March 17, 2014
A Maidenwell artist who initiated an art project to help document the Bimblebox Nature Reserve in central-west Queensland before it gets subsumed by a massive coal mine will be discussing the process of curating the resultant artworks in Wondai next week.
Jill Sampson’s talk “Curating and the Bimblebox Art Project” will be held from 11:00am on Monday, March 24, at the Wondai Regional Art Gallery.
The Bimblebox Art Project, which was launched in 2012, created the opportunity for artists to visit and creatively document the endangered Bimblebox Nature Refuge in the Gallilee Basin.
The resulting pieces from 17 artists have been developed into a national touring exhibition “Bimblebox: Art – Science – Nature” which will be officially launched at the Redland Gallery on May 18.
Jill received an RADF grant from South Burnett Regional Council to develop skills in the curating of art exhibitions.
The grant gave her the opportunity to receive on-the-job training and mentoring during the curatorial research and selection phase of the Bimblebox exhibition.
During her talk at Wondai Art Gallery, Jill will explain what she has learned from curator Beth Jackson, the different ways Beth approached her role and some of the challenges related to curating.
She will also show photos of the artists at work on Bimblebox and in their studio.
Footnote. On December 20, Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt announced his conditional approval for Clive Palmer’s $8.8 billion Galilee Coal Project “China First” which totally encompasses the Bimblebox Nature Reserve. Bimblebox supporters claim the area is an important semi-arid desert upland habitat for birds and reptiles. Bimblebox was purchased in 2000 through donations and funding from the Australian National Reserve System program. In 2002, the Bimblebox Nature Refuge Agreement was signed with the Queensland Government to permanently protect the conservation values of the property. However, nature refuges are not automatically protected from mineral exploration and mining. The China First project is expected to export 40 million tonnes of coal a year.
