Moving Galleries E-News July 2010
Welcome
This month, we celebrate the first five years of Moving Galleries. In that time, and with your support, we’ve transformed it from an idea into a reality, and we have produced five sensational exhibitions, which have been seen by hundreds of thousands of Melbourne commuters.
While it may be a few more months before the next exhibition of Moving Galleries is up and running, don’t think for a second we’re resting on our laurels.
As you’ll see from this issue, there has been plenty of activity at Moving Galleries. Firstly, we’ve tallied up your votes and we are delighted to announce the winners of the ‘People’s Choice Awards’ ... you’ll have to read on to find out who won.
We’ve also gathered a group of passionate Moving Galleries supporters to form an Advisory Board. They are helping us take the necessary steps to establish Moving Galleries as a separate organisation, with a clear and sustainable model for future operations.
At the same time, our Poetry Selection Committee has been knee deep in short poems, prose, rookus and haikus sorting through submissions for the ‘Observance’ exhibition, which we’re hoping to bring you in the coming months, with art from our arts partner, Arts Projects Australia.
Between now and the next issue, we’ll be letting the shortlisted poets know of their involvement and announcing the exhibition dates - so stay tuned.
And don’t forget, you can always join us at http://www.facebook.com/MovingGalleries.org or follow us at http://twitter.com/movinggalleries
Cheers,
Jack Walden and the Moving Galleries team
Program news
People’s Choice Award Winners
Did you see the announcement on the ‘Melbourne Life’ page of The Age today?
Moving Galleries is pleased to announce the recipients of the People’s Choice Awards for the Transformation exhibition are Sean M Whelan and Kirsty Hulm.
The Poetry Award goes to Sean M Whelan for his poem ‘everything we ever changed our minds about’. His poem about autumn and love was a standout among the final 30 poems displayed.
Kirsty Hulm won the Artist Award for her installation ‘Imagine Me and You I Do’, which featured on the city’s St Paul Cathedral. Her work was originally part of the 2008 Next Wave Festival.
Congratulations to Sean and Kirsty as well as all the wonderful poets and artists who were involved in the ‘Transformation’ exhibition.
Public prize
Congratulations also go to Daniel Donahoo who won a prize worth $500 for simply casting his vote in the People’s Choice Awards.
Daniel was a little taken aback by the prize, as he was unaware that with voting came a reward. So what does he think about receiving a prize for simply voting for the piece that resonated with him the most?
“Moving Galleries has provided me with so much enjoyment over the years. A Moving Galleries carriage demands that we commuters pick ourselves up from our seat and survey each poem and artwork before we depart for jobs or home or otherwise.
I think Moving Galleries is demonstrating the increasing connection authors and readers have with each other, and hopefully with this city. The Internet has emerged from its infancy and we are now capable of all simultaneously being producers and receivers of words, stories, poems, pictures and ideas.
Thanks for making the journey a little brighter Moving Galleries, and thanks to all those that contribute to a project that we hope prospers and thrives well into the future.”
Well done Daniel and thank you for supporting our poets and artists.
Advisory Board
An interim Advisory Board has been established to help take the necessary steps to set Moving Galleries up as a separate entity, and develop a sustainable business model.
We will be keeping you updated on the progress of the Advisory Board via our website.
Poetry Selection
Thank you for the overwhelming response to our call for poetry submissions for the next exhibition.
Our Selection Committee now has the task of sorting through hundreds of submissions of short poems and haikus for the ‘Observance’ exhibition. Selection is well underway and we should have our final 30 poems chosen in the coming weeks.
The final selection will be undertaken by veteran Moving Galleries selector Kevin Brophy from the University of Melbourne as well as Luis Serrano Gonzalez, the new director of Overload Poetry Festival and Elisabeth Williams from the Department of Transport.
Commuting with… Matt Hetherington
Matt Hetherington performing at the 2008 Overload Poetry Festival (Image courtesy of Michael Reynolds)
In each issue of our e-newsletter, we’re going to ask a poet, artist, sponsor or a member of the team about their experiences commuting with Moving Galleries.
What’s your role with Moving Galleries?
Along with Lia Hills and Myron Lysenko, I was the initiator of the poetry aspect of the project. So I see my role partly as looking after the artistic side of things, remembering where we started, and making sure the poets don’t get forgotten in the middle of this massive, many-sided enterprise. Officially, I’m one of the poetry editors, and also I’m on the Advisory Board.
What does the initial selection process involve?
LOTS of poems! Reducing the submissions down to the required number (usually from something like 1,000 to around 90 or so), which seems to involve open-mindedness, tact, and the ability to give up poems that one likes, too...Lia and I get on pretty well, and generally have fairly similar ideas of what good poetry is and isn’t, and are both able to compromise. Although, I’m the good guy, of course…
What is your overall reaction to the quality of poetry submissions, for this exhibition and previous exhibitions?
Funny, actually, this was the first time I thought ‘Wow, pretty low standard there’, and then later realised I was wrong. About half the people who submit obviously don’t read much poetry, but I think occasionally can produce a good poem anyway. I’d actually like to see even MORE well-known poets submitting, but the amount of input from the general public has been really large, which is what we were hoping for, and a big part of what we wanted the project to be about.
What’s your favourite part of Moving Galleries?
Seeing the work when travelling myself, the genuine gratitude from the writers (who are so glad to actually be read by people who may well not read poetry any other time), and hearing stories from folk who don’t know I’m involved, and tell me about this great piece they’ve seen on the train…
What’s next for you?
Coffee.
Have you got a tip to share with budding poets/writers?
Other than writing and writing and practicing patience? I think the other way to become a good writer is to read intensely and widely, particularly in the forms in which you’re writing.
Get moving and check out...
Henri ROUSSEAU
French 1844-1910
The avenue in St. Cloud Park (1907-08)
(Allée dans le parc de Saint-Cloud)
oil on canvas
46.2 x 37.6 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Acquired in 1926
Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Victoria
Catch a train to Flinders Street station and walk or catch any tram along St Kilda Road to:
European Masters: Städel Museum, 19th-20th Century
19 June - 10 October 2010
National Gallery of Victoria
Tickets: $23 Concession: $18
European Masters brings together a remarkable collection of masterpieces from the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, one of the finest collections in Europe.
For more information, visit www.ngv.vic.gov.au
Get off the train at Melbourne Central and head along to:
Debut Mondays: Featuring Daniel Ducrou, Anna Dusk, Tess Evans and Andy Jackson
19 July 2010, 6.15 - 7.15pm
The Wheeler Centre Auditorium, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Free event
For more information, visit www.wheelercentre.com
Also watch out for Melbourne Art Fair (4-8 August), Melbourne Writers Festival (27 August - 5 September) and Overload Poetry Festival (10 - 19 September).
Check out more arts and literate events you can head along to at www.movinggalleries.org/getmoving
And in other arts and literature news
Skype Slam
Melbourne poets will be taking on the cream of the crop from Singapore’s LIT UP festival in the first round of a Tri-Nations Skype Slam on July 18 at the Wheeler Centre. Representing Team Melbourne will be Emilie Zoey Baker, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Steve Smart. Ezra Bix will emcee the night.
May the best cyber-slammer win!
Tickets are available on the night. For more information, please visit http://www.overloadpoetry.org
What does $60 million buy you?
Did you know that Pablo Picasso’s Portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto - also known as The Absinthe Drinker - sold for £34.7million? That’s $60million in Australian dollars. Painted in 1903 during Picasso’s blue period, the piece set a new record for British art sales.
At this stage, we can confirm this will NOT be featured in the next Moving Galleries exhibition 
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