Image credit: David Varga
The beauty of natural landscape and the opportunity for quiet reflection have long been an important impetus for artists.
Each year around 300 artists are stimulated by their experiences of living and working in the purpose-built studios at Bundanon’s Shoalhaven River properties, on the coast of New South Wales. Bundanon is located on 1,100 hectares of bush, farm and park land, 180 kilometres south of Sydney.
Painter Arthur Boyd lived and worked at Bundanon from 1979, in the now heritage-listed 1866 Bundanon Homestead, and shared his home and studio with many artists. In 1993, he gifted the property to the Australian people, along with the Boyd family’s significant art collection, comprising more than 3,600 items, including more than 1,200 works by Arthur Boyd himself and another 1,200 works representing five generations of the Boyd family dynasty. There are also a number of works by Arthur Boyd’s significant contemporaries, among them Boyd’s brother-in-law Sir Sidney Nolan, John Perceval, Joy Hester and Charles Blackman.
But the greatest treasure of Bundanon is the opportunity it offers the next generation of artists. Arthur Boyd’s vision for Bundanon was to provide an inspirational haven for artists to pursue their practice.
Bundanon is an engine room for contemporary art practice in Australia. The program boasts an accomplished list of alumni, from choreographers at The Australian Ballet to award-winning author Charlotte Wood and singer Katie Noonan.
Bundanon artists-in-residence enjoy the tranquil surroundings of the Shoalhaven, on the edge of the forest. The Writer’s Cottage looks over the Bundanon fields, while four apartments surround two studios housed in a converted 19th century barn. The Dorothy Porter Studio is a stand-alone building specifically designed as a rehearsal space for dance and performance work.
There are wet studios for visual artists to make a mess in, a dance studio for dance and performance artists, a printing press and, coming soon, a silversmith studio.
‘We want the best artists, to come and use the opportunity to create something that they are proud of,’ said John Baylis, Chief Programs Officer at Bundanon Trust.
The program attracts diverse contemporary artists and thinkers from both within Australia and overseas. The residency is open to artists from all disciplines and at all stages of their careers, from emergent to established.
‘Bundanon offers an escape from the modern world,’ said Baylis. ‘What is unique about Bundanon is that we offer seclusion and a chance to get away. It is a place to retreat and create work without distraction.’
Both individual artists and groups are encouraged to apply. Bundanon can accommodate up to 10 artists, while larger groups are hosted in the Boyd Education Centre at Riversdale, which can accommodate up to 36 people in shared rooms. ‘We are happy working with artists in whatever configuration suits them,’ said Baylis.
Applications for the 2018 residency program close on Monday June 19. Applicants will be notified in September.
