ISSUE 19

September & October 

FOR OUR ELDERS: Casey Aboriginal Gathering Place have created a short documentary that captures the stories of our Elders in the South East community.

September & October in Casey is packed with creative goodness!

Experience and support our local arts community at '4C's Showcase and Exhibition', 'New Ground 2023', 'Night Mode: Gather Edition', 'Open Studios Weekend' and plenty more...

The next two months are bound to intrigue, engage and deliver creative opportunities, events and activities, read on and get involved. 

Connect newsletter is here to keep you up-to-date...

NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES

Lindsay King Award 2024. Do you know an individual and group in Casey who consistently goes above and beyond to make a significant contribution to the Arts in Casey, embodies community spirit and contributes to making our city a wonderful place to live? Nominations open 18 September and close 16 October 2023. More information here

2024 – 2025 Creative and Cultural Development Fund is for arts organisations, community arts groups, professional artists and arts practitioners both within Casey and from outside the municipality that want to deliver arts opportunities in Casey, for Casey residents. Round opens  Monday 25 September 2023 and closes Friday 27 October 2023. For more information click here

HEAD ON Student Awards. Open to Kindergarteners to Year 12's (This one is for you or a student you may know) There is no theme and you can enter work of any photographic genre or style – flex your creativity! Since 2004 we have been helping photographers all over the world to create, exhibit and inspire, awarding over $800,000 in cash and prizes. For more information click here

Creative RISE. Is a new initiative that provides a range of opportunities for industry knowledge growth, and creative practice development, and responds to the needs of the local arts community. For more information click here

Artists are invited to submit their entries for the Maritime Art Prize and Exhibition 2023. Australia’s premier award for maritime art, presented by the Mission to Seafarers Victoria. The substantial prize pool of $25,000 will be awarded across four categories. Submissions close 8 September 2023. For more information click here

Tell us your thoughts to enter the draw to WIN!

Winter Arts Festival 2023 has come to a close and we want to hear from you! Did you attend Winter Arts Festival this year? Did you feel more connected to your community? Did you learn something new? If you didn’t attend, we still want to hear from you! Why didn’t you attend this year? What would be of interest in future years? The survey will take around five minutes and everyone that completes it goes into to the draw to win one of three $150 Eftpos vouchers. The survey closes Monday 11 September, 5.00 pm 2023. READ MORE

ART SPACES PROGRAM: SPRING

Art Spaces promotes and supports traditional and contemporary work from artists residing in the South East suburbs in an annual curated program. These three dedicated spaces create access to visual art in a diversity of forms and gives artists the opportunity to reach new audiences.

AIR23

Tuesday 22 August – Sunday 1 October at Hayshed Studio, Old Cheese Factory, Berwick 

A culmination of work created by artists participating in the Way Over There (WOT) Collective and Connection Arts Space's Artist in Residence (AIR) program! In AIR23, we see inside the worlds of artists who have had space and time to grow, change, test, challenge, sink into, or fall back in love with their practice.

Image: Provided by WOT Collective 

4C's Cultural Exhibition

Tuesday 22 August – Sunday 11 September at Bunjil Place Library Art Space, Level 2

Bunjil Place will host 16 schools for 4C’s, Cultivating Creative Cultures with Communities program again this year to celebrate community and support VCEVM student outcomes. This annual showcase helps build community connection by celebrating inclusivity, respect, and integrity. Across the three weeks there will be an exhibition of artworks by local young people to coincide with the performances.

Image: Farzana Ghulami_Traditional Afghan Dance 2023_fineliner and watercolour on watercolour paper_Hampton Park Secondary College

Advocating for unheard voices

Tuesday 22 August – Sunday 11 September at Bunjil Place Library, Level 1

We live in challenging times where some issues cannot be discussed without prejudice, fear, bias, and confusion. In this exhibition, students from Lyndhurst Secondary College, Cranbourne East Secondary and Cranbourne Secondary College confront these concerns and advocate for unheard voices in a series of short stories and creative pieces. Written works will be displayed alongside photographs from the State Library Victoria collection, also selected by the students.

