The resilience of regional communities will be highlighted in a travelling exhibition opening at the Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery on Friday, 27 March.
Regenerate, Reimagine, Renew is a collection of works by artists who participated in four workshops facilitated by the Borderline Regional Arts Association and funded by Create NSW.
The title of the exhibition speaks to the resilient nature of people living in regional areas as they deal with the recurring cycle of change brought by fires, floods and droughts, and the stresses of living in rural and isolated areas.
Borderline artists recognised the need for creative resilience and were asked to take on board the multiplicity of ways that regeneration can apply to the landscape and to the spirit, to reimagine how that might be communicated and to renew their approach to technique and media in innovative ways.
Through the workshops, multiple levels of engagement were created - regeneration of creative output, reimagination of art practices, and renewal of their commitment to creativity.
Gunnedah Shire Council's Cultural Precinct Team Leader Danny Hankinson said the exhibition was apt for the Shire because community members lived and breathed changing cycles.
"Locals are all too familiar with the extremes of Australia, and in particular, the natural disasters that so often affect rural communities," he said.
"There are times of plenty, and there are times of struggle, and they test our communities, but we band together and battle through to the other side. That's the Aussie way, and so, I think this exhibition will be something locals can relate to and reflect on with their own experiences in mind."
A diverse range of mediums will be on display, including painting, fibre arts sculpture, print-making and ceramics.
Regenerate, Reimagine, Renew will open at the Creative Arts Gallery at 6pm on Friday, 27 March and will continue until Friday, 8 May.
Caption: Artists from Borderline Regional Arts Association have been exploring new ways of approaching and creating art.
