved. It has offered an opportunity to marry our art practice with environmental concerns and work towards social change. We have been overwhelmed by the number of people that have offered support for the exhibition, demonstrating the depth of feeling for our endangered shorebirds and their habitats.
Images below. Top L: Suzanne Newton, 2018, Traveller, solar plate, ink drawing. Top R: Stephanie McCready, 2018, Resting, drypoint. (Image by Stephanie McCready) Middle L: Nicole Low, 2018, Pipe 1, hand-coloured solar plate etching. Centre: Nicole Low, 2018, Noodle Bowl, hand-coloured solar plate etching. Middle R: Nicole Low, 2018, Shorebird, hand-coloured solar plate etching. Bottom: Stephanie McCready, 2018, Arrival, drypoint etching a la poupée (Image by Stephanie McCready).
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Overwintering: Portland
It was an intimate group of artist members and art loving friends who gathered on the wintery evening of August 3rd for the opening of The Overwintering Project - Portland. After the exhibiton was opened by Elizabeth Knight, the artists shared stories about their bird inspirations. The artists with works were on display were Tina Biggs, Therese Coffey, Sandra Duncan, Britt Gow, Elizabeth Knight, Bronwyn Mibus, Heather Richardson, Bob Stone, and Lesley Walker. There were a variety of printmaking techniques on display; linocut, etching/aquatint, screenprinting, stamping and digital prints. Gordon Risk said "It was a great variation of artwork to a very good standard.”
Elizabeth Knight |
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Top: Exhibition opening, Portland Bay Press, Julia Street, Portland, Victoria. Images by Gordon Risk. Centre: Therese Coffey, 2018, Boarding Pass, digital print. Image by Gordon Risk. Bottom L: Britt Gow, 2018, Latham’s Snipe at Powling Street Wetlands, Port Fairy, collograph a la poupée. Bottom centre: Elizabeth Knight, 2018, Red-necked Stint, Etching. Bottom R: Therese Coffey, 2018, Bar-tailed Godwit, screenprint.
Overwintering: Firestation Print Studio and Migaloo Press
Firestation Print Studio Gallery, 20 June - 15 July 2018
2 Willis Street, Armadale, Victoria
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Above: Exhibition images featuring artists' works on the walls and the amazing collaborative artists' book, Overwintering, bound by Migaloo Press members Sue Poggioli and Jennifer Stuerzl.
'Firestation Print Studio decided to join forces with Migaloo Press to help promote the importance of the plight of the migratory birds within the larger Overwintering Project. This collaboration brings together two very different ecological habitat, both with significant migratory bird populations' (Overwintering - Firestation Print Studio & Migaloo Press catalogue).
This beautiful exhibition featured a wonderful array of prints by 32 artists from the Firestation Print Studio in Melbourne and Migaloo Press in Brisbane. The prints themselves were superb, but the exhibition was made particularly special by its unique central feature - a concertina artists' book of all 32 prints, hand-bound by Migaloo artists Jennifer Stuerzl and Sue Poggioli. The book, which features a title page featuring letterpress by Marian Crawford, was displayed on a custom-made plinth, made by John Hinds, and took central place in the gallery. The concertina nature of the binding allows viewers to see the backs of the prints where the artists statements (including maps and poems) can be examined.
Thanks go to all the artists involved, but particularly to the organisers for envisaging this very special iteration of the project, Edith May from the Firestation Print Studio, and Jennifer Stuerzl and Sue Poggioli of Migaloo Press.
This beautiful exhibition featured a wonderful array of prints by 32 artists from the Firestation Print Studio in Melbourne and Migaloo Press in Brisbane. The prints themselves were superb, but the exhibition was made particularly special by its unique central feature - a concertina artists' book of all 32 prints, hand-bound by Migaloo artists Jennifer Stuerzl and Sue Poggioli. The book, which features a title page featuring letterpress by Marian Crawford, was displayed on a custom-made plinth, made by John Hinds, and took central place in the gallery. The concertina nature of the binding allows viewers to see the backs of the prints where the artists statements (including maps and poems) can be examined.
Thanks go to all the artists involved, but particularly to the organisers for envisaging this very special iteration of the project, Edith May from the Firestation Print Studio, and Jennifer Stuerzl and Sue Poggioli of Migaloo Press.
Clockwise from top left: Jen Conde, 2017, Eastern Curlew, etching; Peter Ward, 2017, Storm over the Connewarre Wetlands, multiple linocut; Jan Liesfield, 2017, Dreaming of Warmer Climes, linocut; Gwenn Tasker, 2017, 5 inches, 30 grammes, 25,000 km, collograph and etching.
