Margaret Carnegie Gallery: 4 August - 30 September
RealArtWorks, This is not what it appears (installation image), 2011
Artists: Amoonda Nelson, Amy Serone, Doug Snug, David Batten, John Ceislak, Kerrie Divett, Michael Rogowski, Michael White, Ray Parry, Rohan Langford, Ryan Andersen, Tra La La Blip and Zeb Schultz
This Is Not What It Appears has been generated from a series of workshops run by RealArtWorks Inc in which a professional artist has collaborated with a group of emerging artists to create a multimedia installation. The workshops were held at SeeSpace, Lismore’s Inclusive Arts & Media Centre.
Zeb Schulz, the artistic director of RealArtWorks and the project, says: The project idea came out of some discussions with Brett Adlington at the gallery following a regional consultation with artists with disabilities and the organisations and art workers who support them that Arts Northern Rivers held in Ballina last year.
RealArtWorks has a long history of creating interesting and original projects with artists of varying abilities in regional Australia ranging form a show in a circus tent in Wagga Wagga to building a massive bright orange maze out the front of the Masonic Temple in Horsham Victoria during the Awakening Festival. It feels great, if a little different, to be creating work in a gallery for a change. RealArtWorks is proud to be creating this exhibition with this talented bunch of eclectic artists.
Amy Serone who was a finalist in last years Northern Rivers Portrait Prize and is one of the emerging artists working on the project. She says: It makes me feel good because its fun. I like to make money being an artist. It is important for me to be an artist because I'm just like everybody else.
Ray Parry who has been involved with various community groups including the Hearing Voices Choir says: I’m excited and out of this world to be part of the exhibition. I've sold artwork before but never actually been paid to be an artist. Being a part of something is a good feeling.