Monday, Monday
And there’s not much to say.
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Hawkesbury One : The evolution of our collecting
An article about the art collectors group I’m involved in has been published in the Newcastle Gallery magazine, written by group member, Ian Andrews.
HawkesburyOne : The evolution of our collecting by Ian Andrews
Joining Hawkesbury One required quite a leap of faith, when long time friends asked if I was interested in joining their new group investing $2000 per year for a period of 10 years and collecting art which reflected the first 10 years of the new century. Saying yes meant hoping the group, most of whom I had never met, would all get along together and all work towards this goal.
Our members come from a variety of backgrounds: Journalism and policy making, law and finance, medical and many more, some were confident and assertive in their pursuit of art; others preferred a more cautious and reflective approach whilst some members were happy to follow the group consensus.
Hawkesbury One usually met at one of the members houses for a Sunday lunch once every four months. During this lunch amongst good food, wine and general conversation a formal meeting was held, chaired by one of the members and minutes were taken.
Initially whilst finding our feet, discussions centred around new and emerging artists, indeed what was an emerging artist, how we would transport the art, insurances, and rotation rosters. These topics and finance remained common as part of nearly every meeting held.
Members would visit galleries, attend events, talk to gallery owners and scour art magazines to find artists they considered met our criteria. If during our meetings an artist was considered for further investigation, a small sub-group usually of 2-3 people was nominated to pursue works by the artist. A budget was given to the subgroup at the meeting so they had a range of prices to consider. After talking to gallery owners, viewing works and exhibitions, the sub-group came back to the group with suggested works.
Emailing images, on line discussions and correspondence through our webpage format all helped the group reach a decision without having to meet. One clear focus of Hawkesbury One has been to purchase works that are key pieces by the artist, works that are truly worthy of collecting and will hold their value. If this aim could not be met we would rather bypass the work. This process on some occasions would take six to twelve months depending on whether key works were available.
A majority vote allowed the work to be purchased. Having the same treasurer for the 10 years made record keeping and payments to galleries much easier.
The collection in some ways has been limited to a domestic size and scale. Gallery size works while discussed were often excluded. Although artworks rotate through our houses every six months we have still tried to be ambitious in the range of works collected. Long and intense discussions were held over whether photography, digital and video art and sculpture were appropriate for transportation, display and storage, but as you can see we managed to purchase the range. Limiting the collection to one or two media forms would not have truly reflected the art of the last 10 years.
Fluctuations in the art market, our financial position, agreement and confidence in a decision being made all meant adopting a changing and flexible approach to the purchasing of our art.
In 2008 after years of self direction, perhaps from exhaustion, we pursued a different approach to collecting. For a period of 12 months we employed an external consultant to investigate emerging artists on our behalf. Being immersed in the new art scene with access to University graduates and young committed artists the consultant provided us with a quarterly assessment of the art scene and committed artists possibly worth collecting.
Another change in approach saw the group keen not to just purchase, but commission our last work. With many members having ties to Newcastle and The Hunter three stainless steel cut-out sculptures all involving an aspect of the Hunter were commissioned. The first work being completed late last year while the chosen artist was resident at the ‘Lockup’, It was made in collaboration with Newcastle University students and involved local companies in its manufacture. The concept of a commission put forward by one of our members would not have been considered several years ago, this rewarding process has been only possible from gained confidence working together as Hawkesbury One.
My leap of faith made ten years ago has now proven to be one my most rewarding decisions. It has provided me with an opportunity to find, discuss, purchase and enjoy works of art I would not have done on my own. Hawkesbury One has been for me the vehicle to have made many new friends, to have interesting and challenging conversations about art, and to have learned a great deal in the pursuit of art for our collection.
Two Years On: Reflections on My “Stump-iversary”
Just two years ago, my life took an unexpected turn with the amputation of my lower right limb. Today marks that anniversary, or as I’ve playfully dubbed it, my “stump-iversary.” I even briefly entertained the idea of a foot-shaped cake to celebrate, though I quickly decided against it. While my family has a quirky sense of humor and usually plays along, I’m pretty sure that would have been the moment they declared me officially mad!
The first anniversary last year was a significant milestone. I’d gone from being fully active to suddenly living with a physical disability, after months spent in hospital and rehabilitation. Returning to work part-time and rebuilding my life felt momentous. This second anniversary, however, crept up on me. Its arrival was primarily prompted by the end of the financial year, a date I often joke about as my “end-of-financial-year leg cut.” It only clicked when June 30th turned into July 1st.
