Artist Peter Crisp outside the cottage on his Bowning property in which an artist can live and work for two weeks, thanks to Southern Tablelands Arts. Photo: Southern Tablelands Arts.
Picture this: You’re an artist. You’re brimming with ideas for a work of art, a book or a play. Maybe you’re an actor, a musician or dancer in need of space, solitude or just the right environment to work on your passion.
Thanks to Southern Tablelands Arts (STA) and world-renowned glass artist Peter Crisp, such a dream could well come true.
Applications are now open for the STA Artist-in-Residence program to be held this year at the Crisp Galleries at Bowning near Yass – home, farm and studio of Peter Crisp and his family since 1985.
The program offers the successful artist a home for two weeks in a self-contained cottage with access to extensive grounds. The cottage was the artist’s former glass-making studio but has since been transformed into the residential space. The artist will also be invited to share studio space with Mr Crisp.
The artist will receive $2000 a week for two weeks and $500 towards travel costs. They will also be eligible for an additional $500 if they’re involved in a nominated public art program.
“It really is the most wonderful opportunity for artists from within the Southern Tableands region to work on their artistic projects in the best and most inspirational of environments,” executive director of STA, Rose Marin said. “Especially with someone like Peter Crisp.”
Mr Crisp is a renowned Australian artist whose glass sculptures have been exhibited around the world.
He has been commissioned to design exclusive pieces for royalty and for some of the most famous retailers in the world – his work recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia.
The seventh time STA has offered the program in recent years, Ms Marin said it was all about providing a special place for “grassroots artists who are doing amazing things”.
She said the STA was expecting a large number of applications for the program this year because of the opportunities it presented to talented local artists.
“It is such a viable proposition for artists to be able to do something like this, have their living expenses covered – and make some money.”
She said previous artists-in-residence had included a Queanbeyan weaver who worked with natural materials to create their art – without leaving a footprint. Another was a movie-maker who wanted to research the only bushranger of Chinese descent, Sam Poo. The project ended up being a play about the movie crew going to Young to try to find Poo and, it turned out, Poo only became a bushranger because he couldn’t hack it as a miner.
Ms Marin said the program was open to professional artists from all disciplines from one of the seven local government areas that make up the STA region – Yass Valley, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Goulburn-Mulwaree, Upper Lachlan, Wingecarribee, Hilltops and Wollondilly.
They can work in any discipline, including visual art, performance, writing, music or multidisciplinary areas. Their work, research or collaborations should be inspired by the host venue and location.
More information and application details are available on the STA website.
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