Two art galleries open for business
The Baw Baw Arts Alliance is slowly reopening with its two galleries open for business.
The Station Gallery at Yarragon currently has a vibrant display of spring related art created during lockdown by local artists on its freshly painted walls.
Artspaces at Trafalgar is operating as a retail space only until art groups can recommence. All items for sale have been created by members of Bbaa. Members are suggesting it could be a good time to support artists and shop early for Christmas.
Artspaces is open weekdays from 11am to 3pm each day except for Wednesday when it will close at 12.30pm.
Despite restrictions delaying works, community art project “Pat the Dog” continues to take shape.
Sponsored by Regional Arts Victoria, mosaic artists are doing their best to complete the large dog sculpture.
Members of the community began creating multi block tiles for Pat’s coat well before COVID-19 appeared. This coat has been ready to be tiled since June, but restrictions have prevented it.
When restrictions eased enough, the coat went on. The mosaic group assisted the tiler to work and, along the way, learnt a few tips.
Working without the tiler, white tiles for Pat’s fur and black tiles for the eyes and nose are now being placed. It is hard, backbreaking work.
The community group hopes to finish the area below the coat in the next week, and then put up scaffolding so that work on the head can be completed.
The concrete block Pat will eventually sit upon, is still to be constructed.
In spite of the delays, and the slow work with social distancing, its creators are still hopeful Pat can be completed in time for a Christmas exhibition at the Station Gallery.
The Bbaa is a not-for-profit community group and always has a number of other organisations to thank for financial support including Baw Baw Shire and Vic Health.
Local artist and art alliance member Bec Vandyk is managing a new project in conjunction with shire cultural development officer Karen Whitaker-Taylor.
The project, “Live-Well, Come-Share”, is designed to engage small communities of Baw Baw residents who may be isolated by culture, health or mobility issues, age, or other daily life challenges. It aims to connect them with other community members through art as a medium of expression and personal growth.
Due to restrictions on face-to-face activities, the project is currently providing an online series of workshops called The Melting Pot on Sunday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm.
The series has been such a success that the next stage is for participants to meet in outside venues under the leadership of a local artist.
Artist Jeannie Haughton will lead this next component and has been given limited production rights by Graeme Base to use his book “Uno’s Garden”.
For more information, or to become part of the project, email Bec Vandyk at artsandhealthgipps@gmail.com or Karen WhitakerTaylor at karen.whitakertaylor@bawbawshire.vic.gov.au.