Arts Writing Hot House participants publish responses to art in their region

At the end of 2018, four writers from regional South Australia at different career levels took
part in Country Arts SA’s inaugural Arts Writing Hot House in partnership with
Flinders University Art Museum.

The Arts Writing Hot House was
presented in three stages and included a public forum, a two day workshop
intensive held at Flinders University, and a mentorship component. The
participants explored the intricacies of arts writing across all disciplines
and worked towards strengthening their writing style, learning from arts
industry professionals.

Following the three days intensive in
Adelaide, the participants spent six months working with a mentor to develop a
piece of writing which responded to an arts experience in their region.

The Arts Writing Hot House participants
are Kerry Rochford of Normanville (mentor Mel Rankin, Director of FABRIK in
Lobethal), Alex Cleland of Brinkworth (mentor Gerry Wedd, artist in Port
Elliot), Fleur Peters of Kingscote (mentor John Neylon, Adelaide based writer)
and Gina Raisin of Mount Gambier (mentor Debbie Pryor, Artistic Programs
Manager, Guildhouse).

Gina Raisin was drawn to respond to an
Ann Newmarch artwork. Her response was borne from “a strong personal memory
enhanced by a powerful image, intertwined with popular culture of then and
now”.

“It was serendipitous that the
work John Lennon and My Two Sons was included in an exhibition
curated by Serena Wong of the Riddoch Art Gallery in November 2018,” she said.
“I hadn’t seen the work since its first showing at the gallery; the work has
held a place in my cerebral art catalogue.” Gina’s piece on the emotions of the
then and now of John Lennon’s assassination reflects on a time in world
history, her place in it, and her memories.

“I found writing the piece pleasurable
as I spent a lot of time thinking about and discussing the idea with others
before heading to the keyboard,” she said. 
“Having a fellow storyteller and practising artist as a mentor was
fortuitous. Debbie and I enjoyed some lively and sometimes deeply personal
conversations.

“I also learnt a great deal from the
other Hotties. Everyone was generous and brave enough to share their fears and
uncertainties as writers. The sense of solidarity in the group was
heart-warming and encouraging.”

Though writing about different subjects,
the Hot House participants connected through their love of words, and supported
and encouraged each other to strengthen their writing. The Arts Writing Hot House
brought together people physically distanced by landscape to find a connection
through their love of writing and compassion in helping others reach their creative
potential.

Gallery operator and curator Fleur
Peters lives on Kangaroo Island, literally an island separated from the
mainland.

“I value positive peer support and
encouragement greatly, especially living as a relatively isolated country
resident,” she said. “I was awed by the combined talents amongst all of us and
reminded of the powerful learning experiences to be gained from participating
in group work. I can recall conversations, and ‘penny dropping’ moments that
will stay with me a very long time.”

Fleur’s topic was her late friend and
fellow KI artist Cath Cantlon.

“I am proud to have resolved my writing
piece with the assistance of a knowledgeable, supportive and encouraging
mentor. Initially it was a challenge to delve into my chosen subject – three decades
of an artist’s practice – to find a starting point and focus. The final
published piece is the mere tip of the mammoth iceberg that is all the words I
have written over more than three months, with many weeks of editing and
refining the piece, and discarding much of the material I was attached to, to
achieve a cogent final draft.

“I do like my final draft when I read
it for what it is and not focus on what else I wished to include. I am
uncertain what I expected being new to arts writing, but have enjoyed the
learning process, and am already contemplating other pieces I wish to write. I
knew I could be slow to form words, but even I didn’t know I could sit for
whole afternoons and craft a single three sentence paragraph, that I would
ultimately scrap!”

Each participant was had a 500 word limit to explore their chosen topic – a proposition that challenged each of them to hone writing style.

Kerry Rochford wrote about Deborah
Twining exhibition When tales are long
and often turn corners… at the Hahndorf Academy. The exhibition explored the
100th anniversary of Nurse Bertha Schmidtke opening the Ambleside
Hospital (now the Hahndorf Academy) and the lives of those that used the space.

“I felt a great sense of pride when I
had finished my writing,” she said. “I was initially frustrated with the word
limit as I felt there was more I wanted to say, but the art of keeping
sentences succinct and to the point was a valuable skill to learn. I expected I
would be able to achieve the goal set as I have been writing for some time and
have received sufficient feedback over the years to know that I am a capable
writer.

“The learning I received from the Hot House was quite overwhelming. The whole four days were filled with information, talks, a mini conference and writing exercises. All were carefully designed to lead to the point where the participants felt they had been armed with tools and skills to complete an arts piece of writing. In hindsight, I believe my biggest learning was the skill of editing a piece of writing a number of times. In the past I have tended to read things over and tweak a few lines. Since the Hot House I have certainly endeavoured to keep editing until the writing is as tight as I can make it.”

“Being with a
group of likeminded writers was such an energising experience. All the other
participants were generous in their feedback and support. I felt that valuable
connections were made and different styles of writing were appreciated and
shared willingly.”

Alex Cleland wanted to explore the artist profile as a format and did so through a relaxed and intimate tone.  She didn’t think she would be able to meet local painters Robert Hannaford and Alison Mitchell but after sending an email to Alison, was surprised to hear back so quickly.

“I had a
privileged insight into the daily working life of two of our region’s finest
artists and so I wanted to convey something a bit special but without being
gushy,” she said.

“I was struck
by the companionable way Alison and Alfie worked together. They seemed very
content at home out there in the middle of nowhere. I also live in the Mid North
and could relate to their connection to the landscape. I feel that I conveyed
that in my writing. They were very generous with their time, showing me around
their home and studio and chatting candidly about their work and lives
together. From the outset I wanted this to be a personal story and am happy
that it was.”

Confessing that her style in art is “prosaic”, Alex said she wanted to think outside of her comfort zone. When the connection with Hannaford and Mitchell was made she couldn’t believe her luck – she had been given “a key into a new realm”.

“The Hot House has given me confidence and kudos to take the next step… I know that the resources are there and I need to dedicate time to finding some direction.”

With
thousands of kilometres between their homes, the Hot House participants found
common ground in shared experiences and a positive outlook for future writing opportunities
and careers.

“The other hotties were fabulous women with such rich experiences and wonderful outlooks,” Alex said. “I hope that we will all remain friends.  I felt encouraged and excited about the future.”

Interested in reading their short stories? You can read them here.

Bottom Left Image by Marcus Jones