Press Release:

Cry Me a River: Williams River Valley Artists' Project
Artists challenge the Tillegra Dam

Exhibition launch:
6pm, Thursday 30th September
To be opened by John Kaye MLC Greens

Suzanne Bartos, Neil Berecry Brown, Bonita Ely, Juliet Fowler Smith, Noelene Lucas, Bridget Nicholson, Margaret Roberts, Toni Warburton and David Watson

Up near Barrington Tops (200km north of Sydney) lies the glorious Williams River valley – 22 kilometres of pristine winding river flanked by rich dairy pasture, primeval forest and national park. The precious ecosystems of one of the few remaining healthy rivers in the Hunter will be destroyed if Hunter Water's proposed $480 million Tillegra Dam proceeds.

A dam the size of Sydney Harbour would flood the valley; Hunter residents would pay for it in their water bills; and people in Australia would lose another precious water way. Initiated by artist Juliet Fowler Smith – whose family has farmed the valley for generations – the Williams River Valley Artists’ Project brings together a group of Australian contemporary artists dismayed by this proposal. Their responses are elegiac, contemplative and strident - their works created during a series of local residencies, research trips and exhibitions that began in 2009. The first opened at the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre in October 2009 followed by Tocal Agricultural College, Paterson in May 2010.

Cry Me a River at Tin Sheds Gallery, University of Sydney brings this project to Sydney at a critical time when the fate of the valley remains caught in the political process and the environment and the community continue to suffer the consequences. At a time when the community is focusing on questions of water management the project questions the folly of such environmental destruction.

Works developed for the exhibition cross media and ideas – from consideration of the social and emotional impact of unwanted change in rural communities to environmental concerns which have global significance. Key concepts of the project are thus memory and loss, the respect and honour for the landscape that holds those memories, as well as consideration of the local and worldwide implications of lost habitats and ecosystems.

For more information contact Juliet Fowler Smith jfs@pacific.net.au

Tin Sheds Gallery, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, 148 City Road, The University of Sydney.

Exhibition dates:
1 - 23 October 2010

Artists' Forum
Currents and Reflections
Saturday 16 Oct. 2 - 4 pm

A round table panel discussion to keep alive questions encountered in the process of the Williams River Valley Artists' Project.

Gallery Hours:
11am - 5pm
Tuesday to Saturday

Munni visit

Toni Warburton, with Juliet and Snow Fowler Smith, beside an 1830s corn shed, during a recent visit to the Munni homestead.

Rally for wiser ways

Some images from the 23rd of April, Martin Place Sydney. Members of the Williams River Valley Artists' Project join a coalition of opponents of the Tillegra Dam proposal to take their message to the city.

Dairy cows and one of Brown's Cows unite for the cause -

with a message "For thee"

WRVAP at Tocal, May 2010

Above: Bridget Nicholson touch this earth lightly, 2010,

photographer Juliet Fowler Smith

Above: Suzanne Bartos Surfboard 2010

Photographer Noelene lucas

Above: Juliet Fowler Smith Manns Hill Preserves 2010

Tocal Field Days

WRVAP is pleased to be offered the opportunity to show work at Tocal Homestead during the Tocal Agricultural College annual Field Days event from April 30 - May 2, 2010. Tocal is 15 minutes from Maitland on Tocal Road, Paterson, and the Field Days have over 600 exhibitors and a number of events of interest to both the rural and wider community.

For the duration of these Field Day events, WRVAP artworks will be on show in the Tocal barn:

These will include an installation of shoes made by local artist Bridget Nicholson, who, as part of the Williams River project, is making individual shoes for people by wrapping their feet in clay. The collection will form an installation titled ‘touch this earth lightly’. Bridget will be available at Tocal Homestead during the 3 field days to do people’s feet. The process takes approximately 20 minutes per person and Bridget will also be talking to people and recording their views on their own relationship to their feet and to the environment. Examples of shoes made to date are shown below:

Opening on 24 October

WRVAP organiser, Juliet Fowler Smith (centre) with Sally Corbett of the No Tillegra Dam group (left) and local resident/campaigner, Patricia Middlebrook (right) at the opening of the Williams River Artists Project show at Muswellbrook Regional Gallery, October 24, 2009.

Project organiser, Juliet Fowler Smith reports: The opening of the WRVAP exhibition at the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre was packed thanks to being on with the Muswellbrook Art Prize- the Mayor opened it and I got to say a few words too. A group from Dungog came which was great and we were able to get some signatures on postcards about the EAR submission re the dam, which the Wilderness Society is co-ordinating. We also got front page coverage in the Muswellbrook Chronicle and were interviewed by ABC local radio plus other coverage in local media. The show contains Noelene’s video of the river flow, my couch with water filled cushions, Bridget’s feet/shoes, Marg's No Williams River Collection on a digital photo frame, David’s beautiful image River Mourn and Suzanne's bedhead/surfboards.

WRVAP artists (left to right), Juliet Fowler Smith, Noelene Lucas and Suzanne Bartos, on Juliet's Water Couch (with water-filled cushions) in front of Noelene's video The Last Healthy River in the Hunter, at the opening of the Williams River Artists Project show at Muswellbrook Regional Gallery, October 24, 2009.

From the Williams River Artists' Project show at Muswellbrook Regional Gallery: L to R: R.I.P.- no chance, bed-head surfboards by Suzanne Bartos, Take Us Instead (and leave the water in the river) slide-show in wall photoframe by Margaret Roberts, Water Couch by Juliet Fowler Smith, River Mourn, photographic print by David Watson, and Touch this earth lightly, feet-work by Bridget Nicholson.

WRVAP at the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre

Up near Barrington Tops (200km north of Sydney) lies the glorious Williams River valley – 22 kilometres of pristine winding river flanked by rich dairy pasture, primeval forest and national park. However, the precious ecosystems of this last healthy river in the Hunter will be destroyed if Hunter Water's proposed $480 million Tillegra Dam proceeds. A dam the size of Sydney Harbour would flood the valley; Hunter residents would pay for it in their water bills; all of us would lose another sacred site. Initiated by artist Juliet Fowler Smith – whose family has farmed the valley for generations – the Williams River Valley Artists’ Project brings together a group of environmentally-dismayed Australian contemporary artists. Their by turns elegiac, contemplative and strident responses are being fuelled by local residencies, research and exhibitions starting in 2009. The first opens at the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre on 24 October, followed by cry me a river at the Tin Sheds Gallery in Sydney in September 2010 and another at Maitland Regional Art Gallery after that.