Arts OutWest’s While the World Waits exhibition showcases some of the region’s most exciting visual artists as they each respond to original music reflecting on the challenging and changing times over the past few of years.
The While the World Waits exhibition opens on Saturday 21 January, 2-4pm, at The Corner Store Gallery Orange.
The opening will be an informal networking event to kick off Arts OutWest’s 2023 program of regional arts development.
“The last couple of years have been tough in the arts. Lockdowns and loss of work ran right across all artforms. Live shows took a hammering. We wanted to help by creating opportunities for those most affected,” said exhibition curator, Arts OutWest’s Steven Cavanagh.
“In 2021 Arts OutWest commissioned 15 Central West songwriters to each write a track reflecting their experiences of 2020. We created a compilation album of original music titled While the World Waits,” Mr Cavanagh explains, “Then we opened the conversation up to visual artists to see what they were feeling.”
The selected artists were asked to use the music as a jumping off point and inspiration for new work. The resulting While the World Waits Exhibition is work of 20 artists, each responding to one or more tracks, title or words on the album.
In this unique meeting of music and visual arts, you will see painting, sculpture, drawing, ceramics, moving image, animation, photography, glass and textiles.
The launch includes original music played live by rising country music star Gracey Denham-Jones, one of the musicians from the While the World Waits compilation album.
The exhibition will run until Sunday February 5, open Thursday to Saturday 10am – 4pm and on Sundays 10am – 1pm.
Artists featured in the exhibition are Gus Armstrong (Rylstone), Laura Baker (Blayney), Helen Carpenter (Grenfell), Steven Cavanagh (Hill End), Gemma Clipsham (Bathurst), Bev Coe (Condobolin), Heather Dunn (Bathurst), Lise Edwards (Lithgow), Harrie Fasher (Portland), Robert Hirschmann (Portland), Cate McCarthy (Yetholme), Hugh McKinnon (Orange), Christine McMillan (Kandos), Shani Nottingham (Cowra), Timothy Seager (Bathurst), Henry Simmons and the River Yarners (Bathurst), Bridget Thomas (Bathurst), Jane Tonks (Orange), Heather Vallance (Orange), Stephan de Wit (Parkes).
The While the World Waits exhibition has already travelled to Bathurst, Grenfell, Lithgow, Mudgee, Canowindra, Portland, Blayney and Oberon. In 2023 it will visit Orange, Parkes, Cowra, Forbes and Condobolin.
Image: Millthorpe musician Genni Kane (from the While the World Waits album) with partner Jon Wilby looking at work by Bathurst artist Heather Dunn which features lyrics from Genni’s song woven in. Photo: Zenio Lapka.