Essays

January 5, 2018

NANCY FAIRFAX STUDIO RESIDENCY - Tweed River Art Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre - September 2017

In September 2017, Rafferty spent two weeks as Artist in Residence in the Nancy Fairfax Studio attached to the Tweed River Art Gallery, Murwillumbah, NSW.

Through the Margaret Olley Art Centre, the Tweed Regional Gallery offers a unique experience of Margaret Olley’s home studio, provide insight into Australian art history and practice, and honours the artist’s legacy of mentorship and patronage. The Nancy Fairfax Artist-In-Residence (AIR) studio program encourages arts practice and creative engagement between artist, community and place. The AIR studio extends and completes the re-creation of Margaret Olley’s home studio at Tweed Regional Gallery. Throughout her professional life, Margaret Olley supported many artists through mentorship and financial assistance. To Margaret, the most productive ways of supporting artists were to encourage the public exhibition of an artist’s practice and to encourage sales and during her lifetime, she mentored a number of younger artists and encouraged their representation in public and private collections. She actively supported artists and advanced their careers through purchasing works for collections or offering artists the opportunity to further their development through fellowship programs. The AIR studio program offers artists an opportunity to stimulate their practice in a creative environment.

www.artgallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au

2016 WATERHOUSE NATURAL SCIENCE PRIZE "SHELLACKED" - FINALIST

SHELLACKEDIn her poem, “Letter”, Judith Wright asks, Why try to give what can never be given- safety, a green world? It’s mined, the trip-wire’s waiting. My work “Shellacked” alludes to many facets of ecology, not least the profound effect that the introduction of man has had on the natural world. The tortoise shells depicted in the work represent the many meanings that the word “shell” has in the English speaking world. The text running through the work, in tandem with the opaque stitching lines, describes the meaning of the word “shell” ranging from protective coating to shell-shock. The grenade represents the “trip-wire” referred to in Wright’s poem. The pin, with red chosen as the pin colour, is still intact but the threat is ominous. Fiona Rafferty – “Reminiscence” – Spring Creek Station – Narrabri – October 2015

The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize was launched in 2002 and commemorates the birth of the South Australian Museum’s first curator, Frederick George Waterhouse. The prize is an opportunity for artists to investigate the world around them, and present their perspectives on natural science. It encourages artists to make a statement about the scientific issues facing our planet, and offers a valuable platform for them to contribute to the environmental debate. Over the years the competition has become a much loved fixture on the arts calendar, allowing artists and audiences to explore natural science through a range of creative outlets. The Waterhouse Prize is held bi-annually at the South Australian Museum.

www.waterhouse.samuseum.sa.gov.au

Shellacked was selected as a finalist in the Emerging Artist Category.