New arts venture to capture city’s COVID-19 experience

A SERIES of workshops will aim to capture the region’s collective experience of COVID-19 over the past 18 months through art-making, in a new venture by a Geelong library network.

The Creative Collective Memory Arts (CCMA) project is a new venture for the Geelong Regional Libraries Corporation (GRLC) funded through the Libraries for Health and Wellbeing Program to facilitate workshops across the corporation’s service area led by selected local artists.

It is a unique opportunity for local artists to lead the community in sharing their experiences during this part of Australian history.

The workshops aim to bring people together to connect, to create, and to find joy in free expression.

“The CCMA project is all about community connection,” GRLC CEO Vanessa Schernikau said.

“COVID-19 has impacted our communities on so many levels. On a personal level, many people have experienced isolation and a sense of social disconnection during this time.

“This project provides a unique opportunity for local artists to lead our community in sharing their experiences of this significant time in history – a global pandemic.”

The deadline for submissions from artists closed on September 12 and the GRLC will now reach out to artists to help prepare the various workshops.

Workshops are scheduled to take place between November 2021 and May 2022.

The workshops will also take place at GRLC libraries across the region and in host venues of partnering organisations.

Following the conclusion of the workshops, created works will be digitised and made available via the GRLC’s website and in a travelling exhibition to be held at the host venues.

Local camera clubs will be part of the digitisation process of the created works.

“We have had lots of interest and some fantastic submissions so far,” Ms Schernikau said.

“We are hoping that the selected artists will enjoy being part of a project that is all about helping our communities connect; not only by encouraging our participants to express what their experiences have been like during the pandemic, but also as part of the conversation about how we negotiate living with COVID-19 into the future.”

The CCMA project was born when GRLC successfully secured a grant through the Libraries for Health and Wellbeing Program; an initiative of State Library Victoria and Public Libraries Victoria under the banner of the State-wide Public Library Development Projects 2020-2023.

Participants will be able to book into workshops via the GRLC’s website once they become available.