Mandy Martin, artist

Mandy Martin talks at Art + Environment Conference 2011, Nevada Museum of Art, October 1, 2011

Mandy Martin — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:53:30 +0000

The Conservation Impulse: Navigating the Waters of Art and Science in Australia

This session brings together a range of creative voices working toward the conservation of landscapes, communities, and environments in Australia. John Carty, Mandy Martin, and Libby Robin will discuss their Desert Channels project, focusing on the region of southwestern-Queensland. Architect Richard Black proposes a series of sustainable design solutions to improve the health of the Murray River system, and artist John Reid presents Fishman, a unique project that is part performance art, natural history theater, and conservation campaign in New South Wales. Dr. Stephen G. Wells, President of the Desert Research Institute moderates the discussion.

Braided Channels Symposium Features Australian Artist, Rancher

Mandy Martin — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:41:10 +0000

http://www.prairiefirenewspaper.com/

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Braided Channels Symposium Features Australian Artist, Rancher

Tagged: September 2011 • Arts & Humanities

By Tom Lynch

Imagine this place:

—A river network flows in intricate braids through the rolling terrain of a semiarid grassland.

—An amazing diversity of interesting and unique animals and plants resides here.

—Pioneering families from Europe who settled this region have become part of the national mythology.

—Yet the European-style agricultural practices these settlers introduced have greatly diminished the abundance and diversity of the place’s natural ecosystem.

—Simultaneously, for the past few decades, human populations have declined, and this place suffers a crisis in maintaining the viability of many small towns and rural communities

—In response, community efforts are now being made to transform those agricultural practices so that they could be both socially and ecologically sustainable.

—Meanwhile, extreme variations in river flows, exacerbated by climate change, complicate agriculture, and political battles rage over the control of this water.

—At the same time, efforts are being made to protect and properly utilize a vast underground aquifer.

—Finally, though rarely on the minds of most of the citizens of its larger nation, this place nevertheless sparks the imagination of many different artists, writers and photographers.

Where is this place? Well, you might guess that this description fits the Platte River watershed and the Great Plains bioregions of Nebraska. But you’d be only half right. For this description also applies to the Channel Country of Australia’s Outback.

Though literally a world apart, these regions have much in common. Australia’s Channel Country faces many of the same environmental and sustainable development concerns as do the rural portions of the Great Plains. These include how to preserve biodiversity while maintaining ranching and other agricultural activities in a semiarid grassland, as well as how to diversify economic activities in rural areas in order to maintain viable communities.

And both the Channel Country and the Great Plains are traversed by braided river networks that provide an imaginative model for how different human communities, distinct disciplines and diverse ways of knowing can combine to further these conservation efforts and to nurture a common human and natural landscape.

In this spirit, the Plains Humanities Alliance is presenting “Braided Channels,” an interdisciplinary and international symposium, to be held in Ocober in Lincoln, Neb. The event is free and open to the public.

What is distinctive and exciting about this symposium is that it will consider the environmental and cultural problems of these two places from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. It will examine how the arts and humanities, in particular painting, literature and environmental history, can intertwine with the ecological sciences, such as grassland studies and conservation biology, to nurture rural development that is sustainable in both the human and the ecological sense.

The symposium features two Australian speakers, Mandy Martin and Guy Fitzhardinge.

Martin is one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists. She has spearheaded innovative projects combining art with ecological awareness to promote environmental protection and sustainable rural economic development in Queensland and New South Wales. She has a strong commitment to regional arts and has mentored many artists and run environmental art workshops in diverse locations the past five years, including Fitzroy Crossing, Arnhem Land, South West Queensland, the Simpson Desert and closer to home in the Central West of New South Wales. Many of the projects have been reconciliation land-art projects. In July 2011 she began a new multidisciplinary environmental art project with artists, scientists and indigenous traditional owners at Paruku, in the Tanami Desert.

Fitzhardinge is a pastoralist (rancher) who manages several properties in New South Wales and Queensland. He has been involved in various projects to develop sustainable ranching techniques and to improve the ecology of the semiarid regions while simultaneously nurturing sustainable rural communities.

