A “ROLLING conversation” gathering ideas and hopes for a positive future is making its way back to Footscray.
A team of artists led by writer and poet berni m janssen and
theatre maker Alison Richards has been working with people from across a
variety of communities to share ideas about the kind of future they
would like to see.
Participants in artist-led workshops held in Footscray, Clunes and
Castlemaine were asked “What do you value and want to take into the
future?”
Responses were incorporated into artworks that will form part of
an exhibition opening at Footscray Community Arts Centre’s Roslyn
Smorgon Gallery next Thursday.
Inspired by the tradition of exchanging fruit with neighbours and
friends to make preserves, janssen says the Preserves Project is a
rolling conversation gathering stories and ideas from one place and
taking them on to the next.
“Sharing these stories is vital because we cannot preserve what we don’t know about or understand.”
Other artists involved in the project include Sarah Lloyd, Ros Bandt, Hoang Tran Nguyen and Gunther Wilhelm.
Workshop artists taking part are Victoria Morphy Walsh, Shona Te Hau, Rebecca Russell and Carolyn Lewens.
An artist talk will be held from 2pm-4pm Saturday, September 14.
People can contribute to the ongoing project during an Exchange
Day at the centre on October 12, sampling homemade preserves, enjoying a
cup of tea with the artists and sharing their own stories.
The Preserves Project opens at FCAC at 6pm on Thursday, August 29, and runs until October 13.
