Is the Sydney art community finally breaking out of the Paddington-Surry Hills-Chippendale axis of ghetto evil?
Seems like it. An intrepid, independent gang of inner city go-getters are heading 30kms south west of Sydney city and taking over a disused building in Cabramatta High School. The team consists of an artist, a teacher, an urban architect/place-maker, a youth worker and a filmmaker.
The name of the project is Gallery 2166 – a cute nod to the suburb’s postcode.
They’re doing this unpaid – it’s all about the kids! – and calling on YOU for donations. It’s called crowd-funding; it’s organised via crowd-funding resource Pozible and it’s the latest DIY way to get around the state and federal governments’ shameful, shameful lack of funding for cultural projects. You may think that all artists do is frolic and gambol care-freely, using recycled wares and creating amazing things from nothing, but these grassroots projects need dollars!
If only a team of artists had taken over high school during my days, and the rest of this city was a site for creative invasion, beautification and community engagement …
Your pledges will go towards:
– Refurbishment of an old Design and Technology building; hanging walls, lighting, fixtures and material for the gallery fit out.
– Running costs; transportation of artworks, installs, utilities, openings, catalogs and promotional material.
– Materials for workshops, programs and exhibitions; projectors, monitors, art workshop supplies and guest artists.
The space will include:
– Two new exhibitions each school term.
– Rotation of installation concepts in the vacant shipping container connected to the gallery; interactive 3d video works, sensory worlds, games, green screen photo booth, new media activities.
– Resource library; books, video and film, magazines and audio library.
– A program of workshops/performances run by guest artists and resident directors.
– The space will be open weekdays for students and free after school hours for the general public.
Gallery 2166 exists to:
– Provide access to a community with restricted proximity to such resources.
– Link different areas of Sydney together through cultural exchange.
– Empower students and the community to feel at home in a gallery space.
– Provide the area with a representative platform activating participation and curiosity in the arts.
– Provide opportunities for students to become leaders of art knowledge in the nation and encourage them to develop their creativity across all areas of education.
Gallery 2166
Cabramatta High School, Aladore Avenue, Cabramatta
Contact: gallery2166@gmail.com
Hit up their Pozible crowd funding page and video