Since its inception, he has participated in the Australian Landcare movement, a program to develop more sustainable land management practices. Guy has also served on the board of Bush Heritage Australia, a conservation organization that grew during Guy’s tenure from a staff of nine and about seven small properties to a staff or nearly 70 and 34 properties totaling almost two million hectares. Guy is chairman of a trust set up by the PEW Environmental Trust and The Nature Conservancy to fund land-management work by a number of indigenous communities in remote Arnhem Land in far northern Australia. He is a governor of World Wildlife Fund Australia. In addition to these conservation activities, Guy has also played major roles in the red meat/beef industry in Australia. He is currently the chairman of the Beef Genetics Cooperative Research Centre, an organization set up with 17 partners, which works with the USDA, several U.S. universities and various Canadian institutions to carry out all the genetic research for the beef industry in Australia. His Ph.D. dissertation examines the role of landscape art in the development of environmental values among pastoralists in New South Wales.

In their keynote presentations, Martin and FItzhardinge will discuss their efforts to cultivate environmental awareness in Australia’s rangelands through the use of art, environmental history and a series of community book projects that have recently culminated in the publication of “Desert Channels: The Impulse to Conserve.”

Their talks will be followed by a panel discussion featuring nine university and community experts braided together from a range of disciplines. These include Dana Fritz and Jeffrey Thompson from the Art Department, Robert Brooke from English, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel from Agricultural Economics, Martin Massengale of the Center for Grassland Studies, Donna Woudenberg from the National Drought Mitigation Center, Mark Burbach and Larkin Powell from the School for Natural Resources and Teresa Franta from the Grassland Foundation.

The Braided Channels symposium will be held Oct. 5 from 2–5 p.m. at the Center for Great Plains Studies, Hewit Place, 1155 Q Street in Lincoln, Neb. The symposium is sponsored by the University of Nebraska’s Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources, the University Research Council, the Plains Humanities Alliance, the Center for Great Plains Studies and the Department of English. For more information, contact Tom Lynch at tplynch2[at]gmail[dot]com.

Wanderers in the Desert of the Real 2011, Australian Galleries, Roylston St. Sydney , opening May 17

Mandy Martin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:39:02 +0000

Mandy Marti n Australian Galleries Exhibition opening May 17 2011

MARTIN_EVITE1

See photo gallery:

http://www.mandy-martin.com/austgalleries.htm

MARTIN_FOLIO_A4_6pp_proof7

The Big Wet; Art , Science and History collaborate in the Desert Channels Country

Mandy Martin — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:19:54 +0000

The Big Wet: Art, Science and History collaborate in Desert Channels Country

To celebrate the launch of the CSIRO book, “Desert Channels. The Impulse to Conserve” Mike Smith chaired a forum at the National Museum of Australia on 22 October 2010. The panel was comprised of one of Australia’s best known artists, Mandy Martin, together with historian Libby Robin, zoologist Chris Dickman and Guy Fitzhardinge, deputy chair of Desert Channels Queensland. They explored the impulse to protect the country where Australia’s desert rivers rise. At a time when Lake Eyre is filling fast, and biodiversity is booming, they discussed conservation partnerships in Desert Channels Country and displayed new art and writing about the region.

Desert Channels. The Impulse to Conserve launched

Mandy Martin — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:12:57 +0000

There were 17 contributors to “Desert Channels. The Impulse to Conserve” at the very successful launch at the Hugh Sawrey gallery, Stockmans Hall of Fame in Longreach, swelling the large crowd to 95-100 people. We sold 30 or so books on the night and did quite a few media releases for radio and newspaper.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/09/27/3023188.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/09/27/3023188.htm?site=westqld

and links from ABC Western Qld http://www.abc.net.au/westqld and http://www.abc.net.au/northwest

