The Lorne Community Connect facility has, over the past months, been used to assist Great Ocean Road Health with Covid testing, as a standby facility for vaccination, exercise classes during the gymnasium renovation, as well as our usual bookings and the Lorne P-12 College during the Stribling Reserve rebuild. These uses affirm the value of the facility to the Lorne community.
The Lorne Community Connect committee is now turning its attention to the planned priority for the facility, as one to promote the Arts in our district. The following initiatives have either started or are being planned:
A Community Artwork Exhibition Space
The aim of the committee is to provide an opportunity for local artists, who do not normally exhibit their work in a professional gallery, to do so. We have established guidelines that are just that, not inflexible conditions of entry. For example:
- The space is available to the community to exhibit and/or to sell their work.
- The committee will not exercise a curatorial role.
- The artwork will be displayed over an appropriate period that is negotiated with each artist.
- For any works that are sold the price will include an agreed commission to Lorne Community Connect to help us to improve our display space and to help promote the Arts in the Lorne and district communities.
- There will be an expectation that the artist will assist with the opening of the exhibition for public viewing.
Patsi Murray: Memories – A Retrospective Exhibition
Patsi has kept her painting talent well disguised. At the Lorne Book Exchange, where some of her paintings were hung, Patsi’s response to the many enquiries about the paintings would be “they were left by someone who didn’t leave a name”. Thankfully for us, Patsi now feels ready to display her work.
Patsi lived in Melbourne where she attended sculptural studies conducted by Lenton Parr. After marriage and a move to the country she was able to combine motherhood with various painting studies. When her daughter enrolled at Holmesglen College to study art, Patsi became interested herself and she presented her own portfolio to apply for the same course as her daughter. The portfolio was accepted, so she commenced a course in foundations of art under Erica Gilchrist. Erica soon realised that formal instruction in a standard course was not appropriate to foster such an intuitive painter, she therefore offered Patsi private tuition.
Patsi’s style captures the moment and whilst she stopped painting for a time, she hopes to restart as soon as the muse is ready to go. Her work is on formal display for the first time and I encourage you to view her exhibition at the following times:
Saturday May 29 between 10.00 am and noon and
Sunday May 30 between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm.
Saturday June 5 between 10.00 am and noon and
Sunday June 6 between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm.
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Lorne Community Connect behind the Community House
Support to Artists
There are several opportunities for artists and creative enterprises to gain financial support at all three levels of government. The Surf Coast Shire currently has small business, arts and culture COVID recovery grants aimed at supporting individual small business and creative communities. The state government, through Creative Victoria’s funding and support programs, provides opportunities to stimulate diverse creative activity across the state. The federal government has announced opportunities for regional-based artists to curate and design projects in a competitive grant framework for festivals, exhibitions, concerts, productions and events.
The Lorne Community Connect can provide advice about these opportunities. If you need assistance to access opportunities email us at lornecommunityconnect@gmail.com
Gary Allen
President
Lorne Community Connect
