Michael O'Ferral at WAP

Michael and Carl rolling the China selection in the Tjulyurru Exhibition space for transit to the WAP collection rooms.

Michael O'Ferral stayed with us for two weeks during the data base re-construction project, doing the valuations and helping compile the first draft of the de-accession list. Michael was the Curator of Indigenous art at the Art Gallery of Western Australia for many years and he has a wealth of experience in the field as a writer and consultant - besides this he is always fun to work with. We now have every painting in the Warburton Collection at Warburton valued, and the only works still to be done are those currently in the possession of Stephen Mori or his associates (much more on this issue soon!). The valuation will allow us to indemnify the collection or selections of it that go for exhibition. Michael's clearly put arguments during the compilation of the de-accession list have created a solid foundation for the discussion that must now take place with WAP committee members and the Warburton Community administration.

The data base project is complex and very large - currently I am unsure if we will finish all of the foundational material for each entry in the women's collection because there is just so much of it. But half way through it key milestones have been reached. They are: the valuation of all works as noted above, the creation of the draft list for de-accession, the selection and documentation of the shortlisted paintings for the China touring exhibition, the forward planning for the refurbishment of the hanging system in the collection rooms and the construction of new fasteners for the paintings, the successful development of the File Maker based software especially created with our data consultants Carbon Data Solutions (MR. Wolf, you are so cool!), the completion of the Men's painting collection (just today) and the preparation of the collection storage rooms for Maria Kubik's arrival on the 5th August to work on China Show condition reports. There's more (the visit by the Governor, the meeting with the Goldfields Esperance Development Commission strategic planning group and so on..) but the main things above are covered. Having said this there are about 450 paintings from the women's collection still to be entered.

Michael saw a lot of this come together over the two weeks he stayed with us; he never lost his sense of humour and was an engaging part of every conversation going.

You were such a great member of our little team up here, Michael - many thanks from us at WAP and we hope to work with you again soon on the China Shows.

glass directions

Shots below show details of Pulpurru Davies "Tali" (sandhill country) 2010, 450mm diam. X 15mmT dish. Really deep embossing (up to 2.5cm or better) is where we would like our architectural sheets to go. Gearing up for this major project early 2011, light relief as we get the China Touring Show assembled and away.

Cheers,

gaz

Funding declined for the second time by DEWHA

Our application for funding to the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts has been declined for the second time in just over a year - or is it the third? The community is disappointed but I have to honestly say we are used to it (our regional area is persistently neglected) and that it won't stop us. The reason for this is that the WAP is a community based project, something that Warburton wants and has committed itself to for over twenty years. So we invoke the shade of Hannibal - aut viam inveniam aut faciam - to find a way or make one.

The next five years are important for Warburton in terms of development and for the Arts Project. I feel as though very few people are aware of how different a model of an "arts centre" the WAP is, or how effective it is in what it does.

In a recent interview with two public servants in Perth, whose concerns address viable Aboriginal Economic Enterprise, one expressed some views about passionate people routinely turning up in their rooms, and that we ought to get off “welfare” and pay our way. Firstly, you don’t trade in passion unless you have it in you, and secondly it wasn’t only passion that built the Warburton Art Project. What else could it have been, Jon? It's unlikely you will ever know because you never come here and have a proper conversation or a good look around. At the end of this year I hope to have a website up for people like you. Finally, “welfare” - the term you used in closing remarks to me in the foyer - might apply to people who are, for one reason or another, unable to work. We have plenty to do, and we never stop working; there's lots to show for it. These remarks are kindly meant.

I want to thank everybody who has helped us over the years, and who has seen the merit in our work. We really believe in our work here and that is why we are part of the community and have been here so long now, and we get support and encouragement all the time.

The data base project is going well, but in the opening stages - a grind to get the basic information of artist, accession number, image and core information. Next post will focus on this, also a profile on Cecil Bates our Arts Trainee. Mike O'Ferral arrives today to commence valuations and work on the project with us.

Cheers

gaz

Right at the end of the glass work, taking shots of the results, happy in the new insulated workspace. Thanks to everyone who was part of this positive and productive project.

Winding down the art glass

Our last firing for the glass program was not really the "last" - there will still be regular firings, maybe one a week or so. But getting three firings out each week for the last month has been quite intense and it's nice to move along to something else. We are, as noted a few days ago, about to begin the data base reconstruction and this will be new ground for us. But now I would like to thank everybody who put worked with us on design and production of the glass: Tingapa West, Melva Davies, Lynette Lewis, Nora Holland, Nola Hunt, Pulpurru Davies, Nancy Donegan, Elizabeth Holland, Christine West were stand outs. The team was fantastic: Cecil, Carl and Natalie all gave everything to it and were the reason the outcomes were spectacular.

We had time to make some experiments as well, with some excellent new directions we can develop in the future.

The art glass that Warburton produces is such a nice product with so much potential for development. We are planning to develop the architectural sheet design and production for early next year, before China, but in the meantime we still have all the coloured work ahead of us, and this should be real fun. It was interesting showing a group of women cutting glass techniques in the kiln roon a few weeks ago - after a demonstration I gave the glass cutter to Tingapa and she scored the cut and, before she realised she had done it, had made two pieces out of one. There was a moment of surprise as people saw how easy it was, a real and kind of pleasant encounter with something new. There are some issues with all this cutting glass but we hope a few people will get involved with it. I really do think that some of the platters and large bowls we produced over the last few weeks are the best that have ever been made in Warburton. It took two tests at the outset to get the firing schedule right, but then it was perfect every time. We had some kiln faeries in the nineties but they've gone now, thank goodness. Below Nat and Carl late evening with a firing about to go in.

gaz.