The Overwintering Project: Mapping Sanctuary (Newcastle)
Newcastle Printmakers Workshop, 23 - 24 June 2018
27 Popran Road, Adamstown, NSW
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Gina McDonald, President of Newcastle Printmakers' Workshop, wrote: 'On Saturday 23 June Kate Gorringe-Smith arrived to open the Newcastle Printmakers Overwintering Project Exhibition. We were thrilled to have her as she truly has led us on an amazing journey, opening our minds and hearts to the plight of migratory shorebirds that visit Australia each year, to overwinter away from the cold further north to far off places like Siberia. At the opening we were also joined by Tom Clarke and Julianna Ford who accompanied us on our first trip to the Stockton Sandspit where a number of birds like the Bar-Tailed Godwit and the endangered Eastern Curlew gather from September onwards through to May. Some of the birds have decided to stay and Kate was lucky enough to see them early on Sunday morning before she began her flight back home.
Thank you to all of the people who helped to pull the exhibition together especially Helene Leane, Vale Vincent, Michelle Strazarri, Robyn Culley, Amanda Donohue and Megan Lewis as well as to all the artists who participated in this inspirational project. We had close to 200 visitors to view artworks on our revamped gallery wall so another thank you to Jim Williams for creating it. Wonderful!' The exhibition was also enlivened on the day of the opening as the workshop hosted a Roaming Art Tour run by Ahn Wells of Gallery 139 whereby participants carved and printed a lino block. Thanks so much to all the members of the workshop who brought the project to life in such an amazing way, and particular thanks to Gina McDonald for all her work in co-ordinating the exhibition! Right:: Exhibition opening, Newcastle Printmakers' Workshop, Sat. June 23. |
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A selection of the works on show include (clockwise from top left): Gina McDonald, 2018, Flying to Japan - the ooji shigi bird, collagraph; Valé Zakarauskas, 2018, Wandering Tattler Foraging, multiplate aluminium etching with intaglio/relief; Anne-Maree Hunter, 2018, In the Shadow of Nobbys, dry point, linocut, hand-stamped text and image, printed in thermographic ink; Robin Hundt, 2018, Lunch at Last, screenprint and pencil.
The Overwintering Project: Sydney
Warringah Printmakers Studio Gallery, 21 - 24 June 2018
Cnr Condamine & Lovett Streets, Manly Vale, Sydney, NSW
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Members of the Warringah Printmakers Studio in Manly Vale, Sydney, exhibited their Overwintering prints in a lovely exhibition held in June in their Studio Gallery. The opening was well attended, and the prints are diverse and beautiful. The prints resulted from members' research into their local shorebirds and shorebird habitat, notably a group visit to Long Reef with BirdLife Australia member Robert Griffin.
Warringah Printmakers Studio President Sandra Williams reported that: |
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'Long Reef Aquatic Reserve is situated between Collaroy and Dee Why on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Robert gave an introductory talk about the different species of migratory waders & their habits and habitats which he had spotted at Long Reef. With Robert’s skilful guidance, and the use of his binoculars and telescope, the rock platform suddenly sprang into life and became a rich habitat filled with different bird species. We saw the Ruddy Turnstone, the Pacific Golden Plover, the Sooty Oystercatcher, the Grey-tailed Tattler and the Red-necked Stint. We also saw birds not on topic, such as the Great Cormorant, Pied Cormorant, Little Pied Cormorant and as a wonderful finale three Ospreys circled in and landed on the beach just as we were finishing.'
Sandra also reported on a visit by 12 artists to the AGNSW's Study Room where Study Room Coordinator Deborah Jones had chosen a selection of works in response to a general brief of both contemporary and traditional works onpaper related to birds and their habitats. Her selection included 'a Lake Eyre sketchbook by Frank Hodgkinson (Journey with Vincent Serventy,
John Olsen and Tim Storrier), John Olsen etchings, colour woodcuts by Imao Keinen, etchings by Elizabeth Cummings, works by Lionel Lindsay, Sydney Long, David Rose, John Wolseley, Elaine Haxton, Murray Griffin, Brett Whiteley and Max Pam.'
Thanks go to all the artists who participated in this lovely exhibition, but especially to Sandra Williams who co-ordinated Warringah's amazing and wholehearted response to the Overwintering Project.
Sandra also reported on a visit by 12 artists to the AGNSW's Study Room where Study Room Coordinator Deborah Jones had chosen a selection of works in response to a general brief of both contemporary and traditional works onpaper related to birds and their habitats. Her selection included 'a Lake Eyre sketchbook by Frank Hodgkinson (Journey with Vincent Serventy,
John Olsen and Tim Storrier), John Olsen etchings, colour woodcuts by Imao Keinen, etchings by Elizabeth Cummings, works by Lionel Lindsay, Sydney Long, David Rose, John Wolseley, Elaine Haxton, Murray Griffin, Brett Whiteley and Max Pam.'
Thanks go to all the artists who participated in this lovely exhibition, but especially to Sandra Williams who co-ordinated Warringah's amazing and wholehearted response to the Overwintering Project.
Top left and right: installation view in the Warringah Printmakers Studio Gallery. Bottom left: Avrille Ciccone, 2018, Flight of the Godwits, photopolymer etching, a la poupée. Bottom right: Negin Maddock, 2018, In Transit, linocut, stamping and monoprint.