Update: November 2009 – February 2010
There has been much noise and activity across the Western Sydney region and we want to make sure everyone knows what’s been going on and what’s on offer. We would like to congratulate all arts centres that have taken on board a more inclusive approach to programming. Hopefully by the end of this year Western Sydney will be bursting at the seams with opportunities for everyone of all abilities everywhere. Read on to see what all the major arts centres, councils and disability services have been up to over the last few months.
Blacktown Arts Centre
Louis Black, artist from the Sargent Centre Mural project
Blacktown Arts Centre (BAC) employed artists David Capra & Tia McIntyre to run workshops for people with a disability to create a mural for the front of the Sargent’s Centre. This centre was officially opened on International Day for People with a Disability and houses four disability services from the Blacktown area: Peckys, Tuesday Night Club, Sunshine Homes and Independent Living for People with a Disability. The groups also created some fabulous artwork for inside the building as well. We look forward to seeing how this partnership between the BAC and the Sargent’s Centre will continue in 2010.
Contact: Miguel Olmo, Audience Development & Community Engagement Officer, tel: 02 9839 6247 or miguel.olmo@blacktown.nsw.gov.au
Parramatta Riverside Theatre
WAPD End of Year Concert at Riverside Theatres
Parramatta Riverside Theatre’s popular Workshops in the Arts for People with a Disability (WAPD) program offers weekly workshops in movement, music, dance and drama for people with disabilities. Towards the end of the fourth term, participants from all classes assemble together to perform an End of Year Concert on the main stage at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre. The End of Year Concert is an opportunity for the WAPD group to showcase some of their work created in the classes they attended that year. The theme for 2009 concert was ‘Aussie, Aussie Aussie.’ The audience followed tutors Adam Kennedy & Ona Nurkkala as they went on an all singing, all dancing tour through Australia where they saw bush dances, Aussie rules football players, Bondi Lifesavers, Eagle Rockers and the Kelly Gang! There was also a massive Karaoke session where everyone got to belt out their favourite song by an Aussie artist- we had John Farnham, The Wiggles, Kevin Bloody Wilson, Delta, Kylie and loads more.
Farewell… We would also like to say farewell to Adam who committed himself for four years to the WAPD program and I’m sure his enthusiasm, energy and talent will be missed by all the participants.
Travel Starting at the Bus Stop
For IDPWD Riverside hosted Sunnyfield Frenchs Forest Day Options Program’s Drama Groups encore performance of their play Travel Starting at the Bus Stop, directed by Annette Sudan. The play was originally performed as part of the Manly Arts Festival, it was such a huge success that Sunnyfield felt they needed to share the performance with the other Sunnyfield Day Option Program and friends.
Contact: Camilla Rountree, Producer, tel: 02 8839 3398 or rountree@ozemail.com.au
Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
Pinchpot with Natalie Valiente
Demonstrate your creativity and enjoy the fun of art making in our Pinchpot workshops. You will learn about clay and the skills you need to model small objects from bowls and plates to decorative novelties. Your creative choice of subject is encouraged.
Who: People of all ages who have a disability
Where: Clayhouse at Casula Powerhouse, 1 Casula Road, Casula NSW
When: First Friday of every month including 5 Feb, 5 March, 7 May, 4 June, 2 July, 6 Aug, 3 Sept, 1 Oct, 5 Nov and 3 Dec from (excluding Easter Friday in April)
Time: 10:00am – 12 noon or 1:00 – 3:00pm
Cost: $5 per session
Contact: Bookings tel: 02 9824 1121 or reception@casulapowerhouse.com
Fairfield Museum & Gallery
Chris Dyke from the First Flight Crew breakdancing at Fairfield Museum & Gallery, International Day of People with Disability 2009. Photography by Anita Winter.
International Day of People with a Disability
Fairfield City Council and Fairfield Museum & Gallery organised an event to celebrate International Day of People with Disability. The day began with a welcome to country and the opening of the Visual Abilities exhibition, a collection of works created during the weekly art classes run by Fairfield Museum & Gallery for people with a disability. The art classes are free and led by professional local artist Brenda Eggleton.
Entertainment included the First Flight Crew who performed their latest hip hop tracks with hip hop artist Morganics, as well as a performance by local singer/songwriter Ana Nguyen who performed her song Economy Sick.
Morganics then really got the place rocking with his solo performance and also by getting members of the audience to join him on stage for some beat boxing. By the end of the show everyone in the audience was dancing and there was a great party vibe in the air. After lunch everyone enjoyed lunch joining in the high energy hip hop workshop and trying their hand at chalk art.
Contact: Heidi Axelsen, Fairfield City Council, Community Project Officer, Cultural Development, tel: 02 9725 0757 or haxelsen@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Disability Art Workshops with Brenda Eggleton
Fairfield Museum & Gallery offer weekly art workshops for people with disability. Bookings essential on tel: 02 9609 3993.
Who: People of all ages who have a disability
Where: Cnr. Oxford Street and The Horsley Drive, Smithfield NSW
When: Every Friday,
Time: 2:00-4:00pm.
