Rockhampton

Saturday 24 February 2024
PROGRAM LAUNCH & LOCAL PRESENTATION: BILL GANNON CQ/AU
LOOKING INTO LEICHARDT – EXPLORE, POLYMATH, ENIGMA
Presented by Bill Gannon (CQ/AU)
Time & Venue: 10am Lighthouse Baptist Church, 480 Norman Road, Norman Gardens, Rockhampton

This is an opportunity for those who are unfamiliar with ArtsNational Rockhampton to find out about this society and sample its wares.

The morning will start with an introduction to ArtsNational – what it is and what it does and provide an opportunity to meet the 2024 committee.  This will be followed by an illustrated presentation by Bill Gannon. The traditional scrumptious morning tea will conclude the morning.

There were many amazing 19th century explorations around and through Australia. The legacies and psyche of Ludwig Leichhardt are still being unravelled. In 1844-45 he led a 15-month epic journey from west of Brisbane to Port Essington, near today’s Darwin. His next expeditions sought an east-west crossing of the continent. Both failed and nothing was heard of the 34-year-old after starting his third journey in April 1848. There are telling comparisons with expeditions lead by Flinders, Mitchell, Burke & Wills, Stuart, and the Forrest brothers. The lecture will move along with field sketches, paintings, maps, extracts from diaries and official journals, and fun caricatures.

Bill Gannon started his art career as a freelance animator and cartoonist in Sydney. Today his art practice includes murals with one of his sons. Over the past 15 years he has received commissions to retrace notable land and sea explorers of Australia. Under the themes of history, adventure and artistic endeavour, the projects have involved extensive fieldwork, often with traditional owners, leading to over 20 exhibitions. He and his work have appeared on national media and works from the Leichhardt project have exhibited in Germany. He lives in Yeppoon, Queensland.

FREE to attend – all welcome

Saturday 22 June 2024
SPECIAL INTEREST MORNING
Presented by Dr David Banney (AU)
Time & Venue: 10am, Bally Griffin Cultural Centre, St Ursula’s College, Yeppoon

Two lectures:
1. Wonders of the Alhambra – Symmetry and Patterns in Islamic Art and Design (1hr)
2. Design Workshop: Learn to Create the Alhambra’s Geometric Patterns (compass and ruler needed) (1hr)

For more than 700 years the Alhambra Palace in Granada has delighted and inspired. A treasure trove of art and design, the Alhambra is a virtual encyclopedia of symmetry and patterns, even more remarkable given the simplicity of the tools available to the artists and craftsmen. This lecture introduces the extraordinary techniques of design and construction that lie behind the tessellations of the Alhambra. David Banney discovered the fascinating world o symmetry and symmetry breaking during his studies for a PhD in music and his ongoing interest in this area as CEO of the International Symmetry Association will inform this presentation.

Described by pianist Roger Woodward as ‘quite simply one of the best conductors in the country’, David is one of Australia’s most highly regarded musicians, as a conductor, composer, string player and educator. David is the Artistic Director of the Christ Church Camerata, the Newcastle Music Festival and Interim Music Director of Christ Church Cathedral Newcastle. David has worked with many of Australia’s leading orchestras and soloists. A passionate educator, David has taught music from primary school to post-graduate level. Before music David obtained a medical degree and works part time as a skin cancer practitioner. David lives in Newcastle and has local roots, having grown up in Rockhampton.

Bookings essential
Cost to be determined.

Saturday 27 July 2024
MICHELANGELO: PAPER, STONE AND FLESH
Presented by Daniel Evans (UK)
Time & Venue: 10am Lighthouse Baptist Church, 480 Norman Road, Norman Gardens, Rockhampton

Michelangelo was grumpy, dirty, ugly, and tight-fisted but produced sculpture, painting and architecture of such startling beauty and originality that two biographies were written in his lifetime, we know exactly what he looked like in life and at his death and today we have over 1400 surviving letters by his own hand. Over 450 years have passed since the death of this talented yet tempestuous superstar, this lecture examines several of his drawings, a little of his poetry and some of his finished and unfinished works with the aim of all but summoning the great man to the room.

Dan Evans, an educationalist with a passion for European art and architecture. He is a Housemaster at Cheltenham College, a full boarding and co-educational independent school established in 1841, where he also teaches History and A Level History of Art. Dan has been lecturing since 2001, and spent 9 years working as a senior lecturer, tutor, and tour guide for Art History Abroad. He was once voted the British winner of the World Guide of the Year Awards and continues to take groups of intrepid travellers to a range of European destinations.

Saturday 24 August 2024
SPECIAL INTEREST MORNING
Presented by Lynne Gibson (UK)
Time & Venue: 10am, Lighthouse Baptist Church, 480 Norman Road, Norman Gardens, Rockhampton

Two lectures:
1. 2B OR NOT 2B: An illustrated Story of Drawing
In this beautifully illustrated lecture, we will discover the drawing techniques of the Great Masters. Can you spot bracelet shading, cross-hatching, stippling or stumping? Drawing plays a key role in artist’s training. Whilst some of the earliest drawings made by man survive in the Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave, most extant drawings date from the late Medieval period. These take the form of model books for use in a busy workshop. Model books would be replaced with more personal sketch books, hand-made rag paper by machine-made sheets, metal point with the modern pencil. But charcoal, as used at Chauvet, remains popular today.

2. Tricks of the Light: The Illusion of Light and Shadow in Western Art
The modern fashion for colour has left us all rather ‘tone blind’. But from antiquity through to the nineteenth century tone was often the most important property of a painting. Shading, together with perspective, can offer a convincing illusion of solidity and space. But how can the artist create this illusion? And why was the invention of oil paint so vital for the creation of realistic light effects? We explore a wide range of paintings from across the history of art to discover some tricks of the light.

Lynne Gibson is a freelance lecturer in History of Art, and in Drawing, Painting and Printmaking. She has worked at the Universities of Sussex and Bristol and has conducted lectures, courses and guided tours for organisations including Art Galleries and Museums, The Art Fund, The National Trust and The Arts Society. She is a professional artist specializing in oil painting and etching, has been exhibited widely and her work used in a range of publications.

Bookings essential
Cost to be determined.

Saturday 9 November 2024
PULL UP A CHAIR: ARCHITECT DESIGNED FURNITURE FROM THE BAUHAUS TO FRANK GEHRY
Presented by Deborah Jenner (UK)
Time & Venue: 10am, Lighthouse Baptist Church, 480 Norman Road, Norman Gardens, Rockhampton

Furniture has often been designed as a miniature of a building’s forms and ornaments. It naturally makes use of the available materials and techniques of its time. Breuer’s chair was adapted from a bicycle frame and Magistretti made use of wire racking. Then, mid-20th century popularized prefabrication and moulded materials. Eames exploited plastics for his single-shell chairs while Gehry used layers of humble corrugated cardboard for his ottoman. Each piece makes a statement about architectural styles, yet each can also blend with and update more classical interiors. Even the uncomfortable ones can serve as a sculptural work of art.

Deborah Jenner, American-born art historian; member of College Arts Association has resided in Paris since 1990. She has worked at the Ecole du Louvre, the Sorbonne, the Catholic Institute, and the British Council. Her Doctorate thesis proved non-western influences in Georgia O’Keeffe’s art. Deborah’s publications include catalogue essays for the Musée d’Orsay and Centre Pompidou, many scholarly papers and Gallery critiques. She gives public talks, guided walks and museum tours for ex-pat organisations and study-abroad programs.