Herring Island Summer Arts Festival News

Australia Day 2012

2012-01-27T20:27:00.000+11:00

Cressida from the Contemporary Art Society working in the courtyard

We had perfect weather, a beautiful place and representatives from all the exhibiting groups to engage in conversation. There was John Bishop carving, three Basketmakers weaving, Cressida Fox painting and drawing and a lively contingent from Ceramics Victoria encouraging visitors in the delights of clay modelling. Plus a guided tour led by Damian Curtin from Friends of Herring Island.

A walk in the park

A Weave of Basket Makers

A chip of a sculptor

The Launch

2012-01-15T22:11:00.001+11:00

The formalities were conducted withstyle

by ASVPresident Gillian Govan and

Cr. JohnChandler, Mayor of Stonnington

Imagecourtesy Robert Lee


A president with people, food and great weather

It was a great day - food and people and drinks in correct abundance..... the speeches were made and the art admired... we are ready for a great festival. We'll add images as they come to hand...

Theexhibiting sculptors also managed the hospitality.

In thiscase Monica Mauer Jan wields the platter.

Image byRobert Lee.

The first work sold
Image by Janice McCarthy

The throng

The throng admiring the art

Setting up the First Exhibition

2012-01-14T00:52:00.003+11:00

It didn't rain - it was fun and now it's ready for the opening:

Before the 2012 Festival

2012-01-08T23:22:00.000+11:00

As we work towards the Festival it's sometimes good to reflect on the other groups who have helped make Herring Island into a bushland retreat. Friends of Herring Island were working there today - Sunday 8th January - and the place is looking great - so welcome to some background clips of sleepy Herring Island.

Opening the Ceramics Victoria Exhibition

2011-02-09T14:17:00.003+11:00

The weather was very unkind to Ceramics Victoria - in fact a lot of people in Victoria had it seriously bad on Friday evening the 4th and Saturday 5th February. The river was running high and people were busy coping with the results of flash flooding. So the beautiful exhibition had to wait a day to open. Unfortunately the sponsor, Decal Specialists, couldn't be there - but the prizes were announced:

Highly Commended "Out of Earth VI" by Sharyn Masson

Prize Winner Lene Kuhl Jakobsen with "Earthly Gifts"

Sharyn Masson's "Out of Earth VI" was the runner up and Lene Kuhl Jakobsen's "Earthly Gifts" won the Decal Specialists Prize.

Robert Lee was able to snatch an interview with Yvonne Torrico, to talk about the work she has on Herring Island.

Australia Day on Herring Island

2011-01-28T16:23:00.000+11:00

We had a ball! People came for the exhibition, the artists' talks and demonstrations in the courtyard, the guided and self guided tours of the island - the weather was kind, the river gentle and we were close enough to the city to see the flypast.
Thanks to the artists who gave up their holiday to play on the island and thanks to Rick from Parks Victoria who drove the punt for hundreds of people to visit us.
The weekend of the 29th and 30th January is the last for the sculpture - next weekend the Ceramic Victoria exhibition will cast a new light on clay!

See you there!

Launching the 2011 Festival

2011-01-15T21:28:00.000+11:00

It was tricky setting up on Friday - but we can count ourselves lucky - the floods that have been so devastating elsewhere merely caused a bit of hilarity as we laboured in the rain to deliver our work - Dave Ryan from Parks Victoria did a brilliant job of driving the punt in the fast current - and the sculptors helped each other carry work to the gallery and then organise a wiping brigade so that we didn't flood the place as we brought the work in. Mind you we weren't up for taking pictures - there was work to be done. At any rate the show was duly set up and left to rest over night while the weather sorted itself out.

Saturday was fine - no rain and no excessive heat and we had a buzz of guests for the opening.

Nigel Caswell addressing us - supported by Valda Cuming's "Creature from the Deep".

ASV president Geoff Williams introduced our opener- Nigel Caswell - former head of Parks Victoria. We had representatives from councils on both sides of the river and visitors from the other arts groups to be showing work over the months of the festival.
And after all that we got to relax, or walk the island and to admire the exhibition - it was a great start and thanks to everyone it is a great exhibition.

