InSight Magazine Nov 23 - Feb 24

NOV 2023 – FEB 2024

Blue Mountains City Art Gallery, Into the Blue, InSight Membership, What’s On, Gallery Café + Shop, Braemar Gallery, Hub Upstairs Gallery

Welcome The City of the Blue Mountains is located within the Ngurra (Country) of the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples. Blue Mountains Cultural Centre pays respect to Elders past and present while recognising the strength, capacity and resilience of past and present Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Blue Mountains region.

CONTENTS 2

Just Below the Clouds

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A Place for Artists and Art Lovers

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InSight Membership

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Into the Blue

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Blue Mountains City Art Gallery

14 Exhibition Feature: Underground 16 Exhibition Feature: Dissolution Ceremony 18 Special Events 20 What’s On 22 Gallery Café 24 Gallery Shop 26 Braemar House and Gallery 27 Hub Upstairs Gallery 28 Meet the Team

Cover image: PEACHEY & MOSIG Oracle 2023, Giclee print. Image courtesy the artists.

Just Below the Clouds

Katrina Noorbergen – Acting Manager, Arts & Cultural Services As we approach the end of the year, there’s much to reflect on and even more to look forward to, as the Cultural Centre delivers another ambitious program of exhibitions and events.

Earlier this year we bid farewell to Paul Brinkman, whose many achievements include the establishment of the Cultural Centre as we know it. I thank the Cultural Centre team for their hard work and support during this time of change.

It has been an honour to step in as Acting Manager of Arts & Cultural Services and continue making space for artists to tell their stories. The coming months will see the first ever reworking of Into the Blue, to include First Nations voices and perspectives, as told through moving image artworks. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting project, cocurated by established Dharug artist Leanne Tobin.

Other exhibition highlights include Sean O’Keeffe’s exhibition, Dissolution Ceremony, referencing the emotive power of portraiture and Underground, curated by Miriam Williamson, which will take us under the surface to explore the creative potential of the science of geology. Alongside our longstanding community exhibitions Blue Mountains Portraits and Collectors’ Edition #10, there is truly something to peak everyone’s interest.

In addition to our exhibition program, there are many opportunities to engage with groundbreaking arts activations and creative events, including New Mountain + Dream Alley Dream, a live experimental audio and visual performance event; the Wollemi Artisan Market, a great opportunity to shop local this Christmas; and DIG! a family friendly community day where you can get your hands dirty, learn and create. We look forward to seeing you soon for another Summer of incredible art experiences.

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A Place for Artists and Art Lovers

Exciting partnership to be announced soon!

Our much loved interpretive centre, Into the Blue, will soon undergo a change as we welcome some exciting new additions to the space. While we can’t tell you too much yet rest assured the existing content will remain for you to enjoy, with some added audio visual content.

Co-curated by established Dharug artist Leanne Tobin the incoming exhibition will feature seven First Nations video works that hold stories of Ngurra (Country).

Leanne Tobin is a multidisciplinary artist of Irish, English and Aboriginal heritage descending from the Buruberong and Wumali clans of the Dharug, the traditional Aboriginal people of the Greater Sydney region. Leanne works collaboratively with community groups, local schools and institutions using her art to tell local stories of place and to evoke an environmental conscience and respect towards the land and its original people. Her art practice seeks to encourage an open and honest dialogue about the past, paying homage to her ancestors and their enduring legacy.

Photo: Hamish Ta-mé

Launching Friday 15 December, stay tuned for more details.

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InSight Membership O New O Renewal O Gift Membership O I would like to receive notifications by email only O I would like to receive InSight Magazine in the post O I prefer to access InSight Magazine online via the website MEMBER DETAILS:

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O Individual Adult: $45 O Family (2 adults + children under 16): $60 O Concession: $35 O Individual Patron: $200 O Business (up to 7 membership cards): $250

Get to know your Cultural Centre with annual InSight Membership BENEFITS:

• UNLIMITED FREE entry to Blue Mountains City Art Gallery and Into the Blue • DISCOUNTS on Cultural Centre public programs • 10% DISCOUNT at the Gallery Shop and Gallery Café • INVITATIONS to Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition openings and InSight events

• SUBSCRIPTION to InSight Magazine, delivered three O Cash times a year O Credit card We accept Visa and Mastercard. A merchant fee of • SUBSCRIPTION to the 0.78% applies to credit card transactions.

