8 - 9 March 2023
State Library of Western Australia
or online via Zoom Webinar
Perth Sculpture Conference Program:
Day One Presenting Partner - Storm King Art Center
Wednesday 8 March 2023
12:00pm - 12:15pm
Welcome and Introductions
Conference Welcome by Mikaela Castledine
Conference MC and Artist, Perth, Australia
Welcome to Country performed by Dr Richard Walley OAM
Nyoongar man of the South-West region
12:15pm - 1:00pm
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Creating Storm King in New York’s Hudson Valley as One of the Great Outdoor Sculpture Museums
President, Storm King Art Center, New York, USA
This presentation recounts the creation of Storm King Art Center and its evolution as an international destination for experiencing monumental sculpture in nature.
1:00pm - 1:45pm
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Storm King Today
Artistic Director & Chief Curator, Storm King Art Center, New York, USA
With a focus on Storm King Art Center’s curatorial program, this talk will foreground Storm King’s current exhibitions, commissions, ethos, and objectives.
1:45pm - 2:15pm
Afternoon Tea Break
Light refreshments will be served in the foyer of the State Library
2:15pm - 3:00pm
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Sculpting and Painting the Land: New Discoveries About North Australian Rock Art
Past ARC Australian Laureate Fellow (2016-2021) and Chair in Rock Art Research, School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
Humans have been marking, shaping and sculpting landscapes in symbolic and artistic ways for tens of thousands of years with rock engravings, paintings, prints and stencils. The focus of this presentation is the largest continuous such location in Queensland, a 160 metre long sculpted sandstone rock shelter called Marra Wonga, northwest of Barcaldine. There are at least 15,000 petroglyphs, which are mostly animal tracks, lines, grooves and drilled holes, as well as 111 hand-related and object stencils spread across 160 metres. Marra Wonga is one of only four Australian rock art sites associated with a Seven Sisters story and many story elements are represented with specific rock art motifs, including seven engraved star-like designs seemingly made as part of a composition. Seven Sisters stories associated with the Pleiades star cluster and the Orion constellation are found across Indigenous Australia and throughout the world, with the oldest stories traced back to ancient Greece. Working closely with Iningai Traditional Owners, Marra Wonga was documented between September 2020 and July 2021 from archaeological and ethnographic perspectives and first published in late June 2022.
3:00pm - 3:45pm
IN CONVERSATION
From Henry Moore to Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe – the Art of Ron Robertson-Swann OAM
Sculptor, Painter and Teacher, Sydney, Australia
In conversation with Dr Michael Hill
Head of Art History & Theory, National Art School, Sydney, Australia
From the beginning of his career in early 60s London, Ron’s work has oscillated between the horizontal frame and the upright room. One is open, the other a mystery, and both are expressions of a sensibility dedicated to material weight and the definition of space. Ron will discuss these and other matters in conversation with his long-time colleague, Dr Michael Hill.
3:45pm - 5:00pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
The Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail
Chaired by Dr Michael Hill
Head of Art History & Theory, National Art School, Sydney and member of the Curatorial Advisory Group for the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail
Featuring artists in the collection from around the world and key people responsible for the creation of the collection:
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Jennifer Cochrane, Artist, Perth, Australia
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Councillor James Hayes OAM, Snowy Valleys Council, Adelong, Australia
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Peter Lundberg, Artist, USA
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Sandra Nyberg, Artist, Finland
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Takeshi Tanabe, Artist, Japan
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Prof. Gavin Younge, Artist, South Africa
Introduced by David Handley AM
Founding CEO & Artistic Director, Sculpture by the Sea and
the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail
The Snowy Valley was particularly hard hit by the bushfires of 2019, and the Sculpture trail originated as a project of economic and cultural recovery. It developed into much more and took everyone involved outside their comfort zone. The challenges of staging an international outdoor sculpture exhibition in small country towns will be revealed by participating artists, planners, and curators.
Perth Sculpture Conference Program:
Day Two Presenting Partner - Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts, Australia (DADAA)
Thursday 9 March 2023
12:00pm - 12:05pm
Welcome and Introductions
Conference MC and Artist, Perth, Australia
12:05pm - 12:50pm
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Cultural access - Inviting the outsiders In
Executive Director DADAA, Perth, Australia
This session speaks to the social impacts of Sculpture by the Sea and DADAA’s 13-year Access partnership, its move from a values-based ambition, to an embedded, core program offering. Building cultural relevance, broadening audiences, beyond the obvious and the power of reasonable adjustment in support of the hard to reach and complex to consider and program for. This session is about partnerships for, cultural democracy and what happens when you make strategic space, for communities, who sit outside of your target audience.
12:50pm - 1:35pm
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Accessibility at Storm King Art Center
Artistic Director & Chief Curator, Storm King Art Center, New York, USA
This talk will focus on several of Storm King’s ongoing initiatives to improve the experience and accessibility for all visitors, and how these initiatives dovetail with Storm King’s exhibitions and engagements with artists.
1:35pm - 2:20pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
Access & Inclusion -
Shape Shifting: Changing Perceptions
Chaired by Jacqueline Homer
Access Program Producer, DADAA, Perth, Australia
This panel session explores how accessibility has evolved over the decade in WA and its impact for people with disability.
Featuring:
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Mikaela Castledine, Artist, Perth, Australia
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Peter Hodgson, Disability Consultant and Trainer, DADAA, Perth, Australia
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Grace King, Artist and Disability Advocate, Perth, Australia
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Andrea Tenger, Manager of Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe Aged Care Tactile Tours, Perth, Australia
2:20pm - 2:50pm
Afternoon Tea Break
Light refreshments will be served in the foyer of the State Library
2:50pm - 3:30pm
IN CONVERSATION
On the Plight of Ukrainian Artists in the War and How they are Helping in the Defence of their Country
Curator, Kyiv, Ukraine
In conversation with David Handley AM
Founding CEO & Artistic Director, Sculpture by the Sea and
the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail
Viktoria Kulikova, a refugee from Kyiv, Ukraine now living in France will speak with David Handley about the plight of artists in Ukraine immediately following Russia’s invasion, life as a refugee, and how they are staging exhibitions around the world to highlight the invasion and to raise funds for humanitarian and military resources in Ukraine. Viktoria and David worked together on the showcase of Ukrainian artists in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi in 2022. Sponsored and with thanks to the Tony and Gwenyth Lennon Foundation
3:30pm - 4:30pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
International and Local Artists Perspectives on the Challenges and Opportunities of Sculpture by the Sea
Chaired by Dr Michael Hill
Head of Art History & Theory, National Art School, Sydney, Australia
Featuring Sculpture by the Sea artists:
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Olga Cironis, Artist, Perth, Australia
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Prof. Leonardo Cumbo, Artist & Professor of Sculpture Techniques & Coordinator of the Sculpture Course, Academy of Fine Arts, Catania, Italy
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Sharyn Egan, Artist, Nyoongar woman, Perth, Australia
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Jina Lee, Artist, Fremantle, Australia
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Peter Lundberg, Artist, USA
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Phil Spelman, Artist, Queanbeyan, Australia
Exposing sculpture to salty winds and pounding surf sounds like a recipe for disaster. Instead, it’s become the most popular exhibition in the world. The rawness of Sculpture by the Sea has also breathed new life into the relationship of artist and public. Participating artists will share some of their thoughts and fears of what it’s like to stage their work on the coasts of the Indian and Pacific oceans.