Relaxing after the opening

Waiting for the 2011 Festival

2010-12-22T22:20:00.000+11:00

The 2011 festival will be with us soon! We visited the island the day before the official opening and found all in readiness - the island's treasures have lasted the winter and await you.

Opening the Sculpture Exhibition

2010-02-02T14:32:00.007+11:00

It's only three weeks since the festival started and now we have the next exhibition. Opening day for the Association of Sculptors of Victoria was low key with a friendly crowd enjoying a short talk from president Geoff Williams, some refreshing hospitality and stimulating art.
The weekend continued hot - so much so that we brought over a portable evaporative cooler and kept the mini refrigerator stocked with soft drink and mineral water. The cooler made a difference - Monica knows :-)
At the end of the day - when all the guests had enjoyed a cool drink and gone back we made a movie of the show - the official record will of course show the work much better - but this gives an idea of what is there and how it feels. You can enjoy the show for the next two weekends - then on to the Contemporary Art Society of Victoria.

Australia Day 2010

2010-01-28T12:40:00.005+11:00

Ceramics Victoria hosted the 2010 Australia Day celebrations in the gallery, whilst representative from the Association of Sculptors of Victoria, the Contemporary Art Society and Ceramics Victoria demonstrated their art in the courtyard. Damien from Friends of Herring Island ran a tour showing people the permanent collection of sculpture and discussed the ongoing work of re-vegetating the island. There must have been in excess of three hundred people visiting on Australia Day but it wasn't crowded once you were on the island - a laid back Australian arts experience.

Contemporary Art Society - 7 to 22 March

2009-03-24T21:12:00.003+11:00

Ceramics Victoria 14 February to 1 March

2009-03-02T19:50:00.003+11:00

Australia Day Weekend and the Sculpture Exhibition Opening

2009-01-28T23:09:00.004+11:00

HISAF 2009 in action with WASA

2009-01-10T15:22:00.014+11:00

The Wildlife Art Society of Australasia started HISAF 2009 with a perfect day - the weather sunny and mild, the island and gallery in great shape and the art, which includes paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture - well worth the visit.

On opening day Vida Pearson was the resident demonstrating artist. Throughout the show other Wildlife artists will be at the gallery, demonstrating their work and talking to people.

While we were away.....

2009-01-10T15:13:00.002+11:00

The swans hatched cygnets and life moved along......

Ceramics Victoria - the Sculpture Prize - 5th to 20th April

2008-04-18T19:41:00.005+10:00

And what a note to finish on! The sculpture prize was awarded with due ceremony on the 5th - the public have been treated to a great show of ceramic sculptural works - the whimsical, the naive, the playful, the sophisticated - all on Herring Island.

Koorie Heritage Trust 15th to 30th March

2008-04-18T19:21:00.003+10:00

Koorie Heritage Trust brought us artists that are also represented in KHT's three galleries in King Street - and the more casual environment of Herring Island introduced a lot of people to the work that the Trust does. Quite an eye opener all round.

Contemporary Art Society of Victoria Inc. 23 February to 9 March

2008-04-18T19:06:00.004+10:00

The main exhibition showed a range of two and three dimensional work - a rich blessing of ideas, colours, forms and philosophies. Thirty one artists graced the walls and pedestals for this show - plus, in the courtyard, Robert Lee gave us Nabi 2008 - an installation of branches and other objects found on (and finally returned to) Herring Island.

Where the Punt Comes From

2008-02-25T13:08:00.006+11:00

Burnley Harbour is hidden behind the South Eastern Arterial. The excavation that cut through the peninsular on the north bank of the Yarra River to create Herring Island also let water into Richmond quarry and created the harbour where Parks Victoria keeps its water craft. Cyclists know that the bike path, on pontoons at this point, swings open when the Parks' water craft enter or leave the harbour. There is also a set of climbing walls sheltered by the free-way and every year the Contemporary Art Society runs a weekend art show there - all hidden treasures of Melbourne.

