Another young emerging artist to watch, not just as an artist, but as an individual determined to contribute to the development of contemporary art on the Central Coast.Elizabeth’s work is currently to be seen at Watt Space, Newcastle, in Fractured Beat II, an exhibition with Suzanne Robertson, until the 29th of October. She is an active member of the Reading Room Project in Gosford, as well as completing the 3rd year of a Fine Arts Degree at the University of Newcastle, Ourimbah.
Someone once said of athletics that to achieve your best you
had to push yourself beyond your limits -– and continue to hold your form. This, if applied to art, would sound like the subjective experience of the creative process as described by many artists. Perhaps art and sport are not as far apart as is sometimes supposed.
Elizabeth competed in the Paralympic Games at Atlanta in 1996, where she won bronze in the 50m Butterfly, and in Sydney in 2000 where she won a Silver and a Bronze medal. Silver for the 400m freestyle and Bronze for the 4X50m freestyle relay. She had a large program, competing in 7 events, making 5 finals and breaking 5 national records.She has held the100m Butterfly world record (classification s6) and the
national 50m Butterfly, 100m Butterfly, 100m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke records.
On top of her impressive sporting achievement she took on civic duties as an Australia Day Ambassador in 2000, and has been an Australia Day Ambassador for the towns/cities of Gosford, Ryde, and Narromine.
After ‘Ourimbah’, Elizabeth intends to undertake postgraduate study in Australia and overseas. Fortunately for us, one of her goals is “to create an Artists Run Gallery on the Central Coast to enable contemporary artists to exhibit within a space that encourages experimental art practices.” If past achievements are any guide, we can confidently await our invitations to the opening.
7 comments:
Congratulations Elizabeth. Look forward to the 'OPENING' of a contemporary art gallery on the Central Coast run by a local artist who understands this environment and its place/relation within a wider national and global artplace.
Anonymous has made a very important point. Local contemporary art, which will always have a regional inflection, must be attuned to international developments if it is to be a serious player in developing contemporary culture.
To do this it will be important for Gosford to develop that part of the contemporary art spectrum serviced by Contemporary Art Centres and Artist Run Initiatives in other cities in Australia and everywhere around the world. Usually these venues are the focus of experimental, creative practice and discussion, which flows on to other parts of the community.
I wish you well.
Liz you're work looks amazing!!
All the best for your up-coming end of the year exhibition, I can see you winning a major award!
Catch up with you then,
Betty
xx
Go Liz
Yes, Go Liz, seems like you have lots of support.
But I wonder if we need a Gosford Artspace. Sometimes I think that the artist-run-gallery is not needed any more, that we don’t need galleries, that we can make art projects anywhere, that we can use existing public spaces, that we can use the internet, that galleries only encourage artists to think of making pictures and objects.
Then I think maybe its easier for artists to work outside galleries and artspaces in places where they already have artspaces, and that what we need in to do in Gosford is catch up, and that a “place” might be the best thing for contemporary art because it would give it a focus, a meeting place, and give it permanence, give it credibility because even people who wouldn’t know art if they fell over it in the street can relate to something identified with a place or real estate where they can get out of the rain.
So maybe I agree that a contemporary art centre would be great for Gosford, and that maybe it means thinking of new ways of using an artspace together with non-gallery art projects.
We certainly need something, anyway you have got me thinking, and wondering where would be a good place for it.
All of the above!!! Please. As well as "making art" in public space, providing thought provoking work, the public require the "gallery" setting, where they can rely on a place and space to "visit" - an art refuge of sorts. When I go to a place I like to start with the galleries I know....then the art I see on the way is a suprising and thought provoking bonus.
And...just on the amazing art - work!!! The second image draws me absolutely. Although I know it is not meant to be so (or maybe it is), this image is one I grew up with - Mary and Child - i.e. Mother and Child. I have looked at the piece again and over, and each time I see that peaceful scene.
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