When will we see you in Blacktown?
Click on the images below to browse our 2019 program (or download the PDF) and plan your visit today.
Image
Artwork is a rendered version of an artwork by Ashlee Murray.
Design: Kevin Vo
9 January – 2 February 2019
6 pm, 7.15 pm and 8.30 pm
Blacktown Showground Precinct
Sydney Festival returns to Blacktown for the third year!
The voices of elders and future leaders from Blacktown’s Aboriginal community feature in Four Winds, a surround-sound ‘deep listening’ experience curated by Daniel Browning.
Blacktown Arts is partnering again with Urban Theatre Projects in this 21st century campfire experience.
Four Winds is a cross-generational dialogue between 96 year old elder Uncle Wes Marne, Senior Darug Elder Aunty Edna Watson and teens Savarna Russell and Shaun Millwood. Together they engage in an exchange that bridges the past and the future, giving audiences a deeper understanding of contemporary Aboriginality.
Respected songwoman Emma Donovan, in collaboration with violinist Eric Avery, also responds to the stories in song with Darug words gifted by Aunty Edna.
Sunset Sessions
The Sunset Sessions run every night during the Blak Box – Four Winds season at the Blacktown Showground Precinct.
Listen to live entertainment each night, enjoy refreshments from our donation bar, and grab a bite to eat at the adjacent Groundskeeper Cafe before your session inside Blak Box.
Blak Box – Four Winds
Dates | 9 January – 2 February 2019
Location | Blacktown Showground Precinct
Tickets | $35 + booking fee, $99 for a group of 4
BOOKINGS
Photo credit
Joshua Morris
Artists often make art to celebrate and remember past experiences.
Do you have a special memory you would like to hold onto forever?
Watch this fun video and make your own artwork inspired by Hyun-Hee Lee’s artwork Lost Letters II.
Hyun-Hee Lee is an Australian-Korean artist who is interested in how our memories can change over time.
Hyun-Hee’s artwork is part of the Blacktown City Art Collection.
Hyun-Hee Lee, Lost Letters II (detail), 2011.
Lost Letters II are part of a body of work which explores personal memories of the artist’s home and country, Korea. Hyun-Hee expresses private and public events and rituals in Korean life using a traditional Korean script, written in her own style to write her own stories.
Materials
Cardboard box
Safety Scissors
Glue
Coloured or recycled paper
Coloured pencils or crayons
Blue tack
Any other props or materials that will help recreate your memory.
Artwork credit
Hyun-Hee Lee, Lost Letters II, ink on Hanji paper, each 58 x43 cam, 2011.
Visit Blacktown throughout summer and experience a range of programs presented by Blacktown Arts.
Blak Box. Photograph by Barton Taylor.
Blak Box – Four Winds
9 January – 2 February 2019
Blacktown Showground Precinct
Sydney Festival returns to Blacktown for the third year running!
The voices of elders and future leaders from Blacktown’s Aboriginal community feature in Four Winds, a surround-sound ‘deep listening’ experience curated by Daniel Browning.
Presented in partnership with Urban Theatre Projects, this 21st century campfire experience is a cross-generational dialogue bridges the past and the future giving audiences a deeper and broader understanding of contemporary Aboriginality.
Cost | $35+ booking fee
Bookings | Sydney Festival website
2018 Blacktown City Art Prize. Photograph by Jennifer Leahy.
2018 Blacktown City Art Prize
1 December 2018 – 25 January 2019
The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
View all 87 finalist artworks in the 2018 Blacktown City Art Prize!
Now in its 23rd year, the Blacktown City Art Prize is a highly valued art prize, with cash prizes of $20,000 and acquisitive awards. Local, regional and national artists are invited to submit entries in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics and mixed media.
2018 Young Artists Prize
1 December 2018 – 25 January 2019
The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
The Blacktown City Art Prize celebrates the creativity of local young people through an environmentally-themed Young Artists Prize.
This section is open to 5 – 15 year olds who live or go to school in Blacktown City.
See how the artists responded to this year’s theme!
Ashley Murray b.1987), king marina shells, Wynyard 2016. Image: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
kanalaritja: An Unbroken String
22 February – 20 April 2019
The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
kanalaritja: An Unbroken String is an exhibition and series of workshops that celebrates the generations of makers who have sustained the uniquely Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural practice of making rare and delicate shell necklaces.
This exhibition features a variety of shell necklaces created by Tasmanian Aboriginal Ancestors in the 1800s, and acclaimed makers of today, as well as a new wave of stringers who had the opportunity to learn the tradition.
