A quick post to catch up

Week of 6 November 2023

I split my Week 45 post into two because Architectural Drawing was such a big post. That was followed by Open House Hobart weekend, which is going to be a series of posts on my photoblog.

So this is a quick post to wrap up the rest of this week.

Artists with Conviction

After the drawing workshop on Friday, I went to the Artists with Conviction exhibition, A New Tomorrow, at the Waterside Pavilion.

This is an exhibition of art and writing from people within the justice system, including prison inmates, people in Community Corrections, staff, and people who have been released.

I found out about it through my connections with 26TEN, which is one of the supporters of the program.

It’s an annual exhibition that give people the opportunity to have their artworks and writing in public. The exhibition ran until 14 November and is accompanied by a printed book of the participants’ writing.

In the exhibition catalogue, Georgia and Sara, Creative Learning Officers within Tasmania Prison Service, say they’ve had over 700 individual requests for art materials this year and have organised art classes run by practitioners from the arts community ranging from art therapy to card making, technical art skills and art history.

They say the reward is not in the finished product but in receiving feedback from participants about the actual process of making their art.

“Through artistic expression, inmates can gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their motivations and their potential for change”.

The theme A New Tomorrow was chosen by the inmates, and there is a wide variety of work reflecting their responses to that theme.

There is some wonderful work (and writing) on display.

I particularly loved this painting by Peter W, called “A result of our thoughts”.

Peter says, ”  . . .  In this painting I have tried to capture three different emotions through abstraction. It is up to the viewer as to what emotion they see and feel . . . (One person, many faces, your face is your truth.) Remember that tomorrow will be new! And it’s up to you what you create!”

There were also some cute Disney character sketches by Phillip G dotted around the gallery, which they described as “paintings I enjoy doing”.

The title of the works was “Pick the Odd One Out”

Another one I liked was a sculpture called “Never Changing Window” by Brett K, who says it is a “window of hope”.

This is “Pencil” by Shea G. It represents their learning, with the use of wood representing “recycling the old to create a strong, purposeful, functional and renewed model of the future”. Shea hopes “to inspire others to use their valuable ‘time’ to reflect, learn and create their own ‘new tomorrow’”.

And finally, by Darryn S, a painting called Resting.

I found it a thought provoking exhibition with some fabulous artworks and interesting stories.

Week 45 summary

What was the best thing about this week?

Open House Hobart. In particular the modernism tour (you’ll hear about that later) and the drawing class.

Also, my photo of kunanyi was printed in the November issue of The Hobart Magazine. (You can se the original in this post.)

What did I notice this week?

I was listening to Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall and she was fabulous. I noticed two things. One when she spoke, sometimes I could hear little snippets of Dorothy in the way she was talking. And second, when she sang “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” she sounded so much like Liza Minelli singing “Maybe This Time” I had to go and listen to that next.

What did I learn this week?

Still on Judy, I learned that “a friend of Dorothy” used to be code for a gay man, which some attribute to Judy being a gay icon and her portrayal of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Apparently, in the late 1980s and early 1980s, a military organisation investigating homosexuality, upon hearing the term, believed there was actually a person called Dorothy who knew all the gay military personnel. So they set out to find her hoping to convince her to disclose the names of all the gay men in their service.

I don’t know if this is true but it’s an interesting story.

What I’m reading this week

• Bullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work and What We Can Do About It by David Graeber
• Judy Garland Beyond the Rainbow by Sheridan Morley and Ruth Leon
• Do Story: How to tell your story so the world listens by Bobette Buster
• What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles
• Living Drama by Bruce Burton
• CUSP: James Henry Esmond Dorney Architect by Paddy Dorney

Walk tracker week 11

I eased up on the training this week. I thought maybe if I give my foot a rest it might heal and be ready to take on the walk up to the summit next week.

• Monday (goal: 2 km): 2.44 km
• Tuesday (goal: 3 km): 3.25 km
• Wednesday (goal: 5 km): I didn’t walk. I rode my bike (7681 steps)
• Thursday (goal: 2 km): I didn’t walk. I rode my bike (12,676 steps)
• Friday (goal: 2 km): 2.37 km
• Saturday (goal: 3 km): 19,707 steps, mainly on Open House Hobart tours
• Sunday (goal: 10 km): 17,535 steps, mainly on Open House Hobart tours