FREO’S ART WALK THIS WEEKEND

 

Rain or shine, Artwalk Freo is on this weekend from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Check out the studios and art of Ian de Souza, Megan Salmon, Michael Knight and Pippin Drysdale.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE COMPETITIVE LEASING POLICY UNFAIR TO ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES.

 

Item 1906-1 on Wednesday’s FPOL Committee agenda of Fremantle Council raises interesting questions as to why the City of Fremantle has a ‘competitive manner leasing policy’ for its properties.

The item is about renewing the lease of the Fremantle Public Golf Course at Montreal Street and officers suggest that Councillors agree to an exemption of the competitive manner leasing policy because the Lessee has a proven record.

I believe it is pretty fair to extend the lease for the present Lessee but question why that does not apply to other Lessees or License Holders in Fremantle, such as the artists of the Bathers Beach Art Precinct.

It is not as if the competitive policy allows the City to get more money for its properties, because the City sets the rents, so it can only be about wanting change for no practical reasons.

Why does the City want established artists who have been professionally and successfully operating to engage in a competitive process, when there is no guarantee that new artists will be equally successful and able to pay the rent? There have been several failures at Arthur’s Head where at the end the City had to write off outstanding rent because it was not recoverable.

There are not many sculptors who still do traditional life-size bronze sculptures the way Greg James does at J Shed, so that should qualify as unique as well.

Jenny Dawson has run her ceramic art business successfully for twenty years at J Shed and pays full commercial rates to the city, which are determined by an outside consultant.

I have heard the argument from Councillors that if the artists pay commercial rates at Arthur’s Head it won’t be difficult for them to pay full rates elsewhere in Fremantle, but that is bollocks, and even more so for retail art galleries such at Glen Cowans and David Giles.

Establishing a small business is bloody hard work, and starting somewhere else all over again sets back a business by years, so it is time Fremantle Council reconsidered its competitive manner leasing policy because all it does is penalise successful established businesses, and that is very unfair.

Roel Loopers

SOME COLOUR TO START A WET WEEK

 

 

We have had very decent rain the last three days and there are many more showers to come all week so the gardens can’t stop smiling, and I hope the same applies to our farmers.

So to start the wet week a bit of colour for you. It is the lightbox in the children’s creative section at the Fremantle Arts Centre.

Roel Loopers

GOOD WINTER SHOWS AT FREO ARTS CENTRE

 

 

There are five new exhibitions at the Fremantle Arts Centre so perfect to visit on a cold winter day.

There are shows by Trever Richards, James Angus, Dai-Rong Lee and former harbourmaster Captain George Forsyth and a show of Harbour images.

It is a shame that for conservation reasons the old photos and artworks of Fremantle harbour are in a very dark room and I did find it impossible to see much of the details, so that was very disappointing.

Roel Loopers

Roel Loopers

ARTWALK FREO IS ON AGAIN!

 

The great Artwalk Freo is back next weekend, so make sure to have a wander and visit some of the exciting artist’s studios.

Participating artists this year are Ian de Souza, Megan Salmon, Michael Knight and Pippin Drysdale.

It is on Saturday and Sunday June 15 and 16 from 10am to 4pm.

Roel Loopers

 

SCULPTURES AT BATHERS BEACH IS BACK!

 

 

I am delighted that the great SCULPTURE AT BATHERS exhibition will be back on next year with the organisers calling for entries.

The show at Fremantle’s Bathers Beach attracted thousands of people in the past and is a great showcase of Western Australian 3D art.

Roel Loopers

DIVERSE WINTER SHOWS AT FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE

 

 

The Fremantle Arts Centre WINTER EXHIBITIONS will be opened by WA Governor Kim Beazley this Friday June 7 at 6.30pm.

It will be a diverse offering of works by Trevor Richards, James Angus and Dai-Rong Lee, with another exhibtion of paintings and photographs of Fremantle harbour, plus one of  the historic works of pilot painter Captain George Forsyth.

Sounds fascinating, so I’ll definitely be going to the FAC to view the exhibitions.

Roel Loopers

AN ART BLAST FROM THE PAST

 

Click on photos to enlarge!

 

I just had such a wonderful and bit nostalgic time with artist Ron Nyisztor, who is exhibiting at the great PS Art Space in Fremantle’s Pakenham Street.

Ron’s abstract paintings show BC-AC Body Clock Atomic Clock will be on show till June 21, so go and have a look and buy some works!

Ron and I were reminiscing about the good old times when my then partner Brigitte Braun had the ARTPLACE gallery in Claremont and where so many now well-known WA artists, like Ron Nyisztor, had their first exhibition and were represented by Artplace in Sydney and Melbourne and some even had artist in resident times in Nuremberg, Germany.

There were very many young artist who got their first chance at Artplace and among them were Joana Lamb, Indra Geidans, John Cullinane, Julie Dowling, John Paul, Olga Cironis, Garry Anderson, Michael Doherty, Kati Thamo and many more.

Ron Nyisztor now also has his own gallery in Melville on Canning Highway, so go and check it out.

Oh, those good old times, hey Ron!

Roel Loopers

 

FREO’S YELLOW STREET PLANTERS BEAUTY

 

 

The Lily Pilly trees in the arty yellow-striped planter boxes look quite cute but they will become a pain when they start losing fruit as the pavement will look very messy.

Nice to see in the background the work on the building of Cliff and High streets still going on after it took so long to remove the yellow foil of the Felice Varini artwork that had damaged the surface.

I have been told the planters were not put along the car park for disability access reasons, but that makes little sense when further up the road they have to ride slalom around A-signs that are randomly put on the footpath without any consideration for pedestrians, and even less for people in wheelchairs, gophers, etc.

It is time the City developed a policy of where signs can be placed, how many, etc. because it is a visual mess and a safety issue for those using the footpaths.

 

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE ART AWARD FOR YOUNG ARTISTS

 

Now in its eighth year, the City of Fremantle’s 25under25 Art Award continues to provide quality exhibition experience to early career artists and to celebrate the strength and vibrancy that young artists bring to the WA creative community. The Award is open to all West Australian artists aged 14 to 25 years.

PRIZES

First Prize | $1,500 cash prize and a four-week residency at the Fremantle Arts Centre

Highly Commended | $500 cash prize and a portfolio mentorship with Fremantle Arts Centre curator Dr Ric Spencer

People’s Choice Award | art materials and Moore & Moore cafe prize pack

EXHIBITION

The 25 selected finalists will exhibit their artworks at The Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery from 28 September – 6 October 2019. Prize winners will be announced on opening night, Friday 27 September 2019.

SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY

Applications open: Entries OPEN NOW

Applications close: 4pm, Monday 29 July 2019