UPCOMING EVENTS:
SUNFLOWER & SONG
A celebration of culture, art and farming.
Click here to get TICKETS: $10 adult, $5 kids, $25 family.
Join us at the Meadowlands Amphitheatre on Friday 23 November for a harvest celebration to remember. Learn about regenerative agriculture for improving soil health and reducing run-off from farmland. Celebrate the cultures that have made Mackay what it is today.
WHEN: 23 November, 6:00pm-9:30pm
WHERE: The Meadowlands Amphitheatre, Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens
TICKETS: $10 adult, $5 kids, $25 family, get tix here.
WHO: All welcome!
BYO Picnic, Food Trucks Available.
Music and Dance Performances by:
- Diranga Gangali Aboriginal Dancers
- Sakwolo Islander Dancers
- Zenith Rhythms
- Woodbridge
(see the full MEDIA RELEASE about Sunflower and Song here.)
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Exhibition Details:
Kim Williams and Lucas Ihlein – Sugar vs the Reef?
Artspace Mackay
Civic Centre Precinct, Gordon St, Mackay
Exhibition dates: 3 Nov til 27 January 2019.
Exhibition opening Friday 2 November 2018, 6pm
Exhibition to be officially opened by Jeremy Smith, Director Community, Emerging and Experimental Arts, Australia Council for the Arts.
Artist Floor Talk Friday 2 November, 2018, 5pm (free, Auslan interpreted)
Artist Site Talk Saturday 3 November, 2018, 930am at The Beacon, Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens.
Exhibition catalogue available with text by Fiona Vuibeqa, Kim Williams, Lucas Ihlein, Tracey Heathwood
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ABOUT THE WATERSHED LAND ART PROJECT
The creation of a botanical artwork featuring agricultural species at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens, accompanied by workshops and events.
The purpose of this artwork is to:
- Create a striking visual art installation for the MRBG, attracting diverse audiences;
- Demonstrate principles of Regenerative Agriculture (RA);
- Show how RA principles can be applied within industrial agricultural operations, particularly sugarcane farming;
- Catalyse improved environmental management practices in the catchment of the Great Barrier Reef;
- Celebrate the contribution of the Australian South Sea Islander (ASSI) communities in the sugarcane industry in Queensland;
- Bring together diverse communities within the Mackay region (farmers, Indigenous people, ASSI community members, scientists, and the general public);
- Generate deeper understanding of the complex roles played by agriculture in the region’s economy, social life and ecology;
- Engage with public education through schools (including with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Reef Guardians program).
Support for Watershed Land Art Project comes from:
- Australia Council for the Arts
- Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens
- Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF)
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA)
- Central Queensland Soil Health Systems (CQSHS)
- Pioneer Catchments and Landcare (PCL)
- Yuwibara descendants and traditional custodians
- Mackay and District Australian South Sea Islander Association (MADASSIA)
- Artspace Mackay
- Australian Research Council
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
View a flyer about the Watershed Land Art Project (May 2018, PDF, 4mb)