NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER Volume 1 Issue 2 (March 2017) The BMACI Vision “ That Bacchus Marsh will become a regional hub of cultural vitality where arts and culture connects community through education, participation and creativity. ” elcome to the second issue of the BMACI Newsletter. Since our last issue much has been accomplished in the pursuit of our vision: W The B-Mac Gallery was successfully established and several exhibitions held; The inaugural Makers Market was held; The Placemaking Project has been announced and some initial funding obtained; A small theatre group has begun establishing itself; A BMACI arts workshop space at the Darley Civic & Community Hub has been approved by Moorabool Shire Council; Many new members have joined BMACI (at last count more than 75) and given strength to our association. Established a new website www.bmaci.org.au and a Facebook page. Correspondence about this Newsletter should be sent to John Spain at [email protected]. Table of Contents The BMACI Vision………………………………..…………...1 President’s Message……………………………….………….2 B-Mac Gallery………………………………………...…………3 Rise Up Project…………………………………….…………...7 Interested in organising an Exhibition?….…………...8 Makers Market 2016…………………………….……………9 Placemaking Project………………………………………...10 Darley Artworks……………………………………………….11 Amateur Theatre Group………………………………..….12 Special Members’ Meeting…………………….……..…..13 Communicating the Message………………..…………..14 The Committee………………………………………………..15 Volunteer Job Opportunities…………………………….16 Our Sponsors…………………………………………………..17 Keep in touch…………………………………………………..18 Feedback………………………………………………..……….18 Bacchus Marsh Arts Council Inc. Association No. A0061115Z Newsletter Page 1
Transcript
NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTERVolume 1 Issue 2 (March 2017)
The BMACI Vision
“That Bacchus Marsh will become a
regional hub of cultural vitality where
arts and culture connects community
through education, participation and
creativity.”
elcome to the second issue of theBMACI Newsletter. Since our lastissue much has been accomplished
in the pursuit of our vision:W The B-Mac Gallery was successfully established and
several exhibitions held;
The inaugural Makers Market was held;
The Placemaking Project has been announced and some initial funding obtained;
A small theatre group has begun establishing itself;
A BMACI arts workshop space at the Darley Civic & Community Hub has been approved by Moorabool Shire Council;
Many new members have joined BMACI (at last count more than 75) and given strength to our association.
Established a new website www.bmaci.org.au and a Facebook page.
Correspondence about this Newsletter should be sent to John Spain at [email protected].
Table of Contents
The BMACI Vision………………………………..…………...1
President’s Message……………………………….………….2
B-Mac Gallery………………………………………...…………3
Rise Up Project…………………………………….…………...7
Interested in organising an Exhibition?….…………...8
Makers Market 2016…………………………….……………9
Placemaking Project………………………………………...10
Darley Artworks……………………………………………….11
Amateur Theatre Group………………………………..….12
Special Members’ Meeting…………………….……..…..13
Communicating the Message………………..…………..14
The Committee………………………………………………..15
Volunteer Job Opportunities…………………………….16
Our Sponsors…………………………………………………..17
Keep in touch…………………………………………………..18
Feedback………………………………………………..……….18
Bacchus Marsh Arts Council Inc. Association No. A0061115Z Newsletter Page 1
BMACI NEWSLETTER March 2017
President’s message
Dear Members and supporters,
was an amazing year for us as a community group. We opened the B-Mac community Gallery, ran a successful Makers Market during the Strawberries and Cherries Weekend and received a grant from the Moorabool Shire
Council for the Bacchus Marsh Public Hall to install a hanging system for art in the foyer. 2016BMACI has also auspiced the Rise Up project, primarily to help raise funds to support victims ofdomestic violence, but also to raise the local profile of Arts and the B-Mac Gallery and demonstratethe relevance of Art to important community issues.
We have many other ideas and projects to continue working on and grow in 2017. Ourmembership has grown from 6 to nearly 80 since the opening of the B-Mac Gallery so we knowthere is support and interest out there in our community for the Arts.
We do need to know more about who you are and the whys and hows and experience of being amember of BMACI. The only way we can continue pursuing our Vision and implement outStrategic Plan is with more involvement from YOU!
A great volunteer organization is one where lots of people share the passion, their skills and share
he B-Mac Gallery opened its doors on 30 September 2016 at the rear of the Village BacchusMarsh shopping centre. The centre management very generously made a large spaceavailable. Further support from the Bacchus Marsh Community Bank Branch and several
other sponsors as well as a wonderful crowd-funding campaign enabled much of the fit-outincluding the purchase of a high-quality gallery hanging system.
TThe BMACI Committee, members, friends and family enthusiastically took to the fit-out. Specialdelight was taken in re-using materials otherwise destined for the skip. Donated tables , chairsand pieces of wood were received. Subsequently some IKEA shelving and a jewellery cabinet wereprocured to show off smaller artworks.
