KATE WISE

Member of Henley Scribblers writing group

Kate is an articulate, inspiring and passionate writer whose published works are available through our libraries. Kate is a member of the Henley Scribblers, who meet fortnightly at Henley and Grange Community Centre. Originally joining the group to improve and grow as a writer, Kate gained more than she expected through exploring and experiencing writing in a group, rather than purely as a solitaire pursuit.

Tell me about your creative writing practice and how you came to be a member of Henley Scribblers?

My father was a great linguist, having studied English at University Growing up he espoused a lot of poetry and Shakespeare. My mother was also a great diarist, writing all the time. That background gave me inspiration and a foundation for my own career teaching English as a second language. In 2006 my mother shared with me her ledgers from the war and an album of photographs she took at the time as an amateur photographer. I thought this needs to be put together and published, but I was not really a writer as such, so I completed a creative writing course at TAFE TAFE encouraged me to join a writer’s group, and I joined Henley Scribblers in 2009.

Tell me about Henley Scribblers?

Henley Scribblers was established by the University of the Third Age in 1989. We have supported each other through thick and thin and are very supportive of each other’s creative writing journey. Each fortnight we are given a topic to write about, usually just one word, which gives us an opportunity to be creative It is amazing the variety of stories and poems that are generated from that one topic. We then read each other stories to be critiqued. We have a mix of poets, short story and memoir writers. Creatively, it is a broad variety, so it’s interesting when you read and hear other people’s stories and if it inspires you that is the catalyst to keep us going.

What has been key to the group’s success?

At least four of our twelve members have been published. We have just completed our 10th Anthology, they have all been well received. Along with my own books, the anthologies can be accessed via the Charles Sturt Libraries and are also available for purchase from the launch or through the Henley Scribblers. Our format of inviting guest speakers to run workshops with the group provides learning input all the time. That is the key to success and to not plateau; picking up new ideas and helpful tips and sharing knowledge across the group, such as IT skills to self-publish.

What is the hope for the future?

We want to keep going and include a few more people and have a place to meet without time restrictions as we are limited to 2 hours and have a waitlist at the moment. Our focus is to share stores and hear everybody and concentrate on getting our anthologies together. We also want to attract more guest speakers to keep the group evolving.

What actions would you like to see included in an ambitious arts and culture plan for our city?

Continue to encourage people to attend the various Author talks and workshops hosted by the libraries. As well as artist talks, more workshops on how to write short stories run by libraries. Perhaps we can broaden the workshops we run for the Henley Scribblers groups to the broader community by running them in the library.

A grant to allow us to publish more often. We currently self-fundraise. The small margin we make on book sales support the publishing cost of our next book, however we would like to engage a professional editor as this service is expensive so beyond the group’s means.

Years ago there used to be an arts launch, with various artists having stalls of works for sale, such as Henley and Grange Arts Society as well as Henley Scribblers. Be great to have an event to showcase different types of arts in our area

Key Messages

Creatively exploring together and working with others prompts fresh ideas and provides new perspectives.

Opportunities to regularly meet with other writers and share excerpts of work motivates participants to keep writing and to bring their best to the group.

Questions

What are the opportunities for our creative writing and broader community to connect with and celebrate the Writer’s Festival across our City?

As Henley Scribblers is at membership capacity, how can we encourage other writers to establish writing groups or have greater opportunities to network and connect with each other?

Hindmarsh Greening

Stobie pole artwork, mosaic street flower pots and planting trees in the Hindmarsh and surrounding areas

As I travel to meet Cheryl I pass by Hindmarsh Greening mosaic pots and stobie pole artworks that adorn the local streets of Bowden and Hindmarsh and I cannot help but feel that this is a place where community building and a sense of local pride is valued and important.

How and why was Hindmarsh Greening created?

In the late 1980’s, the Hindmarsh area was an industrial suburb, so with the support of the then Hindmarsh Council, Hindmarsh Greening was created to plant intermediate planting to keep dust down as well as verge planting. A few years later we started creating large mosaic pots and stobie pole painting to integrate art with our planting to add colour to what was a bleak neighbourhood. Our vision was to link Park Terrace over to South Road. In that time, we have created 36 mosaic pots, more than 70 mosaic stobie poles, hundreds of painted stobie poles and a number of sculptures in our parks. We also commissioned 9 decorative suburban signs to create a real inner west artistic identity

What has helped Hindmarsh Greening succeed?

Our big picture vision and linking areas within our community. We take a whole of street approach to make the space more interesting and colourful. Great examples include Queen Street Croydon, Hawker Street, Ninth Street and Thirteenth Street in Bowden.

What is the hope for Hindmarsh Greening’s future?

It is having pride in our neighbourhood, making people want to be here. The thing I love the most is our engagement with the community and their feedback. While there are changes to be made and appreciation for what we do, we will continue. We are very active with mosaic street art, which I think will keep motivating and growing the group. Continuity of membership and understanding Council is a big factor and having a base at the Brompton Community Garden is most important, along with ongoing funding from our Ward Councillors. Mentoring other groups on how to successfully make changes to their local streets is a great opportunity for our group into the future.