Visit The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
Opening Hours
Tuesday – Saturday. 10 am – 5 pm.
Phone
02 9839 6558
Photo credit
Fozia Zahid, Country Out of the Man (detail). Winner 2018 Local Artist Prize.
On the eve of the opening of the 2018 Blacktown City Art Prize, we take a look through our archives and reflect on the winning works in recent years. Who will win the $15,000 prize this year?
The winners of the 2018 Blacktown City Art Prize will be announced at the official exhibition launch on Saturday, 1 December 2018 at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre. The announcement will also be made here and on the Blacktown Arts Facebook page.
Winner 2017 Blacktown City Art Prize | Tess Mehonoshen, Measuring Loss
Winner Local Artist Prize and Highly Commended | Kristone Capistrano, Breath
Winner Aboriginal Artist Prize | Naomi Grant, Dad’s Country
Highly Commended | Carol Ann Fitzgerald, Landscape and Memory – Wiradjuri Country
Highly Commended | Minka Gillian, Pink Outburst – A Self Portrait
Highly Commended | Terry Murphy, Tabulae Unum Ex Oculis
Highly Commended | Peter Hinton, Quality of a Few Minutes #1 and 2 – A Study on Whitlam
2016 Blacktown City Art Prize | Jane Giblin, Lilu Stands to Izzie
Local Artist Prize and Highly Commended | Melissa Chapman, Irrational Logic
Aboriginal Artist Prize | Bankstown Koori Elders Group, Murris and Kooris
Highly Commended | Amala Groom, Read Before Consuming
Highly Commended | Nerissa Lea, The Sane Ones
Highly Commended | Rosalind Stanley, My World
People’s Choice | Sima Alikhani, Fly
Main Prize |Francois Breuillaud-Limondin, Prisms
Aboriginal Artist Prize | Tony Albert, Hello, Paleface,
Local Artist Prize | Alexandra Byrne, Outside My House
People’s Choice Prize | Jane Bennett, Millers Point from the Top of the Harbour Tower
Painting | Joel Beerden, Wandering Front #3
Watercolour | Brian Stratton, Estuary Fragments, Crookhaven
Works On Paper | Jody Graham, Sentinel
Sculpture | Elizabeth Roet, Pods, Reef Series
Aboriginal Artist Prize | Geoff Sellman, Puffins, Lyn Butchart and Land Spirits #2
Environmental Art Prize | Melissa Harvey, Out Grown
Local Artist Prize | Hiren Patel, Winter Rain
Youth Artist Prize | Liam Veldsman, Echoes of Grief
Painting | Linda Joyce, The Vagrant Lichen
Watercolour | Jessica Bradford, Pt. Macquarie
Works On Paper | Rew Hanks, Stop! There’s No Need to Shoot the Natives
Sculpture | Jody Graham, Someone Else’s Life
Aboriginal Artist Prize | Craig Tangye, The Hawkesbury
Environmental Art Prize | Ro Murray, Harvest
Local Artist Prize | Edgar Schilter, Buenos Aires No.23
Youth Artist Prize | Peter Carney, Death Instinct
People’s Choice | Freya Jobbins, Zeus, Optimus Maximus
Blacktown Workers Club | Mehwish Iqbal, Maha
Young Painter Prize | Liam Ambrose, Tabourie
Painting | Joseph Hallam, Portrait of Isabella
Watercolour | Jessica Bradford, Destination
Works On Paper | Ro Murray, Ocean Park Still Life
Sculpture | Terrence Wright, Uncle Bill in Glass
Aboriginal Artist Prize | Terrence Wright, Uncle Bill in Glass
Environmental Art Prize | Carol Ann Fitzgerald, Essence
Local Artist Prize | Erum Zackria, Glory
Youth Artist Prize | Wade Kirby, Untitled
ARG Prize | Cassandra Hard-Lawrie, Jane
Young Painter Prize | Marikit Santiago, Mestiza
Painting Prize | Brendan Mogg, Early Morning Light
Watercolour Prize | Liz Shreeve, (Not) Green
Works On Paper | Elizabeth Pozega, Procession 1-9
Sculpture Prize | Louis Pratt, Just a Bee’s Penis
Aboriginal Artist Prize | Danny Eastwood, How Blacktown Got It’s Name
Environmental Art Prize | Kate Dunn, Mount Tomah
Local Artist Prize | Ernst Aaron, Untitled
Youth Artist Prize | Christian Atkins, AAAGH!!! – Smell the cheese
ARG Prize | Ro Murray, Ocean Park Still Life II
What can we do to say ‘bye bye’ to plastic and save our marine life?
