Ipswich’s arts community is coming together in a way it has never done before, with artists, photographers, musicians and miniature crafters joining forces for a collaborative exhibition at the historic Old Courthouse.
The exhibition will bring together the creative groups based within the landmark building on the corner of Roderick and East streets, while elsewhere in the city award-winning artist Anne prepares to open her first solo exhibition, Weathering, at Limestone Street Gallery.
Both events were featured on West Bremer Radio’s Get Your Arts Into Gear, highlighting a busy October ahead for the Ipswich arts community.
Award-winning artist steps out solo
Artist Anne is preparing for a significant milestone with her first solo exhibition, Weathering, opening at Limestone Street Gallery on October 10.
Anne attracted attention after winning Best in Show at last year’s Ipswich Art Awards — a remarkable achievement considering she had only recently returned to painting after a break of around 30 years.
Her new exhibition draws heavily on landscapes, clouds and the ocean, but Anne said her work was less interested in simply reproducing what she saw and more focused on emotion.
“My landscapes, it’s about what we feel,” she said.
“I’m not really interested in just doing a literal interpretation of anything. It’s more about how we feel.”
The exhibition’s title also carries a deeper meaning.
Anne said Weathering referred not only to the natural environment depicted in her work but also to the experiences people endure throughout their lives — the idea of “battening down the hatches” and weathering difficult periods.
Returning to art after 30 years
Anne said life had taken her away from painting for around three decades before she returned to her creative practice about 18 months ago.
“Obviously life got in the way. That’s something that happens to everyone, I think, at some stage,” she said.
Painting eventually became an important outlet and a place where she could find some stability.
“It’s like a therapy, just a place to kind of be where I could almost ride out the storms,” she said.
That return has already resulted in major recognition through the Ipswich Art Awards, and Anne confirmed she would again enter the awards this year.
Weathering opens at 6pm on Saturday, October 10, with everyone welcome and no RSVP required.
The exhibition will then continue for six weeks until November 21 at Limestone Street Gallery, located next to the Ipswich Civic Centre in the former CWA building.
Courthouse groups come together
Later in October, another significant collaboration will showcase the variety of creative organisations operating from Ipswich’s Old Courthouse.
Ipswich Arts Society president Tom Mason and secretary Lyn said it would be the first time all the creative groups based in the building had come together for a combined exhibition and display.
“This is the first time ever that all the groups have got together,” Tom said.
The collaboration grew from what would traditionally have been the Ipswich Arts Society’s annual exhibition.
Instead of working independently, organisers approached the other creative organisations sharing the historic building and invited them to become part of the event.
The Ipswich Photographic Society will contribute photography to the exhibition, while musical theatre group The Minors will provide singing performances.
The building’s miniature crafters will also open their studio, giving visitors an opportunity to see their detailed miniature creations.
Breaking down creative barriers
Tom said one of the motivations for organising the combined exhibition was to break down barriers that had traditionally existed between the different organisations sharing the Courthouse.
“For want of a better word, [it was] segregated,” he said.
“You had the music people, you had the Art Society, the Photographic Society, and they all sort of weren’t meshing together.”
The new approach was about recognising the groups had more in common than separated them.
“We’re all in the same building, sharing the same space — let’s do it,” he said.
That philosophy has also helped move beyond old distinctions between different creative disciplines.
“The photographic people used to say, you know, the Art Society, well, they’re artists, and the Art Society used to say, they’re photographers,” Tom said.
“We’re over that. We’re all artists.”
Exhibition runs for more than a week
The Old Courthouse exhibition will run from October 16 to October 25, with the official opening held on Saturday, October 17 at 1.30pm.
Entry is free.
Internationally known artist Don Milner will officially open the exhibition, while entertainment and light refreshments will also be provided.
Artwork displayed throughout the event will be available for purchase, with EFTPOS facilities available. Unlike exhibitions where purchased pieces must remain hanging until the event finishes, buyers will be able to take their artwork home on the day.
The exhibition will be open throughout the week from 9am until 2pm, giving visitors plenty of opportunity to explore the work.
Some participating artists will also create work while attending the gallery, allowing visitors to watch the artistic process firsthand.
On opening day, artists are expected to work on the Courthouse veranda, giving visitors the chance to look over their shoulders as new pieces take shape.
Organisers hope the event will also introduce people to the organisations operating from the building and potentially encourage new members to become involved in painting, photography, music or miniature crafting.
Visitors will also have an opportunity to discover more about the Old Courthouse itself, a historic building dating from 1859, with tours and stories about some of its more unusual features available during the event.
With Anne’s first solo exhibition and the Old Courthouse’s creative groups joining forces for the first time, October is shaping up as another showcase of the depth and diversity of Ipswich’s arts community.
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