Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I use this opportunity to show an example of a great federal arts fund grant in Gilmore. On May 8, I looked in my diary and saw that I was to attend a microgallery opening in Junction Street, Nowra. As a painter myself, my curiosity was immediately engaged—what on earth is a microgallery?

This gallery is designed to show art in small and creative ways and was one of 80 regional art and cultural projects that received support through round 2 of the Australian government's Regional Arts Fund. The fund is set up to support sustainable cultural development in regional and remote Australia. The program provides funding for a mix of quick resource grants and community grants for art projects, professional development of artists and art workers and community capacity building projects. The microgallery initiative certainly did all of that in Nowra. The aim of the vent was to blur the line between fine arts and street art, changing the way we see our world. The streets and laneways of Nowra's CBD came to life with the work of 20 local artists and they were joined by 15 international artists, including a US based photographer, a Finnish street provocateur and a Paris cartoonist. Micro Galleries is an international art project with the goal of bringing art in many forms to the community to demonstrate that art is for everyone, breaking out of the set spaces and becoming part of the community directly.

Some of the themes were on the environment, like the collection of junk mail that was converted to a constant ribbon of waste paper to be used as bean bag fill, or a curious installation aimed to change someone's day for the better. There were temporary boards, live performances, video presentations and some permanent installations. The yellow painted piano just near my office is eye-catching and completely spontaneous. It encouraged some to play a tune or two. Nowra is the first Australian city to host Micro Galleries. Other recent appearances were in Cape Town and Hong Kong. The local artistic director, Kat Roma Greer, who grew up in the Illawarra, has spent a lot of time in Shoalhaven, including a recent stay as an artist in residence in Bundanon. Kat explained how Nowra was selected as the first Australian location. She says that during her residency at Bundanon she spent time in Nowra and was blown away not only by the amazing art community that worked across the Shoalhaven, but also the beautiful buildings, cool little laneways and the cafes and shops in and around the CBD, as well as the initiative at Nowra Alive kicking off. She just felt that Nowra was the perfect fit for Australia's first microgallery—a seemingly unassuming town with lots to offer. One of the other facilitators for the project was Bonnie Greene. She was the artistic producer, apart from being a practicing artist herself, she also has a close connection to Bundanon through her arts administration work. It is amazing how the Bundanon Trust workshops and residencies act as a catalyst in foretelling the vision and legacy of Arthur Boyd.

Zina Churchill makes a trifecta of art advocacy for this event. She believes her art form is the process of removing the jargon and fluff around marketing. Clearly her 20-plus years in this industry was a great part of this artistic endeavour. The Regional Arts Fund was a source of much needed dollars to pursue this concept. I suspect that Zina may be an exhibitor by herself later, as she is a photographer. A vacant shop was used as a pop-up exhibition space for a live performance or two, a seminar venue and how art can be part of anyone's life. It was explained to me that Micro Galleries aim to change the way the community views the significance and possibilities presented by street art, and also to show those who are interested in street art, that they can perhaps express themselves in more interesting ways.

Importantly the project brought together diverse groups in our community: generational, cultural and socioeconomic. It all seems to bring together different segments of the community such as business, residents, council and creating industries, all working together for free public art. This initiative demonstrates how affective art can be in bringing life, creativity and enthusiasm to a business center that has elements of despair, empty shops and concerns about retail trading. Microgalleries do this by driving business to the local community, particularly the cafes and restaurants, and the local boutiques shops, as participants wander through the CBD viewing the works. Another aim was to showcase the air deco buildings of Nowra to generate future interests and a possible return visit.

Creating this precinct activation and regeneration reframes the perceptions of street art and how it can impact on a community. It also helps to establish small business partnerships, possibly we can have another microgallery in 2016. You have to admit, it is pretty curious when you see people standing by the curb side, all looking up at the sky. You ask why. Because the artist wrote a sign on the footpath in three separate words. "Loo Kup Now". So people can experience the ever changing skyscape. The funding for this project was exceptionally well spent, congratulations to all the participants, both artists and those looking at their work.

See this speech in context