Walcha Art

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About this Item
Speakers - Torbay Mr Richard; McDonald Dr Andrew
Business - Private Members Statements, PRIV

WALCHA ART
Page: 99

Mr RICHARD TORBAY (Northern Tablelands—Speaker) [8.39 p.m.]: Every now and then a group of like-minded people with vitality, initiative and similar ideas happen to be at the same place at the same time and produce spectacular results. This occurred in 1996 in Walcha, a small town in my Northern Tablelands electorate with a population of just over 3,200. It began when local farmer and sculptor Stephen King presented Walcha Council with a plan to build a fountain sculpture Weather Signs for McHatton Park in the centre of town. This led to the concept of an ongoing public art program and to facilitate it the Walcha Arts Council was formed. The arts council worked with Walcha Council on a strategy and by 1998 that strategy was incorporated into the 1998 Management Plan as the Open Air Gallery.

Walcha is fortunate in that it has several professional practising artists living in the region. They all exhibit in metropolitan galleries but live in the country, some combining their art with farming. Locally based children's book author, John Heffernan, headed up the new Walcha Arts Council, which included well-established artists Stephen King, Julia Griffin, Ross Laurie, Angus Nivison, Miffy Gullifer and James Rogers. John describes them as a miraculous group with drive and planning capacity and also well organised. Working closely with Walcha Council and the local community and with very little money, over the past 14 years they have transformed the Walcha streetscape with sculptures and mosaics, hand-made street furniture and sculpted awning posts.

One of the most striking and distinctive works is James Rogers' inspiring steel sculpture Song Cycle, which has transformed the roundabout at the southern approach to the town. Sculptures now mark the four entrances to Walcha and in 2003 Walcha Council employed architect Ian Brammer to create a new streetscape design. He quickly recognised that council should continue to incorporate art into all aspects of the streetscape, whether it be pavements, street furniture, lighting, signs, bridges, rock walls or awning posts. In 2003 well-known art critic and former Curator of Australian Art at the Australian National Gallery, John McDonald, gave the town's reputation as an art centre a further boost. He curated an exhibition, "Walcha—City of Art" at his NewContemporaries gallery in the Queen Victoria Building, Sydney. The exhibition included works by five Walcha artists and photographs by Beryl Feron of 24 of Walcha's sculptures. It made quite an impact. In an essay written for the catalogue, John McDonald said Walcha had:

found a way of signposting its vitality. For a modest investment of ratepayers' funds the Council has given the town a special place on Australia's cultural map. This has come about with the assistance of artists and supporters who have donated a great deal of time and experience to create this unique facility. It is an example of many individuals working together for the good of a community in which they share strong family and sentimental ties.


Many of the sculptures were created in intensive workshop projects under the supervision of Stephen King and Julia Griffin, funded by Walcha Council and overseen and organised by the Walcha Arts Council. The group also sought out international and interstate artists, whose work is now scattered around the town, through its association with Sydney's Sculpture by the Sea. Walcha Arts Council members emphasise that its strength is that it still retains the same small group of people who started it in 1996. They have held to a single vision, strongly believing that the key to their success has been retaining their vision, ensuring quality control and overseeing every project until completion of the full installation.

Quite recently a new art gallery featuring the work of local artists has opened in the town's main street. I have been there on a number of occasions; it is an outstanding facility. The community and successive councils under three different mayors have been supportive of the initiatives but the project has depended largely on the artists' generosity and a small budget from Walcha Council. I would like the Minister for the Arts to visit Walcha to see for herself what is being achieved and to offer funding assistance to enable these enterprising artists to hold workshops, forums and interchanges with other country town communities to support local artists and extend this initiative throughout the regional areas of New South Wales.

Dr ANDREW McDONALD (Macquarie Fields—Parliamentary Secretary) [8.44 p.m.]: I thank the member for Northern Tablelands for his statement. As a former resident of New England, Madam Deputy-Speaker, you would appreciate such a wonderful initiative. I will pass on the invitation from the member for Northern Tablelands to the Minister for the Arts. The Minister visited the Northern Tablelands electorate in May last year to launch the New England Regional Art Museum Foundation, where she announced a New South Wales Government investment of $10,000 in education and audience development. I am advised by the Minister that $10,800 was allocated to 11 Northern Tablelands-based organisations to help fund a wide range of programs under the 2010 Country Arts Support Program—part of $245,000 in grants distributed in rural and regional areas in March this year.

An additional $2.1 million has been provided specifically in support of regional conservatoriums. Many of the State's most exciting arts projects are occurring in our regional and rural areas where artists have the space and freedom to explore and innovate. Last December, Minister Judge announced more than $4 million in grants for arts and cultural organisations in regional and rural New South Wales under the 2010 Arts Funding Program. I know that Minister Judge is very committed to ensuring that people living in rural and regional areas have access to first-class art and cultural activities and that local artists and creative enterprises receive an appropriate level of support. Applications for the 2011 round of funding are now open and I urge people to visit the website—www.arts.nsw.gov.au—to get more information on how to apply for a grant. I thank the member for Northern Tablelands for his statement. It certainly sounds like Walcha has experienced a wonderful rejuvenation and I congratulate those concerned on their wonderful achievement.