Cultural Centre’s monthly Card number: e-newsletter Name: • ACCESS to InSight Expiry: / CCV: Members Lounge (Wednesday – Friday, subject to availability) Signature: • DISCOUNTS on selected Blue Mountains Theatre Completed applications can be brought to the Cultural shows Centre reception or posted to: Blue Mountains Cultural Centre • NO BOOKING FEE for InSight Membership Application tickets purchased at Blue Locked Bag 1005, Katoomba NSW 2780 Mountains Theatre PAYMENT:

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Into the Blue In 2000, the Greater Blue Mountains area was added to the World Heritage List in recognition of the exceptional diversity and integrity of its eucalypt forest communities.

The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre features Into the Blue (the Blue Mountains World Heritage Interpretive Centre). A high-tech, interactive exhibition which explores the natural as well as the social landscapes of this unique area. Audiences are invited to navigate their way through these stories through an immersive exhibition experience, introducing them to the richness and wonders of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area.

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Blue Mountains City Art Gallery sensorial

16 Sep – 12 Nov A fully immersive exhibition. Embrace all your senses. Move beyond sight. Engage through touch and play.

Featuring Alison Bennett with Megan Beckwith, Liam Benson, Ramana Dienes-Browning, Inspired by Art led by Clare Delaney, Katoomba Neurodiversity Hub led by Amy Bell, Bailee Lobb, Prue Stevenson and Hannah Surtees.

A Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition curated by Rilka Oakley This exhibition is supported by the Dobell Exhibition Grant, funded by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation and managed by Museums & Galleries of NSW.

Installation view: INSPIRED BY ART led by CLARE DELANEY Inclusion 2023. Photo: silversalt.

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Karlina Mitchell: a place with no other 14 Oct – 3 Dec

a place with no other explores Karlina Mitchell’s Fijian heritage and her connection to her current home, the Blue Mountains. This solo exhibition is a personal glimpse into multi-generational connections and practices, where the spirit of Talanoa, the act of sitting and yarning in Fijian culture, comes to life. a place with no other employs a myriad of artistic practices, from photography and collage to video installation and performance, fostering a sense of home and nostalgia. By fusing images of the Blue Mountains landscape with Fijian imagery and vintage postcards, Mitchell delicately explores concepts of home, belonging and familial togetherness.

A Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Altitude exhibition This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

KARLINA MITCHELL Uto/Breadfruit 2022, mixed media collage, 35 x 20 cm.

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Blue Mountains City Art Gallery

Underground

25 Nov 23 – 28 Jan 24 Underground features dynamic and interactive works across a range of media.

Spanning traditional format through to geo-sensory and AI the works have been developed by four recognised Blue Mountains artists. The artists engage with the transformation of materials, some sourcing the science of geology and successive changes in organic and non-organic materials such as the origins of precious metals formed from supernova and molten magna that erupts and crystallizes.

The extraction of these materials from the Earth and the value placed on them are drivers of the global economy.

Artists: Vicky Browne, Rachel Peachey & Paul Mosig, and Simon Reece A Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition curated by Miriam Williamson

SIMON REECE Neutron Waste 2023, ceramic, glaze and platinum lustre, 15 x 16 x 12 cm.

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Underground Curator and Artist Talk Saturday 25 Nov 11 am – 12 pm

Join curator Miriam Williamson and some of the artists from Underground for a floor talk in the Gallery and gain an insight into this dynamic exhibition. $5.50 / FREE InSight Members Tickets via Eventbrite.

