Mid North Coast Art Files
Get up-close and personal with the local creative minds shaping our cultural landscape as we shine a spotlight on members of our Creative Community – the artists and creatives who call the Mid North Coast home. Each episode will give you a glimpse into their working lives, studio spaces, their projects, inspiration and technique, unveiling the stories behind their work.
In episode 1 of Mid North Coast Art Files we chat with local artist Alejandra Ramirez in her studio at Hyland Park in the Nambucca Valley, leading up to Alejandra’s first solo exhibition "Hybrid" at Archive Mid North Coast. "Hybrid" opened on 13 August Archive in Toormina with a special performance by Nancy Sposato. Find out more about Alejandra's art here: / __alejandra.ramirez
Tortuga is Port Macquarie’s daring arts festival featuring an exhilarating program of circus, cabaret and comedy. Set amongst a stunning coastal backdrop, Tortuga is the only festival of its kind to bring a Spiegeltent to regional NSW!
Following the success of the second Tortuga Festival in 2023, Arts Mid North Coast chatted with festival directors, powerhouse husband and wife team, Gordo Gamsby and Lucy Gamsby Frost about the highs, lows and special moments of creating a festival like Tortuga in Port Macquarie.
Find out more about Tortuga here:
https://www.tortugafestival.com.au/
In episode three we catch up with multi-talented physical theatre and performing arts professional Giri Mazzella.
Giri talks about working with homeschooling youth to put together a performance at Taranta Festival, celebrating Mediterranean arts and culture in Bellingen in November 2023.
In episode four of Mid North Coast Art Files we hear from Gumbaynggirr artist and educator Elaine Carmady and dance practitioner Alfira O'Sullivan, who specialises in traditional Indonesian and contemporary dance. Together they coordinated a project for their community in Stuarts Point, NSW in late 2023 that combined the creation of community made mural of a Muurrbay Tree with a special unveiling event that included traditional Indonesian music and dance performances, interactive communal body percussion soundscapes and a screening of locally produced film Up Armidale Road.
Enjoy the magic of this beautiful community event, proudly funded through Arts Mid North Coast's 2023 Country Arts Support Program.
In episode five of Mid North Coast Art Files we document a touching artist residency program with local Gumbaynggirr artist Chris Edwards and artist with disability Ed Barnes. Chris and Ed worked together for 8 weeks to develop a collaborative body of works, culminating in their "True Story" exhibition which showed at Nambucca Valley Phoenix, Bowraville in May, 2024.
In this episode of Mid North Coast Art Files we look back on the Bellingen Shire Arts Trail Weekend from 2023 with interviews from 6 participating artists in their home studios.
Bellingen Shire Arts Trail offers a rare opportunity for the public to venture into local artists' studios, pop-up galleries and exclusive exhibitions.
In this episode of Mid North Coast Art Files we speak with local artist Emma Gentle about her exhibition Deeper Than This showing at Nambucca Valley Phoenix Gallery, Bowraville.
Deeper than this is a photographic and film installation that invites you into the reflections within Gumbaynggirr and Ngambaa waterways. The photographs entice the mind’s imaginings to interpret the works by conferring with psyche’s suggestions, like the renowned ink blots of psychoanalysis. The short films contemplate the perplexity of the senses when exposed to ethereal expanses where time dissolves.
Project Videos
Watch videos we have produced through our projects - including our MiNi (digital) Concert series and Creative Recovery program.
Mini Digital Concerts
MiNi (digital) Concerts Regional Music Series showcases some of the very best musicians emerging from the Mid North Coast region of NSW, Australia.
Arts Mid North Coast and Music NSW partnered to produce the Mini Digital Concert series featuring emerging local artists. The project aimed to showcase and lift the online presence of Mid North Coast artists by providing professionally produced live recordings and images to help further their career and gig opportunities.
Creative Recovery
Creative Recovery covers the growing network of artists and cultural and community workers taking the lead in helping communities recover from the impact of such disasters through creativity. As we face increasing crises caused by floods, fires, droughts and other natural disasters and now viruses such as COVID-19, the arts can play an important role in the response and recovery process. This video series showcases creative projects delivered on the Mid North Coast following the Black Summer bushfires supported by Arts Mid North Coast.