I was sharing this with my sister today over morning tea, here in my hometown of Lismore. It’s been great visiting family and escaping Sydney’s awful weather – the rain, cold, and general gloom. We had a few days of rain here over the weekend, but today was glorious and sunny. People in Sydney often assume Lismore is perpetually flooding, but it’s not! It’s actually really lovely here right now and looks set to stay that way until Sunday.
I’m working from home while I’m here, though I’ll be popping into the Lismore office for a couple of days this week. It’ll be a wonderful chance to see colleagues I genuinely like and remember fondly. When I was in the hospital, they sent me a care package filled with local chocolates, cookies, and coffee. When that package arrived, I honestly burst into tears. It was such an emotional moment, one of many gifts and well wishes I received throughout my hospital stay.
My time in hospital brought me much closer to many of my colleagues, but it also created a distance with others. For some, I’m now simply “the guy with the disability.” But here I am, two years later, still at work. And why not? My office-based job means I can do everything on my computer or mobile, largely communicating with people, which is the essence of my industry.
This entire experience has also strengthened many of my friendships and family relationships. People who visited me in the hospital, looked out for me, and took care of me when I was incredibly vulnerable. They saw me when I was truly sick, in a coma, and even when I was experiencing some pretty wild hallucinations. Love.
It has fundamentally shifted my outlook on life in many ways. I’ve always worked incredibly hard, and while I still give 100%, I’m less inclined to check in outside of hours now. Occasionally I do, but mostly I lead a normal working life.
In the past couple of years, I’ve also felt motivated to achieve things. Perhaps it’s a strange psychological drive to prove myself, both to myself and to others. That’s why I did things like walk in Mardi Gras and travel to China. There’s still a sense of that “young kid from the wrong side of the tracks in Lismore” who feels he needs to prove everything.
I’m also much more acutely aware of my own mortality. I always knew my family wouldn’t live forever, but I came awfully close to the end two years ago. This has prompted me to think deeply about what I want to do with the rest of my life and what that truly means.
Furthermore, I feel a stronger motivation to contribute to disability advocacy. I’ve joined a couple of working groups and engagement groups, which has introduced me to a much broader spectrum of people living with disabilities than I would have encountered in my previous day-to-day life. This has been a truly insightful experience, helping me realize how fortunate I still am in many aspects of my life. Perhaps there’s something meaningful I can do in the disability space to help others.
So, there it is: the unexpected journey of living with a physical disability, coupled with the natural process of getting older. These are the thoughts weighing on my mind as I celebrate my “stump-iversary.”
Hello Porpoise Spit
I spent a couple of days this week on the Gold Coast, due to some family stuff. It was the first time I’ve been back on the Goldie in about a decade – it’s normally either just Lismore or Brisbane, with nothing in between. The last time I was there was for a wedding, and they’re divorced now!! Here’s a few photographs from my take back in Porpoise Spit.
My bigger travel plans commence Friday. You can expect many more regular posts from more exotic climes in the coming weeks. :)
Ola är jättebra!
Today I would like to introduce you to my favourite Swedish pop star at the moment, Ola Svensson.
I first discovered his work when he was an entrant in Melodifestivalen, the Swedish finals leading to the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2008. I thought the song, Love in Stereo was “okay”. A few months later I saw him perform live at Stockholm Pride and, again, I thought he was “okay”.
He went from being “okay” to pretty fantastic when, two years later, he entered Melodifestivalen with the song “Unstoppable (The Return Of Natalie)” which was one of my favourite songs that year. It’s so incredibly catchy, and he performed it with such great enthusiasm.
Even now, I sing it from time to time. Heaven knows what my colleagues, or people on public transport make of it when they hear me singing along to lyrics like “Natalie keeps coming back from the dead again. She’s a little bit too much even for my friends. She’s just so unstoppable…”
Ola is now on the verge of international recognition, having released his latest song in the UK, and soon in the US, as well as a number of other European countries. Let’s hope it’s released in Australia also, as it’s a great song. Again, it has a a terrific singalong chorus.
So there you have it: an introduction to Ola Svensson. Enjoy! Smaklig måltid! (and yes I did mean to say that!).
Back at work blues?
Not blues. I just worked hard and came home and was pretty tired. After last week’s excitement I haven’t been sleeping that well. Ah well…
When you say “excitement” are you referring to the intruder. If so, I can understand why you would not be “sleeping that well”. If you were American you might already have that gun under your pillow.
Denys – Who is to say I don’t? :)
I can see the headlines now.
“Eyewitnesses tell of workplace horror as station manager loses his mind. He was last seen running through the building shooting at computers whilst screaming, ‘there’s a meeting in 5 minutes and I want everybody who is here attending!'”