Artz Blitz 2020

The competition begins when the secret theme is announced on Friday 13 March from which artists and writers will have 24 hours to create an artwork (2D or 3D) or piece of creative writing and deliver it to Kingston Arts Centre for exhibition.

All works will be exhibited across G1 + G2 and prize winners announced at the free opening event with family-friendly entertainment.

PRIZES

Visual Arts

VISUAL ARTS and creative writing JUDGes

Rob Mchaffie 

Rob McHaffie is a Melbourne based artist born in 1978. He completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in drawing from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2002. McHaffie’s art practice focuses around portraiture and personal narratives, he composes models using clay or collage to use as reference for drawings and oil paintings. Since graduating he has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in Melbourne at TCB Art In, Bus and Kings and is represented by Darren Knight Gallery in Sydney and Brett McDowell Gallery in New Zealand. McHaffie was a resident at Gertrude Contemporary Art Space in 2005/06.  A keen traveller and observer of life, he has participated in studio residency’s in Paris at the Cite des Arts and Malaysia’s Rimbun Dahan and more recently made art in Bangkok for a year.  His work is held in collections such as GOMA, Queensland, MCA, Sydney, and the Ian Potter Museum of Art in Melbourne.

Narrell White

Narelle is an early career artist who finds joy in the messy unpredictability of ceramic process. As a resident of the Kingston Arts' Ceramic Studio in 2019, she delivered several public workshops that introduced her to the daring creativity of Kingston. Narelle has recently completed a 3-month residency at the European Ceramic Workcentre (EKWC) in The Netherlands, made possible through generous support from the Ian Potter Cultural Trust. She holds a BA, MA and BFA and has studied in Australia, The Netherlands and The United States. In 2018 she received the Clayworks’ Award for Excellence in Ceramics, and in 2019 she was a finalist in the Manningham Ceramic Art Award. 

Julia Raath      

Julia Raath is a Textile Print Designer with extensive experience teaching design across the Higher and Vocational Education sectors in Australia and India.  Throughout her teaching career she has maintained her creative practice and participated in group and solo exhibitions, markets and studio sales. After a 30-year career as a teacher and academic, Julie returned to the world of private enterprise, which includes working on a range of collaborative projects, design and product development with artisans in India and creating collections of printed textiles. Julia leads tours to India, which focus on traditional crafts and textiles and she facilitates print and fibre arts workshops at Sunshine Print Artspace.

Emily Paesler

Emily Paesler is the Office Manager and Interns Coordinator for The Lifted Brow and Brow Books. Their work has been published in Voiceworks, Farrago and NoiseMedium amongst others.

The Lifted Brow is a non-for-profit literary publishing organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. Since its beginnings in 2007, TLB’s focus has been on finding, publishing and championing work from the artistic and/or demographic margins, from Australia as well as the rest of the world.  TLB produces a quarterly print literary magazine titled The Lifted Brow and make and publish books through the Brows Books imprint.

FAQ

Q. When will registration packs be sent out?

Wednesday 11 - Friday 13 March via email. You may also collect yours directly from the Kingston Arts Centre Office. You can download the 2D/3D Registration Pack or the Creative Writing Registration Pack as a PDF file online.

Q. How will I find out what the secret theme is?

Each registered participant will be emailed the secret theme at 5pm on Friday 13 March, but it will also be revealed here on our website and Facebook and Instagram pages - so make sure you've liked and followed @KingstonArtsAU to see it in your newsfeed.

Q. Can I enter photographs or collage in the 2D category?

Yes, definitely! Please ensure your works are ready to hang.

Q. I’ve registered and paid my entry fee for the 2D and 3D category online, does this mean I can enter both a painting and a sculpture?

A. Unfortunately not. We think creating (and delivering) one 2D or 3D work in 24 hours based on the theme is the challenge and we’d like to see you focus your creative energies on one or the other. However, if you’re an arts all-rounder you’re very welcome to enter the creative writing with up to one entry in each provided you submit the required registration fees.

Q. Can I write a non-fiction piece for the creative writing category or does it have to be fiction?

A. You can write in fiction, non-fiction or even a mixture of both! For Adult entrants, we are asking for a piece between 300-500 words. For Youth (13-17) and Junior (12 and under) entrants, we ask for a piece between 100-300 words. All creative writing pieces should be submitted digitally. You may respond with a short-story, poem, lyric – it’s completely up to you!

Q. My child has registered for the Creative Writing Junior Prize (Under 13) - can they hand-write and include illustrations in their entry on an A4 piece of paper?

Yes, certainly. However, we only accept soft copy entries, so please ensure you scan or take a clear photograph of the work for digital submission.

Q. So what’s the difference between 2D and 3D? What will textile works come under?

A. As part of your registration pack, which will be sent to registered entrants after the entry deadline closes, you will be asked to nominate 2D or 3D for your submission. All 2D works are presented on the wall. All 3D works are presented on plinths. Please familiarise yourself with the Terms and Conditions, which outlines the specific dimensions for eligible 3D works. If you intend for your work to be displayed on the wall, i.e. weaving or cross-stitch, please nominate the 2D category.

Q. Are there any material restrictions in the 2D or 3D category? Do I have to use traditional art materials?

A. No, you don’t have to use ‘traditional’ art materials as such. Previously, artists have entered Lego sculptures and other creatively interpreted readymade materials in 2D and 3D. As outlined in the Terms and Conditions as long as the material is safe and dry and can be handled by our volunteers and gallery install team, you are welcome to think like the conceptual artists and get creative with your medium.

Kingston Arts reserves the right to refuse any entries that it deems unacceptable and not keeping in the spirit of Artz Blitz. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions or contact Kingston Arts for more information.

Q. How will my work be judged?

A. All visual arts categories will be judged by our Visual Arts Panel on Sunday 15 March prior to the award presentation at 4pm. The Panel is made up of industry professionals, including artists and arts workers. Due to the smaller nature of the creative writing category, all entries will be judged by one literary industry professional.

The guidelines for judging:

• Adherence to and creative interpretation of the theme
• Stylistic and aesthetic merit
• Technical merit

Q. I’m interested in becoming an Artz Blitz sponsor, who should I contact?

A. Great! We’re always looking for new sponsors of any size or shape to help grow the competition, including gift vouchers and in-kind services. This year, new sponsorships enabled us to create two new creative writing categories and increase the prize money pool for creative writers.

Please contact the Visual Arts Coordinator for a Sponsorship Pack and to discuss future avenues for involvement.