Arts Council Toowoomba Inc. had its annual general meeting on 8 November 2018 at USQ, the night before GraduArt, an exhibition of artwork produced by graduate arts students at the university. We discussed some of the many successful outcomes from the collaborative works of committee members and the community.
We elected new committee members for 2019, and thanked those who contributed to Arts Council Toowoomba Inc. through 2018. Please check the updated committee page to meet our committee members in their new roles. (actmba.com/about/committee-2019)
LIT Festival was an incredible success, especially given its inaugural status. Arts Council Toowoomba Inc. is proud to have auspiced the initial grant for this fabulous festival, organised by Ben Tupas of Story Arc Inc.
Ruth Atkinson shared with us her work on Curious Arts, a new festival for March 2019 celebrating the peculiar and wonderful in culture and creative practices.
The Empire Theatre THRIVE ON ARTS Festival in September saw artists Johnny Valkyrie and Ngaire Winwood create structural pieces much like chandeliers from recycled materials, including vinyl banners from previous productions at the theatre. The piece made by Ngaire featured in The Armitage Centre, utilising crystal threads and fashioned flowers from vinyl off cuts, the sunlight in the foyer adding to the beauty. Those made by Johnny were enjoyed by children and families, utilising woven yarn and fallen branches, featuring outside in the heritage listed Magnolia tree beside The Empire Church.
We are also auspicing a grant for emerging performing arts company, Shoebox Theatre. We expect to support many more emerging artists and organisations in the coming year, and welcome our new committee with excitement.
Kindly,
Johnny
Secretary
Arts Council Toowoomba Inc.