This is not an ecoPULSE.art project, but artists involved in ecoPULSE.art projects have been involved in this Regional NSW initiative. This project addresses some of the themes and issues of interest to ecoPULSE.art projects.
In 2022, 27 artists from across Regional NSW were commissioned for a State-wide program of creative development and conversations that place artists at the centre of a dialogue exploring a future vision for the place where they live and create. This was the original Regional Futures project, created by the NSW Regional Arts Network, made up of the 15 Regional Arts Development Organisations (RADOs), who work together to create sustainable arts and cultural development programs, supported by Regional Arts NSW and Create NSW.
The project has since been renamed Regional Futures: Artists in Volatile Landscapes, after the exhibition and symposium held at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in June-September 2023. Read the catalogue for more information about the project and the artists involved.
An Entangled Existence
In 2024, seven of the 27 commissioned artists came together to continue the conversation about the challenges and opportunities ahead of Regional Australia, in an exhibition of work at the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre at Moruya on the South Coast of NSW. The exhibition is titled Regional Futures: An Entangled Existence. It opened on 26 October, and runs until 23 November 2024.
The artists are Anna Glynn (Jaspers Brush), Laura Baker (Blayney), Tracy Luff (Goulburn), Jane Richens (Dungog), Joanne Stead(Tamworth), Tania Hartigan (Wallabadah), and Kim V. Goldsmith (Dubbo).
Regional Futures: An Entangled Existence explores the future of regional Australia through an intersectional feminist lens that draws inspiration from the landscapes and the socio-ecological fabric of our regions. The works in this exhibition have been created by female artists of different experiences and backgrounds, from across regional NSW, each creatively investigating the complex issues impacting our collective future from the perspective of those playing a critical role in shaping environmental, cultural, social and economic health.
In bringing these selected works together, there’s recognition of how different aspects of our social and political identity often influence the way we think about and experience the world, potentially resulting in discrimination and privilege.
An Entangled Existence: An Essay
A collaborative essay by artists Kim V. Goldsmith, Joanne Stead, Anna Glynn, Tracy Luff, Jane Richens, Laura Baker, Tania Hartigan and Regional Futures creative producer, Narelle Vogel, October 2024, first published on ClimateCultures.
If reading on a mobile phone, click the Download button to read on your screen.
Go to ClimateCultures version to read a personal reflection on the future of the regions by Kim V. Goldsmith (Kim is a member of ClimateCultures). READ MORE
An in-gallery panel discussion, 26 October 2024
At the opening of the exhibition ‘Regional Futures: An Entangled Existence’ at the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre in Moruya on the South Coast of NSW (Yuin Country), six of the exhibiting artists were joined by members of the local community to share their thoughts and stories about the future of the regions. The panel is facilitated by Kim V. Goldsmith. The other artists speaking at this event are (in order): Tracy Luff, Anna Glynn, Joanne Stead, Laura Baker, and Jane Richens. Also speaking on behalf of Eurobodalla Shire Council Coordinator Creative Arts Development, Indi Carmichael, is Creative Arts Officer, Sue Blackburn. Other voices in the discussion are those of community members attending the opening event. This is an edited recording of that discussion in the gallery.
Online panel discussion, 13 November 2024
The artists in Regional Futures: An Entangled Existence share how they explored the issues behind their work, how they think the conversation needs to move forward to create a future where we all might thrive and what role the arts play in planning for the future. This talk was hosted by Orana Arts as part of the Studio Co!Lab Talks program in 2024. To see the contributions from the two artists off-camera, Tracy Luff and Tania Hartigan, download the PDF below.
ABC NSW Mornings interview, 24 October 2024