On a Saturday morning in February, people travelled near and far for the opening of Bold Intentions, presented at the Bank Gallery in the North Midlands town of Carnamah. Filled with equal parts excitement and nerves, curator Wiggy Mitsuda made the two-hour drive from Geraldton, expecting only a handful of guests. Instead, she was met by an impressive crowd, with visitors spilling onto the street from the humble-sized bank-turned-gallery.
The opening celebrated the work of nine Mid-West artists as part of the Regional Arts Triennial, and many months of behind-the-scenes coordination by Wiggy. “It was a huge success” said Wiggy, “Driving back to Geraldton felt like only half an hour – I was just floating all the way home!”
Following its launch, Bold Intentions travelled to Mingenew, where its currently showing at The Exchange+Gallery, before continuing on to Northampton and Geraldton. We caught up with Wiggy to hear about how it all came about.
Image credits: Briony Bray, Wiggy Mitsuda, and Cam Fitzgerald on a road trip and gallery visit to Carnamah and Mingenew. Courtesy of Briony Bray | Leah Vlatko, Connective Tissue. Photo by Amanda Forward | William Pike, The Humble Bee | Cam Fitzerald, Echoes of the Future | Tymia Councillor, Djilba | Mark Miragliotta, Laraia | Mina Elliott, Scotts Reef \ Helen Reynolds, What Lies Beneath. Images courtesy of the artists.
Every aspect of Wiggy Mitsuda’s life is deeply informed by her background as a yoga practitioner, a philosophy that also shapes her art practice. “All our teachings come from very ancient wisdom, which always finds its way into my work. Everything I do returns to those ancient teachings” she said.
As an artist, Wiggy works largely with ceramics, textiles and found objects, drawn to their tactility and connection to the body. “There are a lot of analogies between yoga and working with pottery – like the idea of the clay pot and the space within, for example. My yoga classes are also almost always curated experiences; I have a story, and the body moves with those stories” she said.
Wiggy is an active member of the Geraldton Pottery Club, where she loves sharing her knowledge with others, particularly younger artists. “I always want to share skills like making glazes and firing techniques. I love that these skills are so ancient – they’ve been around for a very long time, so I think it’s important to pass them onto the next generation” she said.
Alongside her practice, Wiggy often has several creative projects on the go. For example, in 2024 she led INTERCO, a large group show with members of the Geraldton Pottery Club as part of the Indian Ocean Craft Triennial: Codes in Parallel. “We created this amazing installation work at Geraldton Regional Art Gallery. I mainly facilitated getting it all together, which I suppose was about cat-herding 65 members into making pottery for the installation” Wiggy laughed.
Briony Bray, Geraldton Regional Art Gallery’s coordinator at the time, recognised Wiggy’s knack for working with artists, so when the curatorial role for the Regional Arts Triennial show came up, Briony encouraged her to take it on. “I was quite new to the whole experience—I didn’t really know what I was in for. But it’s been amazing, because I’ve now realised, I’ve been curating for a very long time without realising it” reflected Wiggy.
From the outset, Wiggy wanted to include artists who wouldn’t usually pursue such opportunities. “My process might have been slightly unconventional, by inviting artists rather than making a call-out” she said, “But I wanted to reach people I knew probably wouldn’t submit an EOI, people who maybe hadn’t had opportunities before.”
“Also, when I’m working with people, I work better when there’s less ego involved, and more heart and soul. That definitely helped with my choices in who I invited. And it’s been fabulous—every one of my artists are just beautiful people” she continued.
In particular, Bold Intentions has allowed emerging Mid-West artists to flourish. Tymia Councillor, for example, is a Banjima/Yamiji/Noongar artist based in Carnamah, who works from her lived experience of life on Country. In a series of large-scale paintings, Tymia has explored the six Aboriginal seasons – Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru, Djilba and Kambarang.
“When I first met Tymia, she was very shy—you could hardly get a word out of her” shared Wiggy. “She hadn’t had many opportunities to develop her art yet. But over the months, through visits and conversations, seeing her grow in confidence has been incredible.”
Mina Elliott, based in Geraldton, presents a series of watercolour paintings displayed in salvaged snorkelling masks. Wiggy encouraged Mina to challenge herself by working in three-dimensions, while still working with her own strengths. “What she came up with are these beautiful watercolours placed behind masks. She loves snorkelling out on the reef, so the concept fits perfectly with who she is – wholly passionate about protecting the ocean and the natural world for her generation” Wiggy said.
William Pike is the young artist and boiler-maker behind the sculptural work The Humble Bee. “He’s been fabulous to work with, just filled with enthusiasm” said Wiggy. “We’ve had many meetings and gatherings, and he hasn’t missed any of them. He’s very humble, and just grateful to be involved in the process. It’s been a thrill to watch him create his piece.”
Film credits: Artists of Radical Futures: Bold Intentions by Amanda Forward. Courtesy of North Midlands Project.
Seeing these young artists grow was a real highlight for Wiggy. “Because I don’t always follow what’s conventionally expected, I really value when someone offers their own perspective” she said. “They’re not thinking, ‘I went to university and was told this is how I’m supposed to do something, or that I should use a particular language’. I like when it’s free from that academic lens – when its simply coming from them. The young ones have been perfect for that.”
Bold Intentions champions the voices of the next generation – our future leaders – and recognises their vital role in addressing the challenges of our time. It’s a reminder of our collective responsibility to respect and stand up for nature, for all people, for language, for how we live and relate to one another.
On the title itself, Wiggy says, “I chose Bold Intentions because I came across an analogy from The Wilderness Society that described boldness as being like a scraggy plant growing on the edge of a rock face—finding roots in the nooks and crannies—having a strength, resilience, and inspiration, and thriving in difficult conditions. I thought—that’s the Mid-West. That’s what the Mid-West feels like to me. We have this tendency to keep thriving, sometimes in difficult conditions. I hope Mid-West people feel proud of what they have here and recognise that you can thrive in difficult conditions.”
It’s this spirit of resilience and possibility that Wiggy hopes to share as Bold Intentions continues to travel across Mid-West.
Bold Intentions continues at The Exchange+Gallery, Mingenew until 30 June. It includes work by Tymia Councillor, Mina Elliott, William Pike, Cam Fitzerald, Mark Miragliotta, Helen Reynolds, Leah Vlatko, and Yamaji Art.
Tour Dates: The Hampton Gallery, Northampton, 4 – 31 July, & Geraldton Regional Art Gallery, Geraldton, 26 September – 22 November. Find out more.
The WA Regional Arts Triennial 3: Radical Futures is funded with support from the WA Government. It is coordinated by Southern Forest Arts with support from ART ON THE MOVE through the Regional Exhibition Touring Boost. Project partners include John Curtin Gallery, Regional Arts WA, GalleriesWest and Kimberley Arts Network.