The new exhibition in Lobethal showcases the community’s recovery through creativity in the wake of the Cudlee Creek Bushfire of December 2019.
Regenerate is a collection of works directly out of the community in response to the fire that threatened, damaged, or destroyed their homes.
Pauline Cockrill, a museum curator from Harrogate, processed the impact of the fire on her property by collecting and cataloguing remains in the manner of historical artefacts. Pauline’s curated collection is on display at Regenerate.
Director of Fabrik Arts + Heritage, Melinda Rankin, explains that arts and other creative activities are more than just a distraction after disaster.
“The arts can play such an important role in recovery,” Melinda said.
“It has the potential to help people find mental distance from a traumatic event in order to better process it, and can enable new perspective about change and loss.”
“The work on display in Regenerate is raw and honest, and gives a snapshot of how a person’s recovery is a truly unique experience.”
Many of the installations have come directly from the Creative Recovery Program, implemented by Fabrik Arts + Heritage, including a regular Yarning Circle led by Barbara Millward, who acknowledged that the program was more than just creating.
“We make friends,” she said.
The Regenerate exhibition will open on Friday 11 December, and will be on display daily until 20 December; the one-year anniversary of the Cudlee Creek Bushfire.
11-20 December 2020
Open daily 11am-4pm
Fabrik Arts + Heritage
1 Lobethal Road, Lobethal
Opening celebration:
6pm, Friday 11 December
Bookings essential at
Speakers:
- Alex Zimmerman, Local Recovery Coordinator Cudlee Creek Bushfire
- Miranda Hampton, Cudlee Creek Community Recovery Officer
- Belinda Broughton, Lobethal poet and artist
- Anne Griffiths, Lobethal teacher and artist
Pictured: ceramics from Creative Recovery Program sgraffito, with artist Deb Twining.