A lot of work to transform anempty space to a Gallery, buts o m e t h i n g s p e c i a l w a sproduced.
This is a community-based and artist-run gallery that provides opportunities for the artists inBacchus Marsh & District (including Melton)and Moorabool Shire to exhibit and sell their work.
The opening of the Gallery, on 11 November 2016, was accompanied by the beginning of theinaugural (Grand Opening) exhibition.
That exhibition was extremely well attended, with strong sales of the exhibited artwork. Thecommunity has since expressed strong support for the Gallery and appreciation to BMACI formaking it happen.
The second “official” exhibition, the “SummerShow 2016/2017” has recently finished andnow the “Rise Up” exhibition [see article below]is on display as this newsletter is published.
From 7 April 2017 the ‘Spirit of Place’ exhibition will run until 14 May 2017. Expressions of Interest from artists wishing to exhibit are now open.
Check our website at www.bmaci.org.au for exhibition arrangements.
Of course, BMACI and the B-Mac Gallery could not operate without the generous support ofvolunteers. At the Gallery artists contribute not only art to exhibitions, but also their time to staffthe Gallery and to organize the opening and closing events.
Other members of BMACI also volunteer their time to staff the Gallery.
Want to join us? Contact the B-Mac Gallery management by email at [email protected] ifyou are interested in supporting the Gallery in this way.
Or just drop by the Gallery and leave your details.
It’s a very pleasant way to spend a few hours amongst great artworks. And yes, we have wi-fi so youcan stay connected!
Where is the Gallery?
It’s on the outside of the shoppingcentre facing the car park, across fromAnytime Fitness on Bennett Street.
B-Mac Gallery Opening Hours aregenerally:
Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays10 am to 4 pm
Saturdays & Sundays1 pm to 4 pm
But in case we have to change Gallery opening hours, before visiting please check our website athttp://bmaci.org.au and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bacchusmarshartscouncil.
ou may be a member of other clubs or groups. If your club or organisation is interested inexhibiting at the B-Mac Gallery get in touch by emailing [email protected] in thefirst instance and tell us what you have in mind.Y
Remember that this is a community gallery and we want to enable exhibitions of interest to thecommunity. We know there are a lot of local crafty artisans who create objects of intricate beautyand careful design that sometimes aren’t thought of as “art” in the popular sense.
Remember the “That’s not Art!” series of events put on by Bacchus Marsh Community Unlimited?Turned out it was…; art that is!
So, if you’re keen to create an exhibition with a Wow! Factor, and need an exhibition space, pleasetalk to us.
Who runs the B-Mac Gallery?
he B-Mac Gallery is a project established by the Bacchus Marsh Arts Council Inc andoperates under BMACI rules however BMACI has delegated responsibility for gallerymanagement to a team of artists that act as gallery curators.T
The gallery curators are responsible for scheduling, preparing and running exhibitions, liaisingwith exhibitors, rostering gallery supervisors and publicising the gallery.
The curators can be contacted by sending emails to [email protected], or by dropping bythe gallery and leaving messages with the supervisors on duty.
he inaugural Makers Market was held in November 2016 as part of the annual BacchusMarsh Strawberries and Cherries Festival Weekend. Overall, it was a great success withabout 30 stallholders taking part.T
The market was held over two full days in the Bacchus Marsh Public Hall. Stallholders at the
market, including painters, potters, metal workers, ceramicists, wood workers, bronze sculptors,
jewellers and clothing creators.
This was BMACI’s first makers market, and we learnt a lot. Those lessons will shape the 2017Makers Market. BMACI will shortly be advertising for stallholders for this year’s event. Stay tuned!
Placemaking Definition: Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces.Placemaking capitalises on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces thatpromote people's health, happiness, and well being.
acchus Marsh Arts Council Inc. (BMACI) has a vision for Bacchus Marsh and surroundsthat will see us become "a regional hub of cultural vitality where arts and culture connectscommunity through education, participation and creativity". B
Our first major project is particularly pertinent to our vision and will exemplify our intention as anArts Council serving community.
Through this project we will engage and connectthe community in a process of 'Placemaking' tomark our place, take ownership of its beauty andresources, enhance our sense of community prideand showcase our resources and talents to localsand visitors alike.
Through this project we will create and sustain newconnections within our community and, in theprocess and as a result of the process, offer multipleeconomic opportunities. The 'Placemaking Project'is an exciting proposal for a unified approach tocreating an artistic identity for our township.
Some pages from the project description prepared by Anu Patel:
he Darley Civic & Community Hub in Halletts Way Darley iswhere Moorabool Shire Council offices are located. T
The site was formerly the junior campus of Bacchus MarshCollege.