Tropical storms are still rolling around the Desert Channels and Simon and Christine Campbell were cut off by the raging Barcoo River! Nella and Mark Lithgow did make it through from Cravens Peak Reserve, as fortunately did Bruce and Maureen Scott from Windorah and Angus and Karen Emmott from Stonehenge, everyone’s vehicles were well plastered with mud though! 10 of us went on and stayed at Noonbah, near Stonehenge with Karen and Angus Emmott on Saturday, to watch the grandfinal of course with pies and beer provided by Faye Alexander. Due to the road being closed, we changed plans and didn’t stay with Simon and Christine at Blackall so 8 of us then descended on Maureen and Bruce Scott for the night at Moothadella, Windorah and were able to celebrate with Bob Morrish who joined us for the night also.

Dave Thompson’s welcome to country at the SHOF was excellent and people thought the powerpoint he presented, including early, hauntingly damning Hansard records of politicians views of Aboriginal people and counter-visual evidence of long occupation of Country, was powerfully informative. Bruce Scott’s opening speech was moving and very much to the point revealing his great love of the Channel Country. He bestowed great honour on the contributors by comparing our quest to write about and make images of the Channel Country with the aims of the celebrated writings of Alice Duncan Kemp. I hope to send you all his text in due course.
It was great to see the intercanges in the crowd during the night and a good mob of about 35 went onto dinner after. where the discussions continued.

The launch at the Rain on the Rangelands conference in Bourke on Monday night was also a big event, 230 participants were seated right on the banks of the old wharf on Bourke and we were given a 20 minute time slot for our launch which put is in full spot light. Geoff Wise was enthusiastic and generous in his speech, I was able to introduce Chris Dickman as the NSW Scientist of the year and once Chris and I had recovered from the shock of talking to such a big crowd, were kept busy signing books for some time after the speeches and when I saw Melinda Chandler from CSIRO last,the following day, shortly after Guy Fitzhardinge’s challenging keynote address, she was still selling. Half of the print run has been sold already, it seems, so don’t delay your contributor discounted purchases too long into the future!

I’m sorry you couldn’t all be there to celebrate this significant achievement but we hope to catch up with more of you at “The Big Wet”
National Museum Forum on 22 October 12-2 pm, which will launch the book in another context.

Tony Popic, Mandy Martin, Dave Taylor, Guy Fitzhardinge, Chris Dickman and Glenda Wardle, clockwise, launch Desert Channels boat, Cooper Creek floodplain!

Desert Channels exhibition, Hugh Sawrey Gallery, Stockmans Hall of Fame

Desert Channels. The Impulse to Conserve. Book launch and Exhibition

Mandy Martin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:46:53 +0000

You are invited to experience an exhibition of new art and writing about and by the people of the Desert Channels Country.

Please join some of the 46 contributors at the launch by

Bruce Scott, Mayor of the Barcoo Shire.

Hugh Sawrey Gallery, Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Longreach, Queensland

6.00– 8.00 pm 24 September 2010

Event Free

WEBSITE: http://environmentalhistory-au-nz.org/desert-channels/

To order: http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/21/pid/6406.htm

Mandy Martin: Archive Roslyn Oxley9Gallery 1983-2010

Mandy Martin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 23:44:23 +0000

Mandy Martin, Wanderers in the Desert of the Real, 2008

View press release

Mandy Martin, Wanderers in the Desert of the Real, 2008

Mandy Martin – Salvadoresque, 2006

Absence And Presence, 2004

Salvator Rosa series IV, 2002

miscellaneous works


Installation view	Installation view	Powerhouse 1	Wanderers in the desert of the real; Snowstorm: Hannibal and his army crossing the Alps, after Turner

Wanderers in the desert of the real; Iceberg	Wanderers in the desert of the real; The Deluge, after John Martin	Wanderers in the desert of the real; Tanami spinifex fires	Wanderers in the desert of the real; E.C. Warburton emerging from the Great Sandy Desert, after engraving

Wanderers in the desert of the real	Wanderers in the desert of the real; The Erebus Passing through the Chain of ‘Bergs	Wanderers in the desert of the real; Hanibal passing over the Alps, after Turner	Wanderers in the desert of the real; Mount Ruapehu erupting