Image: Mathias Heng, Ahmad and Ali sit on the lawn outside 16 Derby Street, Kensington, 2001. Photographic print (gelatin silver), 2001. Courtesy the artist

RED EARTH EXHIBITION

Tuesday 5 September - Saturday 30 September at Cranbourne Library Art Space

Red Earth was created by Janine Farinski, after a fabulous trip to Uluru with her sister, where she collected an abundance of photographic reference material. Wonderful views of endless skies, neck breaking monumental formations amongst a palette of warm orange, oinks, deep reds and sapphire blues. Red Earth is a ten month exploration celebrating the joy, spirituality, intrigue and solitude she felt in country Australia.

Image: Janine Farinski, Caelifera, 2023,  photographic print. Courtesy the artist

To Casey, from Kabul

Saturday 16 September – Saturday 11 November at Bunjil Place Library Art Space, Level 2

Over the past few years, Zia Atahi has noticed that when Afghans visit Melbourne, many say that they feel like they are at home while in the boundaries of Casey – it feels just like Kabul. By documenting stories, Zia hopes that the boundaries between members of the Hazara community and wider Casey community will shift as we can all be inspired to make positive changes in our lives and our local and global communities.

Image: Zia Atahi, Portrait of Sediqa Sultani, 2023, photographic print, 2023. Courtesy the artist

Serbisyo Sining at Kwento (Service, Art and Stories)

Tuesday 3 October – Sunday 12 November at
Hayshed Studio, Old Cheese Factory, Berwick 

Showcasing stories of Filipinos ageing in a foreign land and volunteering in the community, as well as the 'pandemic artwork'. Through the exhibition we share experiences and stories which may resonate and encourage others in the community to use art as a talking point for cultural sharing and learning.

Image: Ponciano Aguilar, untitled, 2022, oil on canvas. Courtesy the artist

LOCAL PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

4C's Showcase 

Monday 4 and 11 September at Bunjil Place Theatre 6.00 pm - 9.00 pm

Presented by local Secondary students in years 7-12 in partnership with Bunjil Place. 4C’s Cultivating Creative Cultures with Communities Showcase spans across three nights this year to celebrate community and support VCEVM student outcomes. Come along to support this multicultural showcase that helps build community connection by celebrating inclusivity, respect, and integrity. Bookings

Bush Diwan

Saturday 16 September - Sunday 12 November at Bunjil Place Gallery.

In Bush Diwan, six contemporary artists respond to a pivotal moment in Sikh history in Australia by exploring the reclamation of identity, forming, gathering and laying foundations of community. Illuminating two significant, yet little known, moments in Australian history, this project centres on the story of Siva Singh, an early 20th century regional Victorian resident, Sikh community leader and civil rights campaigner. Read more

Image: A group of Sikhs gathered at Siva Singh’s property at Reef Hills outside Benalla, 1920. Photo courtesy of the WJ Howship Collection, University of Melbourne.

Beyond Identity

Dance on Wednesday 25 October at Lynbrook Community Centre, 2 Harris Street, Lynbrook 

Are you 18 – 25 years of age? Want to explore your identities, share your stories or connect with others? City of Casey, in partnership with Feifei Curiosity would love you to join them for the first of three free creative workshops.  No Arts Experiences required. Bookings

AGEING POSITIVELY FESTIVAL EVENTS

Open Studios Weekend: Sneak Peek Exhibition

Exhibition on Sunday 8, Saturday 14 and Sunday15 October, 10.00 am – 3.00 pm each day at Gate 6 Gallery & Studio, Akoonah Park, Cardinia Street, Berwick

Join us for an insight into the Open Studios Weekend 2023! Enjoy works on display from all ten spaces who will be opening their doors to the public and take this opportunity to start plotting your road trip.  Read more

Image: Photograph courtesy of Zam Studio

Open Studios Weekend

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 October, 10.00 am - 4.00 pm 

