Exhibiting art from the NSW Central West at NSW Parliament House
While the World Waits & Beyond: Aboriginal Arts & Culture in regional NSW
Opening Wednesday 7 August 2024. Running to 29 August 2024. In the Fountain Court at NSW Parliament House, Macquarie Street Sydney.
Hosted by The Hon. Ben Franklin MLC, President of the NSW Legislative Council.
WHILE THE WORLD WAITS EXHIBITION
20 Central West artists respond to a Central West sonic journey.
Show me what it feels like…
This unique opportunity for 20 regional visual artists to create artworks in response to original regional music has been a labour of love for Arts OutWest. We could see the impact of the global pandemic on the arts. Lockdowns and loss of work ran right across all artforms, particularly live shows. We wanted to help by creating opportunities for those most affected.
Arts OutWest commissioned 15 songwriters across 11 local government areas in the region to each write a song reflecting their experiences of 2020. This compilation album was titled While the World Waits. We heard what it felt like, now we wanted to see what it felt like.
While the World Waits Exhibition is a curated exhibition in which selected visual artists in the Arts OutWest region each responded to one or more tracks, title or words on the album. The exhibition and tour was launched on Saturday 19 March, 2022 at Tremains Mill Gallery in Bathurst by Dr. Tracey Callinan, CEO Regional Arts NSW.
The exhibition has toured for 2 years to venues across NSW Central West LGAs of Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan, Lithgow, Mid-Western Regional, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Weddin. It then travelled to Sydney at NSW Parliament House in the Fountain Court where the exhibition was hosted by the Hon. Ben Franklin MLC, President of the NSW Legislative Assembly and opened by NSW Minister for the Arts, Hon. John Graham MLC on Wednesday 7 August 2024.
Steven Cavanagh, Curator.
Artists featured in WHILE THE WORLD WAITS
Gus Armstrong (Kandos), Laura Baker (Blayney), Helen Carpenter (Cowra), Steven Cavanagh (Hill End), Gemma Clipsham (Bathurst), Bev Coe (Condobolin), Heather Dunn (Bathurst), Lise Edwards (Hampton), Harrie Fasher (Portland), Robert Hirschmann (Portland), Cate McCarthy (Yetholme), Hugh McKinnon (Orange), Christine McMillan (Kandos), Shani Nottingham (Cowra), Timothy Seager (Bathurst), Henry Simmons & River Yarners (Bathurst), Bridget Thomas (Sofala), Jane Tonks (Orange), Heather Vallance (Canowindra), Stephan de Wit (Parkes).
See more about the exhibition tour
Video works in the exhibition
These works were created for the original exhibition however as there cannot be moving image in the NSW Parliament House exhibition you can view them here. If you’re at the exhibition you can use the QR codes provided to view each directly.
Gus Armstrong
I (mis)Connection, 2022
Single Channel Video, 4mins loop.
Watch
Timothy Seager
Walk, 2022
Single Channel animation, 3:52mins.
Watch
Henry Simmons with River Yarners
The River, 2022
Stop-motion animation and drone video, 3mins.
Watch
Stephan de Witt
Not together, just breathe, 2022
Single channel animation, 40sec loop.
Watch
beYOND EXHIBITION
Aboriginal Arts & Culture in regional NSW
Ever-present but often overlooked, Aboriginal Arts and Culture in regional New South Wales is alive and thriving with its own unique identity.
This exhibition celebrates the diversity of contemporary artistic practice of Aboriginal artists from beyond the sandstone curtain with a collection of new works from Central Western NSW.
From the legacy of colonisation to cultural revitalisation and environmental issues these messages from beyond amplify Aboriginal voices and showcase the ongoing development of artistic expression which is informed by the diverse traditions, histories and worldviews of First Peoples of New South Wales.
Beyond: Aboriginal Arts & Culture in regional NSW was on display from August 5 – August 29 at NSW Parliament House, Reconciliation Wall in the Fountain Court where the exhibition was hosted by the
Hon. Ben Franklin MLC, President of the NSW Legislative Assembly and opened by NSW Minister for the Arts, Hon. John Graham MLC on Wednesday 7 August 2024.
Aleshia Lonsdale, Curator
Artists featured in BEYOND: Aboriginal Arts & Culture in regional NSW
Nyree Reynolds (Blayney), Sonia Cox (Lithgow), Jessica Ann Leffley (Lidsdale), Irene Ridgeway (Parkes), Ronda Sharpe (Parkes), Tanya Stevens (Gulgong), Jason Wing (Kandos), Brett Groves (Lithgow), Aleshia Lonsdale (Mudgee).
Location: Fountain Court NSW Parliament House
When: August 2024
Funded by: Arts OutWest
WHILE THE WORLD WAITS ARTISTS:
Curator: Steven Cavanagh
Gus Armstrong
Laura Baker
Helen Carpenter
Steven Cavanagh
Gemma Clipsham
Bev Coe
Heather Dunn
Lise Edwards
Harrie Fasher
Robert Hirschmann
Cate McCarthy
Hugh McKinnon
Christine McMillan
Shani Nottingham
Tim Seager
Bridget Thomas
Jane Tonks
Heather Vallance
River Yarners with Henry Simmons
Stephan de Wit
WHILE THE WORLD WAITS exhibition catalogue cover:
Steven Cavanagh, 3:11am – 3:16am Wednesday 6 May, 2020 (video still). Courtesy of the artist.
(artwork used on While the World Waits CD cover).
BEYOND ARTISTS:
Curator: Aleshia Lonsdale
Sonia Cox
Brett Groves
Jessica Ann Leffley
Aleshia Lonsdale
Nyree Reynolds
Irene Ridgeway
Ronda Sharpe
Tanya Stevens
Jason Wing
BEYOND exhibition catalogue cover:
Sculpture, Maliyan, Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation (WCC).
Photo: Steven Cavanagh.