DIG!

Sunday 26 Nov 10 am – 2 pm This year our community day DIG! is all about the things you can discover when you look down at the ground and under the soil. Our friends at the Blue Mountains City Council Healthy Waterways team along with local schools and the exhibiting artists from Underground will be taking part. There will be lots of fun, artmaking, displays and music to see, hear and experience, including a mini-bug display from Travel Bugs and a clay fossil making activity.

Free event.

Photo: Travel Bugs

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Blue Mountains City Art Gallery

Sean O’Keeffe: Dissolution Ceremony 9 Dec 23 – 4 Feb 24

Dissolution Ceremony references the emotive power of portraiture, and the complex nature of its role within institutionalised power structures in relation to whom is represented and the changing contexts of history and culture.

The desire to acknowledge this complexity and work collaboratively has led O’Keeffe to utilise a potent ‘call and response’ form of portraiture. Sitters are painted in a formal, representational manner, full size in oil paint.

They are then given the painting as an act of collaboration, whereby they physically respond to the work without constraints or instruction, further embodying this idea of reciprocation and balances of power.

A Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Altitude exhibition

SEAN O’KEEFFE Collaborative Portrait 2021, subject: Simon Reece, oil on board, mixed media, 204 x 98 cm.

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Artist Talk: Sean O’Keeffe Saturday 9 Dec 6 – 7 pm

Coinciding with the Twilight Christmas Wollemi Artisan Markets, join Sean O’Keeffe for a floor talk in the Gallery; an exciting opportunity to walk around the exhibition with the artist and hear how his process informs his creative outcomes. $5.50 / FREE InSight Members Tickets via Eventbrite.

Expanded Portraiture Workshop with Sean O’Keeffe Saturday 3 Feb 10.30 am – 1.30 pm

Altitude artist Sean O’Keeffe will lead a portraiture workshop which explores the expanded possibilities of portraiture through collaboration.

Incorporating traditional portraiture techniques such as painting, drawing and photography O’Keeffe will guide the group in exploring the possibility of portraiture beyond simple representation. $65 / $55 InSight Members Early bird price: $60 / $50 InSight Members, for bookings before Sunday 31 Dec. Tickets via Eventbrite.

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Blue Mountains City Art Gallery

Blue Mountains Portraits 2024 3 Feb – 17 Mar

Blue Mountains Portraits is the Cultural Centre’s annual celebration of the local community and its diverse members. The exhibiting artists portray the unique people that make up the cultural fabric of the Blue Mountains and tell the stories behind the person. Over forty artworks in a broad range of styles and media such as painting, photography, drawing, collage and mixed media will be exhibited together with a selection of local students’ work.

A Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition

Blue Mountains Portraits People’s Choice Winner 2023, CATHERINE MCCORKILL Ivor Houston: On Foot Across Australia (detail) 2021-2022, oil on linen. Image courtesy the artist.

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Collectors’ Edition CE#10 10 Feb – 3 Mar

Collectors’ Edition is the Cultural Centre’s annual fundraising exhibition and is an opportunity to start your own art collection while supporting the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre’s Collection Acquisition Fund.

In 2023, we will be resuming the original format of a singular A5 board and we’re going online! There will be an array of original A5 artworks to choose from, with silent bidding taking place through an online platform. Each artwork will have a QR code that takes you to the bidding page.

A Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition Supported by Hopetree Framing

CE#10 Closing Auction Friday 1 Mar 6 – 8 pm

More details to be announced soon.

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Exhibition Feature Underground Artistic Program Leader Rilka Oakley talks to curator Miriam Williamson about the exhibition Underground Underground,, featuring Vicky Browne, Rachel Peachey & Paul Mosig, and Simon Reece.

“Living in the Blue Mountains it is impossible not to be inspired by the natural environment.”

Miriam Williamson

VICKY BROWNE Micro/Macro 2023, perspex, graphite powder, gold lustre powder, enamel, 62 x 62 cm. Photo: Beata Geyer.