Cost: Free
Contact: Cedric Boudjema, Museum and Gallery Director, tel: 02 9757 4357 or cboudjema@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Powerhouse Youth Theatre
interACT – A resource for working in integrated performance settings
Claudia Chidiac, Artistic Director of Powerhouse Youth Theatre, officially launched the interACT Resource Kit, a new online resource for working in integrated performance settings at the IDPWD celebrations at Fairfield Museum & Gallery. The incredible new resource includes workshop plans and case studies from organisations and disability services across regional and metropolitan New South Wales with experience of working in an integrated performance setting. The kit was created to raise awareness of the work going on in the field of integrated performance and to help those who may want to work in the field with tools and techniques to get started. The resource kit was produced by Powerhouse Youth Theatre in partnership with Accessible Arts. http://interactresource.com.au
inter/ACT Integrated School Holiday Workshops
Throughout the second half of 2009 Accessible Arts and Powerhouse Youth Theatre established the interACT schools program. The program aims to integrate young people with a disability into mainstream school holiday performance programs within arts centres across Western Sydney. As a relationship building exercise interACT’s Workshop Coordinator, Matt Stewart coordinated a series of free in school drama workshops which were led by Accessible Arts’ Western Sydney Creative Programs Coordinator, Alison Richardson. Alison also mentored, Digby Webster in how to run the workshops and he assisted her in four of the five participating high schools across South West Sydney.
inter/ACT Street Dance Workshop
As part of inter/ACT a street dance workshop is planned for the 20-22nd of January at PYT for 15-18 year old people with and without a disability. For more details contact Matt Stewart on tel: 02 9724 6077 or matt@pyt.com.au
I Love You by Janet Diane
I Love You by Janet Diane (Creative Development)
I Love You by Janet Diane was one of eleven projects that received the Accessible Arts Small Grants funding as a part of Don’t DIS My ABILITY. Janet was also a member of the PYT’s Mixed Abilities Ensemble and performer in PYT’s major site-specific production, Hard Daze and also works one day in the PYT office.
In 2008 Janet began to write her first performance based on her own real life experiences as a young woman who lives with acquired a disability at 15 years of age. Janet’s performance in this 25-minute piece of moving and poignant theatre was brilliant & everyone is eagerly anticipating it’s major production which, pending funding, will hopefully be not too far into the future.
Powerhouse Youth Theatre and Fairfield City Council will be working with a new theatre group that comprises of actors with vision impairments. They will meet fortnightly to learn new skills in performance and create new theatre work. We look forward to hearing more about what this exciting new theatre ensemble gets up to.
Weekly workshops in performance for people with a disability will commence in March. For more information contact the Artistic Director.
Contact: Artistic Director, tel: 02 9724 6077 or info@pyt.com.au
Farewell… We would also to like to farewell PYT’s Artistic Director, Claudia Chidiac and General Manager, Eleanor Winkler. We would like to acknowledge all their hard work and commitment to inclusive arts practice across Western Sydney. They have committed themselves and the organisation fully into including people with a disability in all aspects of the company and have forged strong links with disability services and between young performers and artists within the company. We look forward to continuing our relationship with PYT and the new team from February 2010.
Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre - Q Theatre
The Q Theatre is currently working on a submission to receive funding for a production based on the stories, hopes and dreams of people perceived to have a disability. The project has been loosely titled The Dream Project. If successful with receiving funding the production will take place in as part of the Q Theatre’s main subscription season in 2011. Accessible Arts’ Alison Richardson was employed by the Q Theatre to undertake a research and community consultation phase, which entailed visiting disability services across Penrith to discuss ideas for the show and experience a free drama workshop. An ‘Acting n Arvo Tea’ workshop was also held which brought together over 20 people who identified as having a disability from all over Sydney to do participate in a drama workshop and also discuss ideas for the show.
Shadow Puppetry at The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre
The Q Theatre ran a year of successful workshops in Shadow Puppetry and 3D rod puppetry. The final term saw participants making the bodies for rod puppets and staging A Christmas Carol for Sizzle at Penrith Regional Gallery as part of IDPWD celebrations. The Q Theatre also invited the group to perform at the end of term performance night for Studio Q (the Q Theatre youth and young adults acting training program). The group were a huge hit on the evening getting a 300 strong crowd singing along with them. This integration by the Q Theatre is to be applauded and the staff from the disability services acknowledged for volunteering their time on the evening so that this opportunity was made possible for the people in their care.
Many of the participants of the puppetry workshop have come from the disability service Australian Foundation for Disability (AFFORD). Managers from AFFORD approached the Q Theatre about the possibility of staging their end of year concert within their theatre. This was welcomed by the Q Theatre with open arms and the theatre was given free of charge to the group. Each AFFORD service had devised a short song and/dance with their group which was performed on the stage. This gave each group the valuable experience of performing in a real theatre. We look forward to seeing how this partnership continues in 2010.
