Griffith Regional Art Gallery will host artist Jo Roberts during the Ngurambang exhibition, who will offer a school holiday activity during the opening weeks
Jo Roberts is an emerging artist based in Leeton and this exhibition will be the first time her art has appeared in the Gallery.
Her enthusiasm for the opportunity is clearly evident in the time and preparations she is planning as part of the Ngurambang exhibition.
“I’ve been working on a series of activities for all ages and it will be good to bring these to Griffith’s gallery,” said Ms Roberts.
On Wednesday mornings during the school holidays Jo will be sharing the Beak Technique activity developed by Red Earth Ecology.
This activity promotes an understanding of the relationships between habitat and bird diets by discussing different species and their beak shapes.
“We’ll be looking at the local species to learn what plants will bring your favourite birds into your backyard.”
The worksheets are accessible to all ages and were developed through consultation with the Murrumbidgee Field Naturalists and support from Western Riverina Arts.
“Kids are naturally curious about birds and our conversations will expand their knowledge about local species.”
Ms Roberts will also be working in the Gallery on Wednesdays throughout the exhibition to provide insight into how her artwork facilitates an innovative investigation of history.
Her artwork “Geo/graphology” uses the cut-up technique to gain a new perspective on text records and the landscape.
“I’m using the Cut-up Technique, which was developed by Dadaists in the early 20th Century as a way of revealing themes and illustrating thought processes,” said Ms Roberts.
“I am encouraging visitors at the exhibition to select text isolated from documents about the Riverina, then placing these snippets onto a map of the region to develop a new understanding of established narratives.”
Ms Roberts is one of a diverse cohort of exhibiting artists working in various media to reflect relationships with the landscape.
The group have been sharing insights between emerging and established artists as part of an informal development project that included a workshop supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and Western Riverina Arts.
The Ngurambang exhibition runs from Saturday 1 July until Sunday 20 August with Jo Roberts attending the Gallery on Wednesdays to share her art practice and knowledge of local ecology.