Wanderers in the desert of the real; after John Martin’s ‘Macbeth’	Wanderers in the desert of the real; after Turner’s ‘Mer de Glace’	Wanderers in the desert of the real; Thunderstorm over Paestum, after Turner	Epic Fatality; Hannibal and Turner Passing the Alps

Epic Fatality; Iceberg off Dunedin New Zealand 2	Epic Fatality; Yallourn Powerstation, Victoria	Epic Fatality; Turner and Galce de Mer	Powerhouse 3

Epic Fatality; Mount Ruapehu Erupting	Epic Fatality; Iceberg off Dunedin, New Zealand	Epic Fatality: Tullawarra Powerhouse	Epic Fatality: Iceberg

Epic Fatality; Iceberg/Castle	Epic Fatality; Turner and Paestum in a Thunderstorm	Iceberg 1	Powerhouse 1

Iceberg 2	Powerhouse 2	Powerhouse 4	Iceberg 3

Wanderers in the Desert of the Real 1	Wanderers in the Desert of the Real 2	Wanderers in the Desert of the Real 3

Mangkaja Residency 2010 Part 1

Mandy Martin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:01:51 +0000

Mandy Martin, Mangkaja Residency, June 2010

This is fourth year I have painted Gooniyandi Country with artists from Muludja and particularly the Cherel family. Everyone seemed to want to come, we had 13 people painting in all, excluding Henry Surprise who took photos for me, and I arrived early after the short drive over the Fitzroy River from Fossil Downs to pick people up. June Davis and Mervyn Street brought their own 4WD, with Travis Leonard driving and Rohnanna Cherel, Jai Cherel, Henry Surprise, Fabian Davis, Tessie Cherabun, Bronwyn Malo and Jane and Ann Halloway all climbing in as well. I took Isaac, Edna and Katrina Cherel along with me for the 2 ½ hour drive out to Painted Rocks on Fossil Downs. We met up with the group of visitors who had been at Fossil Downs Station owner, John Henwood’s 70^th birthday in Broome, for smoko and demolished a few slabs of John’s birthday cake made in the shape of a grader and with thick yellow and black icing. The reunion was emotional, Merrilee MacDonald, Fossil Downs descendent, is a fluent Gooniyandi/ Giya speaker. Henry Surprise and Mervyn Street were also pleased to see their old Fossil Downs stockman friends, Bill O’ Dougherty and Peter Gray.

Some of the younger people hadn’t visited Painted Rocks or as Gooniyandi Cherel, named them, Imanara, and spent a long time exploring the site.

The men were very excited to point out the holes where in the old days, they stored their bush tucker to keep it cool and away from predators.

The rock art is ancient and most significant and it was moving to hear a group of people at the site all talking in their own tongue with great respect and excitement.

After exploring the rock paintings and rock markings, we moved back a kilometre or so to a site Mervyn had chosen as we had approached earlier in the morning, everyone set up and painted for some hours except Henry Surprise who took photos for us.

Mandy Martin and Muludja Artists at Painted Rocks

Isaac Cherel painting Country story with Muludja artists, Painted Rocks

Mervyn Street and grandson, Jai Cherel, painting Painted Rocks

At the end of the afternoon we all went fishing at a nearby spring and the women pulled in perch and bream with out effort it seemed, then cooked them immediately.

Jai and Rohanna Cherel with bream, Soda Springs, Fossil Downson small fires

The dying hours of the day were spent trying to change a flat tyre, a long and difficult job requiring some real bush skills, we all got home a few hours later than planned. Issac Cherel was just able to show us the red sand, the only for many kilometres around, where the Rainbow Serpent had gone into the ground, before darkness fell.