Use your imagination to create a drawing, painting, print, sculpture or ceramic artwork that explores how we can solve the problem of plastic in our ocean!
The Blacktown City Art Prize celebrates the creativity of local young people through an environmentally-themed Young Artists Prize.
This section is open to 5 – 15 year olds who live or go to school in Blacktown City.
Entries due Saturday 10 November 2018.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR ENTRANTS
Delivery date for artworks and entry forms
10 am – 5 pm Friday 9 November 2018 and Saturday 10 November 2018
Exhibition dates
1 December 2018 – 25 January 2019
Open Tuesday – Saturday | 10 am – 5 pm
Awards Presentation
11 am Saturday 8 December 2018 at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
Collection of entries
10 am – 5 pm Friday 1 February 2019 and Saturday 2 February 2019
Photo credit
Sinenkiy
Blacktown Arts and Urban Theatre Projects challenge you to experience Blacktown City in a brand new way!
The latest partnership between Blacktown Arts and Urban Theatre Projects brings you the first place-based arts festival in the heart of Blacktown, Right Here. Right Now.
Immerse yourself in performance, installation, music, film and food inspired by the stories, characters and artists from across our region.
The audience is encouraged to embark on a 3.5 hour journey of works presented in restaurants, arcades and public spaces along Blacktown’s iconic Main Street with a shared dinner along the way. All participants will dine together as part of the experience at a selection of local Persian, Ethiopian and Afghan restaurants.
Blacktown City Mayor Stephen Bali said all participants will be able to see their City in a new light.
“Right Here. Right Now offers local residents a chance to explore familiar parts of their city in a whole new way,” he said.
“It will challenge the wider population of Sydney to get on the train, and experience what Blacktown is really all about.’
Five newly commissioned artworks, made in collaboration with more than 25 young and emerging Western Sydney artists, will also be revealed.
“We’re telling local, contemporary stories of Sydney from our stomping ground in Western Sydney,’ said UTP Artistic Director Rosie Dennis. “If you loved Home Country, then you will love this experience too.”
Program highlights include:
The Nightline: Award-winning theatre director Roslyn Oades in collaboration with six young people has created an immersive audio-led theatre work based on the provocation, What Happens After Midnight?. The work builds on research which begun in 2016 and saw the artist set up a night-line phone message service to collect audio.
Team Trampoline: Contemporary visual and textiles Adelaide artist Meg Wilson: Wilson has collaborated with Sydney artist Nicole Barakat to weave 8 trampoline mats from different textiles and fabrics in collaboration with local residents and students from Rooty Hill High School. The work is part large-scale installation, part choreographed live performance.
Musical performance: Internationally acclaimed tabla player Maharshi Raval will collaborate with young musicians to compose two new works for percussion, which will be performed live by seven percussionists.
Short film: Darug women Corina Marino and Julie Jones feature in a short-film shot on location at the Blacktown Native Institution site. The Institution played a key role in the history of colonial assimilation policies and race relations in Australia.
Tom Polo artworks: Award winning Western Sydney Visual Artist Tom Polo has been commissioned to create a series of flags and banners to ‘dress’ the streets of downtown Blacktown.
Feminist Killjoys Reading Group: Artist Rajni Shah & Collaborators are in-residence with their project. The group is a growing community of people who identify as feminist killjoys, or who wish to learn more about the figure of the feminist killjoy in a respectful and inclusive setting. During RHRN audiences are invited to join the conversation as part of open sessions held each Saturday of the festival.
Right Here. Right Now will run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday across 3 weeks from 1-17 November 2018.
This is the sixth partnership between Urban Theatre Projects and Blacktown Arts and demonstrates our shared commitment to re-setting the cultural conversation about contemporary multi-cultural Australia through great storytelling and live experiences.
About Urban Theatre Projects
Based in Bankstown, Urban Theatre Projects (UTP) has a 35-year history of making ground-breaking work and its reputation has never been stronger than it is today. The company was created to re-imagine what theatre can be, and who it can be for. Under the guidance of several visionary artistic directors, it has played a vital role in Australia’s cultural landscape. In the past five years it has reached even greater heights. In that time, UTP has produced 58 projects, engaged 524 participants, employed 523 artists and entertained 1,104,757 people. Under the leadership of current Artistic Director Rosie Dennis, UTP is firmly established as an agenda-setter for art making that thinks outside the black box. It has also caught the attention of art lovers from across the city who now readily travel to new neighbourhoods for UTP’s unforgettable art experiences.
