Local textile artist Tom Isaacs has commenced his Open Studio sessions at Westward Cottage after being selected as the City of Ryde's 2025/26 Artist in Residence.
Tom, who has lived in the Ryde LGA for most of his life, said he was excited about his tenure at Council's beautiful studio space, located near the Top Ryde City shopping centre.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to share my practice and process with the people of Ryde and to promote the value and importance of art and creativity to the broader community," he said.
"Westward Cottage is a wonderful building to have as a studio and I am aiming to make the most of this residency through my own creative practice, through my engagement with the people of Ryde, and through a public program of artistic and creative events."
Tom has a clear idea of what he hopes to achieve as Council's Artist in Residence, including the Open Studio sessions where members of the public can visit Westward Cottage on Mondays and Tuesdays from 2.00-4.00pm to see his creative process firsthand.
He will also be hosting other creative events and activations, starting with the upcoming video art screening event 59 Seconds, which is being held at Westward Cottage on Thursday 19 February from 6.30-9.00pm.
"During the year, I will continue developing my latest body of work with the view to a public exhibition at the end of my residency period and promoting the value and importance of art and creativity within the Ryde community," he said.
Tom recently had the opportunity to meet with Ryde Mayor Trenton Brown at Westward Cottage to show him some of the pieces on which he is currently working.
"Tom is City of Ryde's third Artist in Residence, following on from Rooi Ping Lim and Louisa Chan, and I was delighted to meet him and highly impressed with his distinctive textile art," said Mayor Brown.
"It is another brilliant demonstration of the amazing creative talent we are fostering in our local community, and I encourage everyone to visit Tom during his Open Studio sessions."
Tom said he was most looking forward to putting into practice his theory that art is a vital means of bringing people together.
"I firmly believe that art is a social activity," he said. "I make things as a way of processing my experiences in the world and then I share what I have made because I want to communicate my experiences to other people.
"This is a deeply human impulse. Art has the capacity to connect us, through time and space, with other people who have had similar experiences to whatever we are going through right now, which lets us know that we are not alone."
For more details on Tom's work and Council's Artist in Residence program, click here
