Exhibitions 2016
A Crash of Rhinos
When
26 August - 12 October 2016
The City of Wanneroo in conjunction with the State Library of Western Australia exhibited the work from the highly acclaimed children’s author/illustrator Patricia Mullins.
A Crash of Rhinos was published in 2010 and won the Notable Book (Picture Book of the Year) CBCA Awards in 2011. The complete set of illustrations and preliminary material from the book was acquired in 2011 by the State Library of Western Australia to be included in their Dr Peter Williams collection of illustrations and thanks to their generous loan to the Wanneroo Gallery, we were able to showcase these works to a new audience.
Collecting Stories and Telling Tales
When
22 July 2016
Part installation and part exhibition, Collecting Stories and Telling Tales shares the diverse stories of people who have called Wanneroo home or who have a connection to the area.
A collection of photographs, art, maps, historical objects, films and oral histories take visitors through Wanneroo’s history from before settlement through to recent times.
Artwork for the exhibit was completed with Bunbury artist Troy Bennell and students from Yanchep Beach, Madeley, Roseworth, Alkimos, Hocking and Wanneroo primary schools. The colours of the artwork represent the six Noongar seasons.
Bush Babies - Honouring our Elders
When
21 July 2016 - 22 August 2016
Bush Babies – Honouring our Elders was a collection of paintings of sixteen Elders who were painted as part of Community Arts Network’s Bush Babies community arts project.
The Community Arts Network’s Bush Babies community arts project records and preserves the unique stories of the Elders who were born in the bush, reserves, missions or fringes of towns.
The paintings, and the short stories that accompany them, open a window on a sorry part of our history. The Elders featured in this exhibition all lived under harsh government policies that denied them basic human rights, including the privilege of being born at the local hospital.
Many of them were born in tents, makeshift shelters or under the stars, with senior women in their families serving as midwives. This exhibition gives an outlet to share this story to audiences and create awareness of these issues amongst communities.
The exhibition was inspired by a single photograph taken during one of Community Arts Network’s digital media workshops. The photographer, Jarrad Seng, who is well known for his work with musicians Ed Sheeran and Passenger, captured a stunning image of Ballardong Elder Hazel Winmar on her 99th birthday. The photograph inspired Wheatbelt artist Graham Smith to paint her portrait and this in turn inspired other artists to come forward to volunteer to honour an elder on canvas.