Q Theatre is once again running their popular Shadow Puppetry workshop and this year are also including an Inclusive Drama workshop. Both workshops take place on Fridays from 10:00am – 1:00pm beginning 12 February 2010 and will incur a small fee. For bookings and enquiries contact Katrina Douglas, Q Theatre Producer.
Contact: Katrina Douglas, Q Theatre Producer, tel: 02 4723 7610 or kdouglas@jspac.com.au
Penrith Regional Gallery
Sizzle – an inclusive arts event
The Penrith Regional Gallery (PRG) & The Lewers Bequest hosted the inaugural Sizzle Festival on 2 December 2009 in celebration of International Day for People with Disability. Sizzle was an inclusive, fun, celebratory event that showcased art works made by people with a disability and also short performances from local disability services and the Q Theatre, these ranged from puppetry to Elvis impersonations. The day was well attended and everyone enjoyed being able to dance at the disco, hang out in the beautiful garden area, view the art exhibition and get involved in the performances.
As part of Sizzle, PRG also offered a mentorship to an emerging artist with disability which allowed the chance for one artist to receive professional development in the form of three one hour sessions with practicing contemporary artist Catherine O’Donnell. There was also a free morning workshop for carers of people with a disability giving creative ideas for working with the people they care for.
PRG also continues its Inclusive Education Program through tailored and interactive guided tours, providing access to studio spaces for art making workshops and access to art making workshops.
Contact: Naomi McCarthy, Acting Manager/ Education and Public Programs, tel: 02 4735 1100 or nmccarthy@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au
Hawkesbury Regional Gallery
Performance in the Gallery with Katy Green, Open Program at the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery
AFFORD and Junction Works joined together for 9 weeks of Performance in the Gallery. The group all met once a week at the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery to perform improvisations, theatre exercises and games. The group focused this term on movement and stillness, coordination and range of movement, shape making and vocal skills. This workshops are part of Accessible Arts on going Open Program that aims to provide performing arts opportunities to people with a disability within major arts centres across Western Sydney.
Contact: Katy Green, Workshop Coordinator & Tutor, tel: 0416 482 151 or gallery1@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au
Contact: Kathleen von Witt, Hawkesbury Gallery & Museum Director, tel: 02 4560 4442 or kathleen.vonwitt@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au
What else has been happening??
There were also a lot of arts based activities happening across the Western Sydney region outside of the major arts centres particularly around International Day of People with a Disability (IDPWD). We’d like to congratulate those council areas that included the arts in their IDPWD celebrations through their workshops, exhibitions and performances.
Blue Mountains
- Katoomba Fine Arts Gallery and Disability Enterprises presented an exhibition called Sensorial.
- Blue Mountains City Council presented the Able Arts Exhibition.
Baulkham Hills
- The Hills Shire Council presented their annual Access2Arts Exhibition.
- Tours, activities, workshops continually are held at Powerhouse Discovery Centre at Castle Hill.
Bankstown
- Bankstown City Council presented workshops in laughter, photography and bongo drumming.
Blacktown
- Blacktown City Council presented performances at Dawson St. Mall, Mount Druitt and also the opening and unveiling of the mural at the new Sargent’s Centre.
Holroyd
- Art Competition & Exhibition. For the second year running Council held an art competition for artists with a disability and six major prizes were awarded to the Holroyd artists who identify as having a disability. The Awards night was held on Thursday, 3 December at the Holroyd Centre, Merrylands. The artworks will be on display in the Council foyer at 16 Memorial Avenue, Merrylands between 4 Jan -1 Feb 2010.
Penrith
- A regional arts and disability forum was held at the Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest on 3 December 2009. Organised by David Cretney from the Sylvanvale Foundation with the support of Penrith City Council. The forum posed the question: How do we create inclusive and accessible practice for people with disabilities? Read more…
- Penrith Disabilities Resource Centre (PDRC) also conducted fro IDPWD a painting competition for people of all ages with varying types and levels of disability.
Gear up for PLUGGED IN! Connecting communities
Accessible Arts Western Sydney presents Plugged In! an exciting cross regional event that will take place in all the Arts Centres across Western Sydney right through the month of October. Their doors will be flung open to the disability community for everyone to experience free or subsidised performances, exhibitions, workshops, talks, gallery tours….. Keep your eye out for maps and event info later in the year!
Further information on Plugged In!
Contact: Jennifer Teo tel: 02 9251 6499 (ext 111) or jteo@aarts.net.au or Alison Richardson tel: 02 9251 6499 (ext 112) or arichardson@aarts.net.au
Arts Activated National Conference 2010
Arts – Access – Excellence
Accessible Arts presents the Arts Activated National Conference 2010, an opportunity for those passionate about the arts and disability sectors to come together to explore, debate, discuss and connect ideas and practice. The conference will also celebrate the accomplishments of, and provide showcase opportunities for, artists with disability. Early Bird rate is on offer until January 31st, 2010. For all conference details please visit www.aarts.net.au/arts-activated-conference-2010
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