Image courtesy of the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
Placed within a World Heritage Site and surrounded by rugged landscape, cliffs and valleys,the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre (BMCC) is not just a tourist destination, but a cultural mecca hosting public and educational programs, in-house curated world-class exhibitions and national touring exhibitions, along with highlighting locally sourced work.
Exhibitions Manager at BMCC Sabrina Roesner said that the region boasts a range of attractions and experiences to appeal to a wide range of culture-loving visitors.
‘The Blue Mountains have always been interesting for tourists in terms of the environment. But what has happened recently up here is really a significant development in terms of cultural tourism,’ said Roesner.
‘You could easily spend a weekend or four days here. If you’re not a bush-walker, if you’re not just here for the view, you can come here to explore the cultural experience’.
With a year-long dedicated exhibition program, which has seen the likes of Brett Whiteley exhibit along with critically acclaimed touring exhibition We don’t need a map -a Martu experience of the Western desert, the gallery is currently exhibiting works by artist Tamara Mendels and an upcoming exhibition will feature New Zealand born Australia-based artist Locust Jones.
Focusing on artists with a local perspective, upcoming exhibition Strange Embrace will present new works from five Blue Mountains-based artists working in a variety of art forms ranging from experimental, installation, action research, live art and photography to create works addressing the concept of ‘Strange Embrace’.
Curated by Rilka Oakley and displayed at the BMCC Gallery, exhibiting artists will include Cath Barcan, Anne Graham, Astra Howard, Daniel Kojta and Honi Ryan.
The World Heritage Artists in Residence Program is a new initiative the BMCC will launch this year to encourage and support innovation and excellence. Open to local and international artist, the chosen artist will be awarded with a six-week residency program at Bilpin International Ground for Creative Initiatives (BigCi), to develop new work within eight acres of pristine bushland. The residence program is supported by the World Heritage Institute and National Parks NSW, with applications open 1 June and closing 24 June 2015.
Roesner said that being able to offer such a program further reinforces the Centre’s exciting upcoming developments, exploring and discovering new creative ventures, shaping the future of BMCC.
‘The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre is still young. We only opened two and a half years ago and we have proven already that we can show pretty amazing programs and have also grown in the last few years,’ said Roesner.
‘We are still building up our repertoire and our programs which gives us the ability to put up new initiatives. Whereas a lot of the established galleries, they will have a great program but they are in the routine of the amount of shows and a particular focus that might hard to break out of. We are still looking into what our audience wants and how we can respond to it’.
Strange Embrace
30 May – 19 July 2015
For more information visit the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