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Rilka Oakley: Underground is the second iteration of this premise, what has changed since the first exhibition?

Miriam Williamson: The initial proposal was to hold the exhibition in the space adjoining the Fossil and Mineral Museum in Bathurst with works inspired by the mineral collections, however an extension of the temporary exhibition in place prevented it going ahead.

The first iteration of Underground was held in the multi-purpose Blue Mountains Heritage Centre where the sandstone walls both inspired and restricted the works. During this period, it became clear to the group that the symbiotic relationship developed between the works had the exciting potential to build on this highly successful ‘pilot’ and expand on the creative potential it held.

The opportunity to exhibit in the large area of the Cultural Centre has allowed the artists to scale up works and exciting cross collaborations have formed among the group during the development period of the exhibition.

In short, they alchemically generate the same magic in a dedicated gallery space.

RO: What do you hope viewers understand about the works/artists you have selected?

MW: I was familiar with the work of the four artists: Vicky Browne, Peachey and Mosig, and Simon Reece and there was a materiality to their work that would respond to the curatorial premise, while not being too predictive, and I felt strongly would connect well to each other.

Underground will feature works ranging from traditional through to multi-media and interactive works. I don’t feel a need for viewers to understand the works but hope they will be engaged by them. It will be dark and mysterious and I’m confident will have wide appeal.

Underground is on exhibition from 25 Nov 23 – 28 Jan 24.

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Exhibition Feature Dissolution Ceremony

Curator Hayley Zena Poynton interviews Altitude artist Sean O’Keeffe about his upcoming exhibition.

Hayley Zena Poynton: How do you go about choosing a portrait sitter, what do you consider?

Sean O’Keeffe: This project started from a conversation about the complex relationship between a sitter and the artist in portraiture. I am not ‘by trade’ a portrait painter, I do paint but I also work a lot in video and photography. Essentially, I am a contemporary artist who uses whatever materials and techniques are appropriate to the idea I am investigating. In this case it made sense to approach the project through a series of formal representational portraits.

But to be honest many of my previous experiences with portraiture have been problematic. In Australia portraiture has I think a disproportionately high standing due to the popularity of exhibitions like the Archibald Prize, the National Portrait Gallery and the Doug Moran. Those exhibitions have come a long way from what was once a show case of male white bank managers and politicians, but it is still the case that success in those exhibitions can still be more reliant on the supereminence of the subject than the work of the artist.

I initially started this project very close to home, in Blackheath and with my close friends and peers. However, as the research and practice in the project expanded, so did my range of choice in subject. All of the people I have painted are artists in some form whom I respect and if there is a common link (that is yet to be fully revealed through the investigative process) it is likely the nature of the relationship itself between artist and sitter which is I hope as collaborative as it is destructive.

HZP: Your upcoming Altitude show requires the sitter respond to their portrait. What realisations have you made during this collaborative process?

SO: It has been an extraordinary process. I came into it with a lot of preconceived ideas about what might happen. Some have been realised but I have often been surprised. What happens to the works when I hand them over obviously has a lot to do with the nature of the person I give it to, their own art practice and their relationship to representational portraiture.

I think the first misconception I had was that the artists would respond to the works in a way that bore a direct relationship to what they mainly do or are known for. For example, I expected a painter to paint on the works or a sculptor to sculpt over them. In fact many artists have taken this as an opportunity to respond in a material practice they don’t normally do. But perhaps the thing I underestimated most was the sitter’s own relationship with their own image which can be I think pretty confronting. Some artists had to respond immediately to get past that, while others really had the image haunt them for a while before they could respond to it. In one case the image literally haunted the artist’s studio until they reacted to it in a very extreme way.

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It’s also been a pretty significant undertaking in terms of my own practice and my own ego.

When I started this experiment, I had to think carefully about the implications on my own creative, and emotional health. After all I was committing to a year of my life working hard to make objects that someone else was going to alter without my control.