The Shire Council uses most of the space but there are areas thatare vacant and MSC has offered them to community groups atpeppercorn rental.
BMACI expressed an interest in developing an Arts workshop onsite and was approved by Shire Council for a 3 year licence. Wewill have to pay outgoings (electricity, gas, water, etc) that arecalculated on a pro rata basis of area occupied. In our case, this isexpected to be around $700 per year.
Like many other clubs and community organisations, BMACIneeds storage and working space that is under our control. TheB-Mac Gallery will remain as our premier exhibition space butthe Darley “Art Works” (to give it a working title) will be vital tosuch projects as the Placemaking Project.
The room we have selected has good natural lighting, a large tiltdoor, several small cupboards and a sink with running water.Moorabool Shire Council is carrying out some minor repairs andcleaning before BMACI moves in.
Adjacent to our area are former classrooms that we can hire torun workshops.
This is an exciting expansion for BMACI and there are manyother opportunities out at the Darley Civic & Community hub forpromoting the Arts.
Once we are settled in we expect to increase our formal and informal engagement with ShireCouncil staff and build good collaborative relationships with that organisation to promote the Artsin our District.
n amateur Theatre Group for Bacchus Marsh & District (and YES, that includes Melton!)has been quietly forming up. BMACI is actively supporting the efforts of this new,independent group. The group will be holding a public meeting on 8 April 2017 at 2 pm in
the Lerderderg Library Mr Leon Newton of Darley is the group convenor and may be contacted on0418 146 161.
AIt is worth remembering that Bacchus Marsh Arts Council Inc started off this way, from a group ofpeople wanting to start a performance group to use the Bacchus Marsh Public Hall as a venue.Along the way the group transformed into the BMACI but there is still demand for a local groupdedicated to the performing arts that this amateur theatre group is hoping to meet.
Our best wishes to Leon and the group for the success of their venture!
n May 2017 (the date is yet to be determined), a special MembersMeeting will be held to consider a number of proposals,including:I
To change the Rules of Association as may be required to facilitate the inclusion of the Bacchus Marsh Arts Council Incorporated on the Register of Cultural Organizations and subsequently obtain endorsement, by the Australian Taxation Office, of the BMACI Public Fund as a Deductible Gift Recipient;
Seek the approval by Members of the expansion of the Management Committee by the addition of four ordinaryCommittee Members resulting in a Management Committee consisting of:
President;
Vice-President;
Secretary;
Treasurer;
Eight ordinary Committee Members.
Determine the Joining Fee for new Members who join BMACI after the start of a financial year.
Any other matters to be determined by the Members.
A meeting announcement with an Agenda will be sent early in April to all Members of BMACI –stay tuned.
This meeting will also be a great opportunity to meet the many new members of our associationand forge new networks and friendships.
MACI Membership now runs at about 75 paid-up members. This has been an extraordinarygrowth since August 2016. B
Our communications network is slowly being widened. BMACI has a strong presence on socialmedia (Facebook mainly); you are encouraged to share any events or posts that you wish. You canalso post on Twitter or Instagram or re-share on Facebook. Social networking is a very powerfultool to quickly reach wide audiences.
Bacchus Marsh & District is becoming famous for it fresh food and a variety of local produce.These offerings have diversified from the days when the town was seen as the place to go for applesand fruit.
BMACI’s goal is for Bacchus Marsh to also be famous for its support of the arts in the region.
A day in Bacchus Marsh might include some fruit picking, enjoying a local cafe and seeing somegreat art in the B-Mac Gallery.
Please take the opportunity to spread information about BMACI whenever you can.
Remember the BMACI vision:
“That Bacchus Marsh will become a regional hub of cultural vitality where arts and culture
connects community through education, participation and creativity.”
If you have something in the Arts you are passionate about, join BMACI, come to meetings and make something wonderful happen.
t the previous Annual General Meeting held on 3 October 2016 the following Committee waselected for the 2016/2017 year:A
President: Ri Van Veen
Vice President: Kylie Burton
Secretary & Treasurer: John Spain
Committee Members:
Alison Durham,
Anu Patel,
Jennie Fraine,
Ken Roberts.
David Leach, the inaugural and immediate past Secretary of BMACI, is a special adviser to theCommittee.
Neil Killeen is our volunteer webmaster.
Members are encouraged to attend the monthly Committee meetings that are held on thefirst Monday of each Month, excepting January. Each year at the AGM there is an opportunity formembers to elect a new Committee. BMACI Members are very welcome to consider nominating forcommittee positions.
At present, Committee Meetings are held in the B-Mac Gallery.
And of course we acknowledge and say “Thank You” to the communities of BacchusMarsh and Moorabool Shire. Without your support we would be struggling to fulfillour vision.
