BAF celebrates community’s corona creativity

IN their twentieth anniversary year, the Ballarat Arts Foundation’s board is encouraging residents to keep creatively busy throughout the pandemic period, for fun and self-expression.

Their initiative, #CreativeCoronaBallarat asks artists to share their visual, written and performance work with the public, as a celebration of the diverse outlets that sustain them.

People can participate on Instagram, tagging photos or sending direct messages to @ballaratartsfoundation. Alternatively, photos or videos of pieces can be directed to [email protected].

BAF chair, Paula Nicholson asks for the inclusion of a brief description of 50 words maximum for each work, and the media will be posted on the foundation’s profile.

“Together, your images and videos will tell the story of the coronavirus pandemic in regional Victoria, how we survived, and in some ways, even thrived,” she said.

“We’re also hoping Creative Corona will increase our profile. We’ve had our hands tied with the usual events we’d have at this time of year, but what we hope to do at the end is curate it, in a different way, into some kind of exhibition.

“We’ll just leave it open until the end of the year and see what happens.”

Grandmother and granddaughter, Betty Collier and Abby Johns produced an illustration and lino print respectively, adding them to #CreativeCoronaBallarat.

Fourteen-year-old ballerina, Charlotte Chivers chose to share a dancing photograph to open a window to her world of performance, and inspire others.

“In January, I did a production called The Magic Faraway Tree. I was one of the main characters and that’s what the photo is from,” she said.

“I’ve had some feedback from people who said it was a very nice picture and it made them happy.”

Chivers received a BAF grant last year which covered items she needed to continue dancing with Classical Coaching Australia, Brisbane, including her uniforms and pointe shoes.

Throughout the term in isolation, she completed CCA Zoom classes from 9am to 3.15pm.

“It was a challenge, but it was fun, too. It was a good experience,” Chivers said.

“It feels freeing to dance, and I don’t have to think about anything else when I’m doing it.”