Image credit Naomie Hatherley. Photography by Michael Jalaru Torres | Chelsea Hopkins-Allan. Photography by Luke Griffiths | Aaron Claringbold and Rebecca McCauley. Photo courtesy of the artists | Tania Spencer. Photography by Duncan Wright | Shandell Cummings. Photography by Jasmine Eales, courtesy of Regional Arts WA
ART ON THE MOVE is excited to announce the recipients of the 2024-25 Artists in Residence Program.
Following a rigorous selection process, six exceptional West Australian artists have been chosen to take residency in Carnamah, Gathaagudu/Shark Bay and Kinjarling/Albany over the next year.
The selected artists are:
Naomie Hatherley (from the Kimberley) will undertake an eight-week residency across the North Midlands in the Mid West, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Macpherson Homestead’s reopening in Carnamah. Her research will focus on the history of the homestead, particularly the relationships between the Macpherson and other settler families and the Amangu and Badymia people. Inspired by the story of eight local Aboriginal families who sent flowers to Donald Macpherson’s grave in 1931, she will explore the symbolism of this floral gesture and how such narratives can inform the concept of reconciliation.
Rebecca McCauley and Aaron Claringbold‘s (from Perth) residency focuses on imaging Gathaagudu/Shark Bay through collaboration with Traditional Owners and community, creating an interdependent portrait of the place and its people. They aim to produce new work that highlights the profound and intricate connections between people and their environments. Rebecca and Aaron want to work with local community to create photographic portraits showcasing the world they nurture, including animals, plants, land/seascapes, and weather. They are interested in photographing how people shape the world and how their world shapes them.
Tania Spencer (from the Wheatbelt) will travel to Gathaagudu/Shark Bay to undergo an investigation into shell craft, beginning with a shell collection bequeathed by her nanna. Many of these shells were collected during her nanna’s yearly trips to the Shark Bay area. During the residency, Tania will reflect on her childhood, where they spent time together making shell ornaments from these shells. Tania aims to explore the Museum’s collection for historical stories and cultural significance of shell crafts in Shark Bay, including examining Indigenous links with colonial practices. Her residency will include community outreach to uncover and share stories and connections related to this cultural heritage.
Shandell Cummings (from the Great Southern) will research the fish traps in Kinjarling/Albany and community perception and knowledge of these structures. She will invite community members to gather and share conversation, providing an opportunity for personal interpretation of knowledge, feelings, and aspirations around the fish traps. Shandell hopes that her residency will strengthen connection between the Museum of the Great Southern, Menang people and the wider community, through research, community conversations and workshops, and an exhibition of her findings.
Chelsea Hopkins-Allan (from the Great Southern) will create a body of work based on the exploration of moths and butterflies in the Great Southern area, a biodiversity hotspot with numerous endemic species that have not been properly documented. This project will involve a citizen science initiative, encouraging community participation to share and create from findings, while Chelsea also creates drawings and paintings to record these discoveries. She will also travel to Perth to study the Museum’s Lepidoptera collection, drawing, photographing, and consulting with an entomologist to catalogue and identify species found in the field, including addressing the process for unidentified species.
ART ON THE MOVE partners with the Museum of the Great Southern, Shire of Shark Bay and North Midlands Project to deliver the Artists in Residence Program, which provides each artist with up to $20,000 to live, work, and undertake a significant creative project. During each residency, artists are invited to activate local collections while contributing to the community through workshops, public events and exhibitions.
ART ON THE MOVE Executive Director Ricky Arnold says he is excited to see artists of such strong calibre and from a diverse range of practice take part in the program.
“The response we received for these residencies was phenomenal, both in quality and professionalism of artists submitted, and the creative research concepts proposed. Selection was a very difficult process. It was particularly exciting to see the wealth and depth of practice from submissions by artists based regionally.”
“We are delighted to welcome such a talented group of artists to our residency program, which aims to foster creativity, collaboration, innovation and community connection across regional Western Australia. We look forward to following these artists’ journeys over the coming year, as they immerse themselves within their residencies and the community.”
The 2024-25 Artists in Residence Program is made possible through the Regional Exhibition Touring Boost with funding managed by Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
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