Rainbow Serpent site, Fossil Downs

Mangkaja Residency 2010 Part 2

Mandy Martin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 08:36:29 +0000

Mandy Martin, Mangkaja Arts Residency, Fitzroy Crossing, June 2010

This brief residency with artists at the Mangkaja Arts Centre was to consolidate and expand painting in Country with the artists who last year spoke to me about wanting to follow through ideas with me which had grown out of the very successful exhibition at Australian Galleries, Melbourne, November- December 2009. The full colour catalogue, DVD film and the exhibition had pleased them all and it was important to follow up both from my point of view and from that of the artists. We were all really happy to be able to work together. They all without exception chose the trips into Country as a way of passing on knowledge about Country to their family and me.

I focussed on 3 outstanding artists, Daisy Andrews, John Prince Siddon and Mervyn Street who have all made a quantum leap in their painting since I last worked with them. Along the way I worked with quite a few other artists including Jack Macale, Daisy Andrews son, and 13 artists from Muludja community.

Site 1: Brooklyn Springs, Knununberri

We had two trips to this well known site which Daisy identified as Big Waluk, meaning trees and rock, on the Leopold Road near Daisy Andrew’s husband’s country, Jandamarra. Daisy used to camp here with her husband and everyone met here for ceremonies.

Daisy’s nephew, John Prince Siddon came with us the first trip

Daisy’s close kin, Jack Macale a Jandamarra man, came the second time. He is an art award winning artist and cultural guide for his home community, Biridu and he said they bring visitors here first for the smoking ceremony.

The school bus, driven by another of Daisy’s close kin, stopped on the way home from Fitzroy Crossing to Biridu and collected Jack Macale, (back left) and Daisy asked me to photograph her with her family.

The kids all were intrigued with my painting kit!

My final day at Mangkaja I found time to work with John Nargoodah and family on the back verandah at Mangkaja this year because of John’s other work commitments. His daughter, showed great talent in her first even canvas!

Part 3; Bogged at Boolcoomatta

Mandy Martin — Sat, 01 May 2010 05:57:29 +0000

Wet morning at Boolcoomatta. Photo Mandy Martin

The third stage of our trip in April was to Bush Heritage Australia’s Boolcoomatta Reserve which lies about 100 kms west of Broken Hill in South Australia. www.bushheritage.org.au It is a jewel of a property in great condition and wonderful for watching birds, emus and euros. There was a large gathering of BHA staff, board members, volunteers and supporters for the weekend. As usual I slipped straight off outside or to the nearest hill to sketch when ever I could and spent two days out an historic copper mine site, painting another 6 panel work. Faye ducked off to the dump per usual and collected some old steel radial wire and fabricated 2 beautiful semi spherical vessel shapes over the visit.

Chenopod and green fragments of minerals at Dome hill mine, Boolcoomatta. Photo Mandy Martin

Rain showers were moving across the vast chenopod landscape and once again I had to move canvases and sketches under cover and into the 4WD every time if got too damp. It was disconcerting to see the landscape so verdant and when I painted up at the mine, even the mullock heaps were tinged green from the copper and the red ochre soils were littered with many green mineral fragments lying around. This required quite a modification in my usual palette.

I largely completed a 6 panel work on paper, later finished in the studio.

Dome Rock Copper Mine, Boolcoomatta. 90 x 90 cms 2010

I distinguished myself by getting well and truly bogged on the way to the mine site and had to use the personal satellite beacon, EPNRB, all visitors are required to use when not at the base and within an hour, two staff had arrived and pulled me out. I was mortified of course especially as all the rest of the group were waiting in vehicles to visit a site.

Anzac day at Boolcoomatta. Photo Al Dermer

Anzac morning was freezing and clear and the more intrepid of the group climbed to the top of a hill where the last post was sounded apparently somewhat in advance but otherwise formalities were observed.

We drove back to NSW the day after Anzac day through tough mulga country around Cobar, stripped bare by a goat invasion, then struck locust swarms again as we headed further south. Our part of the world in central NSW looks much drier and the ground cover worse by far than most of the “desert” country we travelled though in South Australia, with the exception of Cobar. However the streets are being paved in gold there, well massive pavers of shiny polished granite in pink and black anyway, the minerals boom is rampant right through the outback it seems no matter where we travel.