Embark on a self-guided tour through the studios, galleries and gardens of a diverse array of talented artists and makers hailing from across the south east region. This is a unique opportunity to witness live demonstrations, actively engage in artistic endeavours, enrich your personal collection with one-of-a-kind and environmentally conscious locally crafted artworks, or even enrol in creative workshops that ignite your imagination. Read more 

Image: Andrea Hopgood, Heading home from the hills, 2022, oil on canvas. Photograph courtesy of Zam Studio

For Our Elders

Sunday 22 October at Bunjil Place Studio
2.00 pm – 3.30 pm

Join us for the launch of this short film created the NAIDOC week theme 'For our Elders'. Traditionally our stories are vocally passed down from generation to generation and with this special documentary, we can keep their stories alive for years to come. The Elders’ share their incredible stories and the formation of the community in the south east by those important families that founded community. Bookings

WHAT'S ON?

Drop-in workshop: Phulkari inspired cards 

Children and their families are invited to drop-in to Bunjil Place and spend time exploring the materials and techniques seen in our current exhibition Bush Diwan. Suitable for children aged 6 – 12 years. Bookings

Littlefoot and Company's Spoken Word Night

Thursday 28 September and Thursday 26 October, 7.45 pm -10.00 pm

These nights are for all types of performances; Spoken word artists, storytellers, musicians, comedians and even first time performers! Bookings

Ageing Positively Festival 

Across the City of Casey in October 

With more than 100 fantastic events, there is something for everyone. Whether you are interested in joining a workshop, immersing yourself in musical events, attending informative sessions, going on tours, or trying something new, this festival promises enriching experiences and memorable moments for all. Read more 

Every place has a soul: A poetry workshop

Saturday 7 October, 11.30 am -2.30 pm at Bunjil Place Library 

In this workshop, we will commune with our inner worlds in relation to our physical environment, as basis for writing poetry. We will undertake an improvised walk, create emotional cartography and write poems pulled from between psyche and space. Bookings

Night MODE: Gather Edition

Thursday 12 October, 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm at Bunjil Place 

Experience a night of creativity, community, and connection at the last Night MODE for the year with a Gather theme. Grab a friend and join local artists for hands-on making workshops, moving performances, and enriching activations. Bookings

An Evening with Author Judy Nunn

Monday 2 October, 7.00pm - 8.30pm at Bunjil Place Library

Join us for an evening with one of Australia's most successful authors and all round superstar, Judy Nunn, and celebrate her latest historical blockbuster novel 'Black Sheep' is a sweeping historical novel about a prosperous sheep-farming family and the enigmatic young man with a dark past they let into their lives. Bookings

Watercolour Art Therapy

Thursday 5 October, 1.00 pm - 3.00 pm at Endeavour Hills Library

Join Deborah to create a watercolour Tree of Life in this hands-on art therapy workshop. No experience necessary, all materials supplied. Programmed for the Ageing Positively Festival. Bookings

Watercolour Landscapes

Thursday 12 October, 1.00 pm - 3.00 pm at Cranbourne Library

Join Deborah to learn watercolour techniques and create your own mini beach landscape painting in this hands-on workshop. No experience necessary, all materials supplied. Programmed for the Ageing Positively Festival. Bookings

Studio C

18 to 27 September at Brentwood Neighbourhood House, Berwick 

Studio C is established in Casey and located in Casey, offfering FREE art workshops providing to autistic girls group ( Age 4-8 Wattles, Age 8-16 Matildas).  Studio C is an award-winning community project in 2022 and currently run by non-profit organization WELC(Women’s Empowerment & Leadership Community Inc. ), offering a safe, welcoming and empowering space for autistic girls to establish, celebrate and embrace their autism pride while having fun creating amazing artworks. Bookings at eventswelc@gmail.com

CONTRIBUTE

Contribute to Connect by sharing your arts related news, stories, articles or events. Check out the guide to content & publication deadlines and how to submit below...

CONTRIBUTE TO CONNECT

We proudly acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Casey’s Aboriginal communities and their rich culture and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Aboriginal people as Australia’s first peoples and as the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we work and live.