Conceptually as a contemporary artist I felt pretty confident that I had a professionally detached approach to the destruction of the portraits in the collaborative process. I saw my work as a process and an idea. Having said all that its still confronting to see something you have worked hard on changed or even destroyed. I really tried to commit fully to the process of the paintings, even when I was fairly certain that they would almost immediately disappear. I guess I took it on as a kind of Dissolution Ceremony and as I proceeded through the process I became more aware of some of the resonances with similar cultural practices and histories involving creation and destruction or alteration.

The irony was that as I progressed through the series, the practice improved my skills and you can actually see the technical development of the portraits across the course of the year.

But perhaps the most significant ego test was not the sublimation of the images themselves but the perceived ownership of the idea. I wasn’t really prepared for that. I had thought that my acceptance of the change in the works and the collaborative nature of them, freed me from the typical ego challenges artists face, but I realised I had to deal with a reality that outside the context of this exhibition, which has my name at the top in big letters and gets me an interview in a magazine. The reality is that in many cases the work you see visually appears to be the work of another artist. I have effectively been physically erased in all but the concept. That was a pretty hard thing to process and I am probably still processing it. It says a lot about the pressures on artists today (and probably always) to make work that promotes themselves as well as the idea.

I was ready for the destruction of the work but I wasn’t ready for the destruction of my obvious presence in it. It’s probably not a good career move.

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Special events New Mountain + Dream Alley Dream Saturday 18 Nov 6.30 – 10.30 pm

New Mountain is a three channel live video work by Rachel Peachey and Paul Mosig, exploring human/environment relationships in the context of deep time with accompanying sound by Gail Priest, Chris Caines, Benjamin Ward and Tilman Robinson.

New Mountain will be followed by performances by renowned composers Megan Alice Clune and Mara Schwerdtfeger, curated by Dream Alley Dream, a conscientiously curated exploratory and experimental music series occurring across venues within the Blue Mountains, on Dharug and Gundungurra Country.

Tickets: Adults $35 / Concession $25.

Check the website for more details: www.newmountain.co

PEACHEY & MOSIG Storm over Kunanyi 2023

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InSight Member Sale Day

Christmas Wollemi Artisan Market

InSight Members recieve 20% off all shop stock on this special sale day in the lead up to Christmas. This is your chance to save on your Christmas shopping while suporting local makers and creatives.

Join us for a special twilight edition of our annual Christmas Wollemi Artisan Market.

Find unique gifts and creations from talented Blue Mountains artists, designers and food producers.

All current members are eligable. If you are not yet an InSight Member, sign up before Saturday 9 December to receive this discount.

Featuring live music and a range of products including jewellery, stationery, homewares, accessories, art, and more. Our market is the perfect opportunity to shop local and find unique, artisanal gifts this Christmas.

Saturday 9 Dec 10 am – 8 pm

The sale will begin when the Shop opens at 10 am and continue through to the end of theTwilight Wollemi Artisan Markets.

Saturday 9 Dec 5 – 8 pm

FREE event.

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What’s On HIDDEN tour

Tuesday 14 Nov 8 am – 3 pm Join the curator of HIDDEN Rookwood Sculptures 2023, Kath Fries, for a unique walking tour of the exhibition through the pathways and gardens in one of the oldest sections of Rookwood Cemetery, on Dharug land. Starting from the Cultural Centre this bus trip will journey to Rookwood for a morning tour of HIDDEN. You are welcome to bring a picnic or visit the on-site café for lunch before our return to Katoomba. $20 / $10 InSight Members Members priority booking before Wednesday 1 Nov. Curator Tour with installation by Leisa Sage, Your embrace is my fondest memory, HIDDEN 2022.

Countdown to Christmas

Saturdays between 18 Nov and 18 Dec Excitement is rising each week as we approach Christmas. This year we will be unveiling activities and events in the countdown to Christmas. Stay tuned for events via our socials and through your email updates.