Sculpture Exhibition 1st February to 17th February

2008-02-17T08:42:00.004+11:00

Accompanying the exhibition the exhibiting sculptors have run demonstration events in the courtyard. The work with power tools is noisy - but faster. The more traditional hand tools have given us time to talk to visitors. Each of the sculptors here are also exhibiting work in the gallery - often indicating the breadth of sculptural expression with work in different media. The intimate scale of the gallery gives us the opportunity to show work in different media and styles - John Wooller, in particular,launching a departure from his amazing carved and turned wood and giving us a range of fabricated metal sculptures - two of them maquettes for larger works.
Images of the sculpture will be available on the Association of Sculptors of Victoria web site in due course. After this exhibition the artists are preparing work for the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show - a different environment where you will see outdoor, garden sculptures - and again the demonstrators will be out in force.

Previewing the Sculpture Exhibition

2008-02-17T08:03:00.011+11:00

On the evening of Friday 1st February a group of 45 took the arts dinner cruise to Herring Island. We boarded Florence on the Yarra at Southbank. It was a magical evening - perfect weather for cruising, great company (of course) an excellent meal, and a rare dusk visit to Herring Island and its gallery full of sculpture.
The president of the Association of Sculptors of Victoria, John Wooller gave us a talk about the work in the gallery. Then back on board for the main meal and a cruise to the wilds of Toorak.

This was our first evening arts cruise to the island. Next season we intend to preview each exhibition in the series. For the artists and organisers it is a wonderful way to finish the hurly burly of creation and installation of the work and celebrate the start of the exhibition.

Celebrating Tanderrum

2008-02-03T23:43:00.002+11:00

Tanderrum

It was a privilege to be part of the team restoring Tanderrum, and even more of a privilege to be reminded of its meaning when we gathered to celebrate the restoration of the work on 26th January. The name of the work was inspired by the ceremony of welcome - as recorded by William Thomas during the 1840s. A transcript of his writing can be found on the Friends of Herring Island website: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~herring/arts.htm We were reminded that the form of the work came from two inspirations -

one the ceremony and from that derived the five rocks donated by the five language groups of the Kulin nation: the Woiwurrung, Bunurong, Tuangurong, Ngurai-illam-wurrung and Wautharong; the Mount William greenstone - traded through out eastern Australia; and the flying form of Bunjil overall.

the other inspiration is a tongue in cheek reference to the white Australian monument - the stacked Castlemaine slate reminiscent of so many memorials all over the country.

Australia Day 2008

2008-01-30T12:45:00.000+11:00

Australia Day on Herring Island -
in the courtyard . . . . . Ann-Maree Gentile creates in clay while chatting to a visitor to the WASA exhibition; Esther Kirby carves an emu egg; Maree Clarke from the Koorie Heritage Trust looks on.
in the gallery ....... Janet Matthews (WASA) demonstrates while Peter Teesdale (Parks Victoria) chats with Ellen Jose, the creator of "Tanderrum", part of Herring Island's permanent sculpture collection.

Opening the Show 2008

2008-01-24T21:12:00.001+11:00

Working on Tanderrum

2008-01-22T13:46:00.000+11:00

In 2007 visitors to the Herring Island Summer Arts Festival were generous and as a result - we - the artist/organising committee were able to undertake repairs on the permanent collection of sculpture on Herring Island. Under direction from the artist, Ellen Jose, we set about restoring Tanderrum.

First Ellen came and inspected the work and approved our approach - then the work began: bringing together Castlemaine slate, mortar, oil for the wood and all the little bits and pieces needed to make the process a success.

It was hot work - Summer again by the time we had everything - and the artist - altogether. At last the work is ready to re launch - and the Island is a-buzz again with the 2008 Summer Arts Festival. We are ready for Australia day when Ellen will speak a few words about the significance of her work and its place on Herring Island - in the centre of a ring with five stones.