We like the simplicity of Sally Willbank's paintings on exhibition at X Gallery in Bungendore until May 8. No Place Like Home explores the magnitude of the natural landscape by minimising the details and reducing the scenes to fundamental shapes. Willbanks says the pieces reflect the emotional response to being present in the natural landscape without actually recreating the scene in a realistic manner. She is influenced by poster art, particularly travel posters, which harks back to her time spent in Connecticut working as a vintage poster restorer. Now based out of a studio in Ulladulla, where she raises two young children in her spare time, we're happy to support any working mother in her artistic endeavours. Her work can be bought at Shop Three Gallery in Milton, NSW, and viewed online at https://www.sallywillbanks.com/ Until May 8 at X Gallery, 32 Gibraltar Street Bungendore.
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Lighting the way
Speaking of working women. We couldn't help but love the press release from the gang at Watson Arts Centre who admitted they were motivated to put together an exhibition after another International Women's Day went by before most of them even realised it was on. Women, Light the Way is an exhibition by five women artists in celebration of creativity and the joy of life. The collaborating artists are Angharad Dean, Anita Smith, Marijke Gilchrist, Ruth Lathlean and Simone Doherty, who all agree that creativity is what centres them and is the focus of their day. They work in a range of media and have in common the fact that they balance their work as artists with their lives as women: always with many balls in the air but centred on the joy of bringing light to life. Women, Light the Way is showing at Watson Arts Centre until April 9. The gallery is open 10am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday.
Bright young things
And if we're going to continue on this theme one wonders how much running around the mothers of all the talented young things involved in the Canberra Youth Theatre's I'm Me festival have done over the past few months. The festival will explore new ways to make and stage theatre while celebrating "being me". Seven brand new works will be presented, delving into dance theatre, roving comedy, physical poetry, musical theatre, immersive art and invisible theatre. Each work will stem from a "word" in some way and will be created by its cast and director. The I'm Me festival is supported by Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres and the Capital Arts Patrons' Organisation Awards. March 31, 5-9pm, Gorman Arts Centre. Specifically for 7-12 year olds but all ages welcome - even adults.
Design applications
Craft ACT is calling for proposals that celebrate and promote Canberra as a living design laboratory, for this year's DESIGN Canberra Festival. The call out encourages the community to submit proposals that are from all design disciplines and showcase the very best in contemporary design. The festival will run from November, 7-26, 2017. DESIGN Canberra encourages a spirit of collaboration where Canberra's creative community work together to showcase the best in contemporary design and is the major outreach program for Craft ACT. Craft ACT are looking for proposals that align with the festivals values, ambitions and aspirations including: contemporary, relevant, exploratory and authenticity. Submissions close April 24 and can be submitted at https://craftact.submittable.com/submit Further information www.designcanberrafestival.com.au/news-and-update
LGBTIQ film festival
The highlights from the 2017 Mardi Gras Film Festival are screening at the National Film and Sound Archive next month. Festival director Paul Struthers is thrilled to return to the nation's capital to present some of this year's festival highlights, focussing on diversity and theitr core aim to be a truly representative LGBTIQ film festival. The selection includes A Date for Mad Mary, an Irish drama that will make you laugh out loud, with the story of a young, brash woman freshly out of prison, unhappy with the world, and in need of a plus one for an upcoming wedding. Another highlight is the incredible true story of Nayyef and Btoo, two Iraqi soldiers who fell in love in the middle of a war, in Out of Iraq. From April 7 at the NFSA. Buy a season pass and see all five films.
Short and sweet
Flickerfest, a festival of short films, is having its Canberra run from April 5-6, featuring a night of the best Australian shorts on Wednesday and then European shorts on Thursday. A highlight of the Australian films is the suspenseful Highway, by Canberra native Vanessa Gazy. Against the backdrop of the Snowy Mountains, news bulletins from the future forewarn of grave danger for a teen runaway hitchhiking alone on a mountain highway. Also screening is the animation Fish with Legs, voiced by Frank Woodley and Barry Otto, and the Academy Award winning Mindenki (Sing) from Hungary in which a young choir girl teaches her cruel tutor a lesson. At Palace Electric Cinemas, tickets from $18. Details at flickerfest.com.au.
* We have a double pass to the Best of Australian Shorts, on April 5, during Flickerfest to give away. Just answer this question: Who is the director of Highway? Email your answer. to canberralife@canberratimes.com.au. Competition closes COB March 27, 2017.