KEY INFORMATION
Dates:
Thursday 1, Friday 2, and Saturday 3 November
Thursday 8, Friday 9, and Saturday 10 November
Thursday 15, Friday 16, and Saturday 17 November
Times:
From 6pm each night*
*Feminist Killjoys Reading Group Open Sessions to be held each Saturday from 4pm. Free with registration at time of booking.
Location:
Main Street, Blacktown, Sydney.
Tickets:
Full price: $59 including dinner.
Family price: $139 for two adults and two children aged 12-17 including dinner.
Bookings:
To book tickets, please visit
urbantheatre.com.au/rhrn/
Photo credit
Johnny Barker
Urban Theatre Projects (UTP) makes work that has social impact. As one of Western Sydney’s premier independent arts organisations, UTP has created over 115 new Australian works that have received awards and recognition internationally and nationally. They tell personal, real-life stories that present a complex portrait of contemporary Australia and bring these stories into the everyday by creating site-specific, distinctive, cultural experiences for audiences. They’re driven to make work that has the power to shift perceptions and break down stereotypes – work that inspires us to create a fairer and more compassionate society. They do that by connecting people through great storytelling and rich, shared experiences.
In 2017 UTP set up a new Satellite Hub in Blacktown to support artists-in-residence in bringing RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW. to life. This upcoming program is the 6th partnership between UTP and Blacktown Arts and reflects our shared commitment to re-setting the cultural conversation about contemporary multicultural Australia.
Past projects between Blacktown Arts & Urban Theatre Projects
One Dance at a Time is based on Maryam Zahid’s personal story. Maryam, an activist in Western Sydney’s Afghan community, started the online group ‘Afghan Women on the Move’. After establishing this large network, she started hosting monthly Afghan women’s-only social nights at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre. Her play tells this story.
We asked Maryam to share an excerpt of the play with us.
Laila, the event organizer, waits for people to arrive:
When I meet God I am going to have a lot of questions to ask him.
Yes, when I meet you I have a lot of questions to ask.
I’ll start with something like this, to explain myself:
Please don’t think I am questioning your love towards your creation. But, I have to tell you … I am worried about what is really happening on earth in your name. I love you very much. I believe in you. I see you in everything.
You have written us into life. Created us. But do you hear and see how men interpret your intentions? Did you really write this story for women, or did our men make it up.
What is her story? That good woman who sits quietly – maybe behind her veil – not really there, not showing any feelings, not moving a muscle, not making a sound; still. Does she have a story besides perfection, beauty, service, sacrifice? Is her story simply about being good at being the good woman?
Why can’t we write our own stories?
Actually, I have to tell you a story god – please bear with me. It’s a sort of a gossipy type of story. You don’t mind? Oh, you don’t. Really? What did you say? Wait. Is that … a woman’s voice I hear? God, are you actually … ok, ok, ok. Just saying. Sorry. Forgive me. I have a vivid imagination. But I’m sure I heard… anyway, like I was saying …
Rokshana, a woman who attends the dance
This is first time in life… the lights off, music loud and I dance. No one looking me. I have in Australia 13 years but never chance to go out and enjoy. Just only women, we can just be us. I want stand on the mountain top, I want scream: nothing so good as to have a free soul and mind, to choose your own peace. Take my gold necklaces, have, have, take. Take away my 10 meter curtain. It’s no sun in my house – I have to sneaky beak my neighbour – and it’s no sun in my soul. Give my soul back to me.
By Maryam Zahid
Project initiated and curated by Maria Mitar.
Script development/writing mentoring by Robert Colman.
Daneha (Seeds)
5 July – 9 September 2018
Photo credit
Emily McTaggart
Have you ever made your own jewellery using recycled materials?
Watch this fun video and make your own wearable art inspired by Simryn Gill’s artwork Pearls.
Simryn uses paper from books and other documents to make beads that are threaded together to form long necklaces.
About this artwork
Pearls is an ongoing project that started in 1999 when Simryn began using printed material to make beads that can be worn.
Blacktown Arts commissioned Simryn to make Pearls from two speeches delivered in Blacktown by former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in the 1970s.
Materials
- Book pages or other paper
- Hand needless
- Glue stick
- String
- Scissors
- Skewer or chopstick
Artwork credit
Simryn Gill, Pearls: Gough Whitlam, Australian Labor Party Policy Speech, delivered Blacktown Civic Centre, 13th November 1972; Gough Whitlam, Australian Labor Party Policy Speech, delivered Blacktown Civic Centre, 29th April 1974, 2014, typed speeches, glue, cotton thread