Cooktown art enthusiasts attend the RAW Flotsam opening night costume party at Elizabeth Guzsley Gallery on 11 April. Photo: Supplied.
From lonely old shoes to the never-ending supply of plastic waste found on beaches, Cooktown School of Art Society’s (CSAS) second rendition of RAW is keeping unwanted junk out of the local landfill and turning it into art.
Taking on the theme of Flotsam for this year’s exhibition, CSAS partnered with environmental organisation South Cape York Catchments (SCYC) to encourage upcycling in the art space.
In early March, artists participated in a Walker Bay beach clean-up day led by SCYC, collecting materials to bring their environmentally conscious ideas to life for the exhibition, which opened on 11 April.
“I like to think of it as a collaboration, that we can help them by bringing awareness, and the artists get to cherry-pick the rubbish for their work,” CSAS president Jane Dennis said.
“I think the not-for-profit groups are trying to work together, because there’s less and less volunteers to run these groups.
The Elizabeth Guzsely Gallery was also brightened up with a costume party for opening night, allowing Cooktown residents to get creative with their wearable art amongst the work on the walls.
“When I got here 10 years ago, there was the last of the wearable art exhibitions; there used to be a kind of fashion parade event, and there’s been a lot of talk about getting it back together,” Ms Dennis said.
“I thought it’d be great to do a costume party, so people who perhaps don’t make art that would hang on a wall could also get involved.
“South Cape York Catchments is a large group, and we’re very small, but I guess in some way, we can help each other out rather than trying to stand alone.”
Ms Dennis said another key aspect of RAW was its inclusivity and safe space to explore and go wild, no matter an artist’s background.
“Last year was the first one, and I think it captured the imagination of people who feel like, ‘I haven’t gone to art school, I’m not trained so I can’t,’ but at the end of the day, we’re all self-taught,” she said.
“I went to art school, but I’m still learning; there’s various ways to access knowledge, so it’s a self-driven learning process.”
RAW Flotsam will be on display at the Charlotte Street gallery until 26 April.