Felt Christmas Decoration workshop with Members of the Embroiderers Guild Saturday 25 Nov 10.30 am – 12.30 pm

Join master crafters from the NSW Embroiderers’ Guild to make these timeless felt Christmas decorations. Fun to make, they are delightful gifts for family and friends and can be personalised with initials or messages to make them unique and special to you. The project is suitable for a beginner or more advanced stitcher. Each workshop ticket comes with a kit containing items to complete two designs. Presented in conjunction with our friends at the NSW Embroiderers’ Guild Inc, Blue Mountains Branch. $16 / $12 InSight Members Bookings essential via Eventbrite.

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Shibori Leather with Rachel Dengate Workshop One: Explore Shibori Mastery Saturday 17 Feb 10.30 am – 1.30 pm

Workshop Two: Craft Your Leather Pouch Saturday 24 Feb 10.30 am – 1.30 pm

Dive into the intricate world of Shibori, a centuries-old Japanese art form. Under Rachel’s expert guidance you will learn binding, folding, and clamping techniques. Students will be provided with some leather pieces to practice dyeing and a larger piece to prepare for use in the pouch workshop.

Craft your very own leather pouch for dice or other small items. The leather pieces dyed at the Explore Shibori Mastery workshop will set the stage for this exciting session where you will learn the fundamentals of leathercraft including saddle stitch, finishing edges, stamping designs, and setting grommets. A piece of Shibori dyed leather will be supplied if you did not attend workshop one.

$65 / $75 InSight Members Early bird price*: $60 / $70 InSight Members

$75 / $85 InSight Members Early bird price*: $70 / $80 InSight Members

Package price for both workshops: $135 / $150 InSight Members Early bird price*: $120 / $140 InSight Members. *For early bird pricing purchase before Sunday 7 Jan. Bookings essential via Eventbrite.

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Gallery Café The Gallery Café aims to operate with sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, providing a garden to table dining experience. The menu reflects these intentions through showcasing local and Indigenous produce as well as ingredients sourced from the Cultural Centre’s roof top garden.

Wattle Seed and Strawberry Parfait Parfait recipe – makes one portion: Ingredients: Individual glass of your choice 5-8 x fresh strawberries, thinly sliced 1/3 cup x fresh whipping cream 1-2 tablespoons x Wattleseed* Honey to taste Method: 1. Steep 2 tablespoons of the Wattleseed in boiling water (let cool before use) 2. Incorporate the fresh cream, Wattleseed infusion and honey in a bowl, whip until desired consistency.

3. At the bottom of your glass, start layering the thinly sliced strawberry and whipped cream mixture – continue till you reach the top of the glass.

4. Top with extra honey and strawberries – serve immediately.

Optional: Top with fresh mint leaves for a fresh take on this recipe.

* The Gallery Café sources Wattleseed from www.wildhibiscus.com

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Gallery Shop Offering a unique retail experience, the Gallery Shop stocks a wide variety of quality gifts, books and homewares, with a focus on Australian-made products, particularly those designed and made in the Blue Mountains.

InSight Members receive a 10% discount on items in the Shop and invitations to exclusive member sales throughout the year.

Rachel Dengate Rachel, a skilled leather artisan from Dharug country, brings her signature brand, Dengate Leather, to our Gallery Shop. Her craftsmanship blends tradition and creativity, resulting in one-of-a-kind, timeless treasures. Each item is meticulously handcrafted and available in limited quantities, adding to their uniqueness.

Rachel’s latest venture into Shibori dyeing with leather has produced exclusive and stunning designs. Explore this exquisite collection now featured in our Gallery Shop.

The Gallery Shop stocks an assortment of Rachel’s wears uncluding bag tassels starting at $20 and up to a waist bag for $190.