What actions would you like to see included in an ambitious arts and culture plan for our city?

As an ongoing group we apply for funding through Discretionary Ward Allowance WA every 2 years or so. To avoid having to stockpile materials and supplies, it would be preferable for Council to allow us to spend the DWA over a 12-month period instead of the current 3-month timeframe https://www.facebook.com/hindmarsh.greening.7/

Public Insurance is going to be a big question for groups like ours moving forward. It is an obstacle for us to be involved in events like the SA Nature Festival and other events that require PL insurance and a risk during stobie pole installation. Generally, we won’t get involved as it is financially onerous to participate in outside events.

Bring together groups across our city, for instance all different community art groups to share stories, information on where to source materials, how to work together to get a discount from suppliers and support each other, e g time, space and resources.

Recognition and profile of community art outcomes across Council marketing platforms. Recognise our natural, historical, current and future assets that have potential to be the next Queen Street. This could be the Kilkenny area. Multicultural artwork along Torrens Road, music inspired works in Hindmarsh to celebrate our music history and live music venues.

Beautification of our city entrances. Artwork can be an anchor to set the imagination going of what is possible in an area. Identify designated areas for public art. Buy one large art piece every year and projected illumination art in Hindmarsh and other spaces.

Key Messages

The cost of public liability insurance is often a barrier for our community to deliver neighbourhood projects.

Community driven projects create places that encourage social interaction and require many participants as possible so that they have the time, energy and ideas to keep things going.

Questions

What are the barriers for our community to lead projects in their neighbourhood?

How can we continue to support and inspire our community to create and grow neighbourhood projects?

Naomi Schwartz

Bespoke Jewellery Designer, Naomi Schwartz

Jewellery Design Gallery

Walking into Naomi Schwartz Jewellery Design Gallery I am struck by the wide range of materials, from titanium, stainless steel, glass and even timber, skilfully crafted into bespoke jewellery pieces. The working studio lures visitors in to find out more about the South Australian artists showcased here and the stories behind each unique piece.

What attracted you to setup your jewellery design business in Henley Beach?

When I visit a seaside town, I always like visiting the various arts and crafts shops, whether it be jewellery or design, and see works of local makers. As a resident of Henley, I noticed that there wasn’t an arts space in the area that showcased South Australian Artists, so I wanted to create a studio and gallery where people can purchase jewellery and meet the artists. That was five years ago I make and sell my work from the gallery and currently support around 40 South Australian artists in the gallery. We have a great community of Jewellers in our State.

What has helped your business succeed?

The fact that there isn’t any other space like the gallery here. It is something new and different for the area. The locals have also been very supportive, we offer different price points and rather than go online people really like to come in and have a chat with the maker, touch and try on handmade pieces and work with us to create something custom for them, so we have lots of repeat customers. I have also focussed on attracting visitors through being involved in the South Australia Living Artists Festival (SALA) and partnering with local businesses (Henley Beach Business Association) to access grants.

What makes your business unique?

All the artists have different styles and techniques and create their pieces from a range of materials, such as titanium, plastic, precious stones and metals. They also do small runs, it isn’t mass produced. We also have themed based exhibitions throughout the year that challenges the artists to come up with something new. http://naomischwartz.com.au/

What is the hope for your creative and business future?

More of what we are doing and to keep making!

What actions would you like to see included in an ambitious arts and culture plan for our city?

Promoting local makers and creative businesses is essential. SALA exhibitions and walking tours have been popular and great in attracting people from other areas, but that is just one month of the year. It would be great if we could promote walking tour experiences throughout the entire year. Perhaps a directory in the square, like the old Civic Guide boards but more creative or sculptural in appearance, or online, so it gets people out and walking around and seeing different things, such as galleries, restaurants and where to go to get your nails done.

We could start by bringing the creative businesses together to bounce ideas on how we could work together to promote our creative community.

I had an idea before COVID-19 to promote local Henley day trip experiences to cruise ships coming into Port Adelaide. They are ported here for the day and often head to the city, so we could try to get a tour bus to come to Henley for the day. Or arts bus tours that include dining experiences and visits to local Galleries, meet local makers and artists, such as Andrew Baines, an iconic artist here in Henley amongst other local studios and places.

The Brighton sculpture festival is iconic. We could do something similar here at Henley, but make it our own, perhaps an annual art show with competitions in the square. It would be great for a variety of artists, jewellers, painters and sculptors at different stages of their career to come together.

Key Messages

With the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the arts and culture sector, the Arts and Culture Plan is more important than ever in guiding Council investment and partnerships between State Government, local Government and the arts and culture sector to suppo rt a sustainable future for the benefit of our community.

Our creative sector creates jobs, build future entrepreneurs, drive innovation, attract investment, entertain audiences, boost tourism, enhance our wellbeing, and showcase our unique culture.

Questions

What iconic arts and culture event can City of Charles Sturt be known for?

How can we bring creative businesses together to bounce ideas, share skills and knowledge and promote what is on offer in our city?

How can we support existing creative businesses to grow and attract start up creative businesses within our city?