News archive - April 2008

ARTS NORTHERN RIVERS NEWS

CONGRATULATIONS TO PETER WOOD… moving to colder pastures

Arts Northern Rivers Communications Officer Peter Wood has been poached by a Scottish performing arts company. He has accepted the position of Marketing Manager for The Assembly, one of the biggest event presenters for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Peter has been working as Arts Northern Rivers Communications Officer for over a year, and prior to that did consultancy and project work for the organization. CEO Lois Randall said “we congratulate Peter for getting such a brilliant job, but we will miss him very much. Peter is a true professional. We have been lucky to have someone with such extensive arts industry and marketing experience working in this little team, and on behalf of the board and staff I thank him for his significant contribution. Peter has revamped the newsletter, managed the Art Start and CASP grants programs, and has become well known for his arts updates on ABC Radio and in the Northern Star newspaper.” Peter is moving to Edinburgh in two weeks time and we wish him huge success in his new position.

Yes, the car and board are for sale!

REGIONAL MUSEUM TREASURES TO BE REVEALED

The Regional Museums Development Program is in the process of winding up a six month Regional Significance Assessment project in the Northern Rivers Region which it has undertaken on behalf of the National Library of Australia.

This project, which has included 20 museums across the seven LGA’s in the Northern Rivers Region, has been assessing what treasures are held in our local museums, with the assistance of the Regional Museum Development Officer, Joan Kelly and specialist consultant Zoe Scott.

Training has been given in assessing each ‘treasure’ against a specific range of criteria. The first set of criteria determine the historical, social, aesthetic or scientific importance of the item. Each item has then been analysed according to its Provenance (who the object belonged to and how/where it was used), representativeness, rarity, condition and/or interpretive potential. The criteria have then been used to determine whether the artefact has local, regional and/or national significance.

Over the last six months, each museum involved in the project has produced Statements of Significance (a summary of the information collected) for up to six of their most important and/or interesting artefacts.

Over the next six months RMDO, Joan Kelly, will work with the local museums and Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, to produce an exhibition of these artefacts which will tour the Northern Rivers Region in 2009.

These treasures will be revealed in Arts Northern Rivers e-news over the next few issues.

DJON MUNDINE AT GUNNAWANNABE MEETING

Over 20 Indigenous artists from the Northern Rivers region gathered to hear a presentation by Djon Mundine from the Campbelltown Arts Centre last Saturday at GunnaWannaBe Gallery and Cafe in South Lismore. Djon spoke about the NSW Parliament Indigenous Art Award and how to go about entering the 2008 award. This award is a prestigious event on the art calendar and has helped boost the profile of many Indigenous artists. Fingal artist Garth Lena won the award in 2006 for his culpture 'Spirit Man and Black Dog'. For a pamphlet about the Award contact Arts Northern Rivers Indigenous Arts Development Officer Frances Belle Parker (see below)

More info: frances@artsnorthernrivers.com.au