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PON PON Design Pon Pon is a design studio that creates unique accessories inspired by Mid-century art, fashion, and design, as well as the beauty of the natural world. Alex Harris, a Blue Mountains-based creator, designs accessories based on carefully considered geometric shapes and vibrant colours, resulting in new forms achieved through the interplay of shape overlays, strategic cutouts, and etched patterns. Bring thoughtfully designed wearable art into your everyday with Pon Pon. Earrings range from $32 – $38 in a variety of styles.

Gift Vouchers now available!

We now have gift vouchers available for purchase from the Gallery Shop. Vouchers can be purchsed in the amounts of $30, $50 and $100. These vouchers are a wonderful gift for those who like to shop locally or appreciate the unique range that can be found in a Gallery Shop. Visit Reception at the Cultural Centre to purchase.

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Braemar House & Gallery Braemar House is home to the treasured Braemar Gallery, a Council operated community exhibition space for visual artists.

104 Macquarie Rd, Springwood Thu – Sun 10 am – 4 pm Free admission For further information on exhibitions and opportunities to volunteer and exhibit, see under Braemar House at www.bluemountainstheatre.com.au

Installation view: Crust exhibition in 2022 by Caren Berzins, Martin Lukersmith and Ali White. Photo: silversalt.

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Hub Upstairs Gallery Hub Upstairs Gallery is a new display space in Springwood, showcasing our vibrant Arts community with regularly changing exhibitions from Blue Mountains visual artists.

Level 1, Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub Mon – Fri 9 am – 5 pm & when Theatre is open For further information on exhibitions and opportunities to exhibit, see under Braemar House at www.bluemountainstheatre.com.au

love live performance Ed Kuepper Sept ‘23

Main Image by Victor Zubakin

106 Macquarie Road Springwood BOOKINGS 4723 5050 • bluemountainstheatre.com.au 27

Meet the team Introducing you to some of the newest team members you will see working in and around the Cultural Centre, we asked them why they love working here!

Kate Reid

Circus Artist, Musician, Visual Artist Kate regularly works with the Cultural Centre team as a casual exhibition installer.

You’re a multidisciplinary artist working across a range of art forms, do you have a favoured practice?

I don’t think I have a favoured practice, I love being a multi and interdisciplinary artist but being a very physical person, I do love physical based practices including Circus and Theatre. I also adore sculpting Marble, which in itself is a very physical practice, but where Circus and Theatre are very outward, Marble is a very inward practice, in some ways it is almost the extreme opposite.

I have named my band The Marble Circus Band after my two loves.

Physicality and movement are a big part of your practice, how does the body inform the way you approach artmaking?

Being physical is a way for me to move energy through my body and release tension. It is for me a very natural way to process. I love moving in time and space and testing the extremes, testing and taking my body into dangerous places to find the edges of myself and also our collective human space. Safe risk taking is a way to process my humanity, the traumas, grief and put it hopefully into a place that can heal, inspire and transform. I work a lot with youth at risk and people who have experienced trauma, using Circus and Physical Theatre as a tool for transformation and collective story telling.

Can you tell us more about your Marble Circus?

The Marble Circus is something of a collective and a collection. I formulated it in 2016 as a way to combine all my passions. It is an interdisciplinary art practice and brand which combines circus, film, a collective band, photography, sculpture and physical theatre. Under this brand I combine all my art practices and use past images, shows, ideas and incorporate them into current works.

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ADMISSION:

OPENING HOURS:

Adults: $5.50 Australian concession card holders: $3.20 InSight Members: Free Children under 16: Free

Monday – Friday: 10 am – 5 pm Saturday + Sunday: 10 am – 4 pm Closed public holidays

Your admission ticket allows entry to our permanent exhibition Into the Blue and the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery We thank the dedicated volunteers at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre who provide valuable support to staff and visitors.

InSight Magazine is proudly designed and printed in the Blue Mountains.

The Gallery Café opens 9.30 am weekdays.

Café closed public holidays BLUE MOUNTAINS CULTURAL CENTRE:

Level 1, 30 Parke St Katoomba 02 4780 5410 info@bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au