News
13/09/2015Matched funding from the Arts Leverage Fund
Exciting news: Umbrella Studio has been pre-approved to receive matched funding from the Arts Leverage Fund. This innovative grant requires Umbrella to find more private income from cash donations, cash sponsorship, and fundrasing. Amounts over our baseline will be matched by Arts Queensland, up to $40,000. Help us to double your gift! You can donate online now at http://www.umbrella.org.au/participate/support/donate or if you’d like to speak to the Director about sponsorship or making a gift, contact director@umbrella.org.au
07/07/2015More Tales from Wales
Hello fellow Umbrellaries, This wood fired kiln was one of the highlights at the International Ceramics Festival, held over the last three days at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre. The kiln is the brainchild of Prof. Rita Gudino, from the Phillipines, to find out more about her project and work just look up Lual Kiln. I was pleased to help record the construction, firing and opening of the kiln due to Rita’s photographer having a visa mix up and not making it. The ICF is Europe’s showpiece ceramics event, held every two years in Aber. There were over 20 top ceramic practitioners from all over, and hundreds of visitors saw displays, demonstrations, lectures and all of the trade representatives. One operator, Jonathan Keep, had two working 3D printers, one which he had made for about £400, they both worked with a ceramic material. Plans are available for free from his website,…
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22/06/2015Look out Cairns here comes Murris in Ink (MII)
This year Umbrella will be showing Townsville based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island printmakers in three venues in Cairns at the Art Fair (CIAF), the first time art market also located at the Cruise Ship Terminal and Canopy Arts on Grafton Street. Umbrella has represented MII at CIAF since 2009, selling their works on paper to individuals, and national collecting institutions including; National Gallery, State Library Queensland, National Gallery Victoria and Australian Maritime Museum. To maximise sales and promotions Umbrella will increase our efforts with Umbrella member artist exhibiting in Cairns from mid-July through August. Murris in Ink printmakers will launch a collection of stunning new monoprint drawings at the Umbrella booth at the Art Fair. The works on paper were produced during the Monsoon Publishing residency for six artists, who were individually mentored by master printermaker Ron McBurnie. Our friends at Canopy Arts Centre will host, Keriba Debe Nor…
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21/06/2015Aberystwyth Antics
Hi Folks, it’s a drizzly day here in Aberystwyth, the art centre of Wales. I landed here three weeks ago, and have been in the studio for two. The locals, both in and out of the arts, are wonderful people, and I have been gathering lots of material to (hopefully) develop some art from. So far I have been to performances by the Aberopera group, I think there may be some of the pictures I took on their Facebook page. Also been on some walks with the Aberystwyth Ramblers (no, not a vocal group, but lovely people). Last weekend we visited a part of the Pembrokeshire coastline on a Ministry of Defence firing range (closed for the day), and saw some amazing scenery, a 13th c farm, and lots of munitions in various states. Two weeks time is an excursion to Snowdonia in the North. I went to the…
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12/06/2015Umbrella’s Search for a Trainee
If you’re looking for a career in the arts, enjoy working in a creative environment, and want to earn while you learn, then Umbrella Studio – a Townsville-based not-for-profit contemporary arts organisation – is calling for applications for the position of Business Administration Trainee. As part of the traineeship, you will be required to assist in the day-to-day operations of the organisation and complete a formal qualification; Certificate lV in Business Administration. The Cert lV course fees will be sponsored by CQ University. The Trainee should have an interest in contemporary visual arts, website development and desktop publishing. To apply for this 1 year Traineeship, you must have completed a minimum of Year 10 with passes in English and Maths. You will need to complete the online application & quiz before progressing to the full application and interview stages. See full timeline below. Call for Applicants 13 June 2015 Applications Close…
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10/05/20158th Australian Print Symposium
The professional development opportunity I attended was the 8th Australian Print Symposium: The Known World. This event was held at the National Gallery in Canberra between 01 – 03 May 2015. I set off for Canberra to attend the 8th Australian Print Symposium – “The Known World” with a contingent of a half dozen others from Townsville expecting to be informed and inspired – I was not disappointed. The three day program included national and international speakers reflecting the broad interests and key issues in the printmaking sector. There were seven plenary sessions of 24 keynote speakers and panel debates, sessions of papers and showcases exploring current ideas, research and practices. I also had the opportunity to view the National Contemporary’s gallery exhibition opening of Streetwise: contemporary print culture and view the National Gallery’s James Turrell: A restrospective exhibition. I attended the social program of conference, including the reception and…
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07/05/2015Matt Clark Travelling Scholarship Secondary School Portrait Prize
The Matt Clark Travelling Scholarship Secondary School Portrait Prize is open to all Townsville-based secondary school students in any year level. Entrants may submit work in any two-dimensional medium. The only artistic criterion is that the work must be a portrait. Finalists and Prize Money Digital images of all the entries, along with physical works by 10 finalists selected from the submitted images, will be displayed at Umbrella Studio contemporary arts from 25 September until 1 November. From the 10 finalists, a winner will be selected and awarded a $200 cash prize. Key Dates ENTRIES OPEN | Friday 8 May 2015 ENTRIES CLOSE | 5pm Friday 4 September 2015 FINALISTS SELECTED | Friday 11 September 2015 DISPLAY OF FINALISTS’ WORKS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNER | The exhibition will be displayed in the Umbrella Studio contemporary arts Stairwell space from 25 September – 1 November 2015. The winner will be announced at a launch at 6pm Friday 25 September. CLICK HERE TO APPLY NOW
05/05/2015Callout: On-site Artist Residency – South-East Queensland
TheGRID: Hybrid Arts Collective Inc., and Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery invite applications from artists for a fifteen week residency at theGRID. Artists must have more than five years’ professional practice and reside outside the Toowoomba region. ‘Off theGRID Too!’ builds on the 2013 pilot project and is a residency program offering a visiting artist a full time studio at theGRID. The residency will culminate in a four-week exhibition at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery. A condition of this residency is that the successful applicant will share the studio in a mentoring capacity with a local, emerging artist. The successful applicant will participate in selecting this artist. During the period of the residency the successful applicant will also be required to: Bring a recently completed work for display at the beginning of the residency Deliver 2 x artist talks at TRAG (1 x introductory, 1 x concluding) Welcome the public to…
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28/04/2015Want to print but don’t have access to a printing press?
Online Impressions is a high quality instructional video aimed to encourage new printmakers anywhere in the world. Utilising the resourceful skills of Townsville printmaker Dr Jill O’Sullivan, Umbrella embarked on making a high quality video which navigates the viewer through a step by step process. Jill clearly demonstrates how to build your own printing press from easily accessible materials such as a car jack and wood. Funding from the Townsville City Council’s Regional Arts Development Fund covered the cost to engage A to Z Tec from James Cook. The video is free and available online.
12/04/2015Stella’s Creative Pottery Classes
Interested in learning pottery? Then this is for you! Pottery classes with Stella Thompson-Wheyway every Tuesday evening from 6 to 8pm and or every Wednesday morning from 10am to 12 pm. Phone Stella on 4771 2019, mob. 0499 077 510 or email stella.thompson-wheway@hotmail.com
