Clear vision for gallery

Bec Greening has hit the ground running in her new role as the new Naracoorte Regional Art Gallery executive director and she has a clear vision for the facility.

“Our priorities at the gallery are to continue building and strengthening relationships in the southeast and to build on our existing programs, exhibitions and events.,” Bec said. “Widening this reach to involve more people in the arts, and to extend into areas we have not yet been able to reach.

“We want to make the art gallery the place people think of when they have visitors come to town and would like to show them our beautiful region or need something to do in Naracoorte.”

Born in Kangaroo Island and educated in Queensland, music was the art form most part of Bec’s upbringing but in recent years she has been drawn to the fine arts and this new role dovetails perfectly into that recently discovered passion.

“I decided to further my interest in arts and will graduate from a Diploma in Creative Arts and Health with UTAS by the end of this year,” Bec said.

Before that, in August, she will also have completed her Art Therapy Certification.

“Art Therapy can be of benefit to any age group, and my aim is to start my own practice within the South East by 2025,” Bec said. “Art Therapy is more about the process of creating art, not the art being created. It is the type of therapy that can be practised anywhere, in homes, in aged care, in group sessions and out in nature.”

There is no doubt art therapy has been a real drawcard for the avid photographer and she has had a front row seat to its value through her previous role as administration manager at Longridge Aged Care.

“The health benefits of engaging with the arts from childhood, right through to the ageing population, are astounding, particularly in the fields of Dementia, Parkinsons Disease and cognitive decline,” Bec said. “I hope to be able to outreach into all sorts of community groups throughout this journey.

“My uni studies focus not only on all the art mediums and fields, but the health side of practising creative arts.”

And the art therapy aside, immersing herself in the local art scene, is a part of her new role she is eager to embrace.

“I am excited about my role at the gallery as it will put me in touch with many different artists, from whom I can absorb their passions and knowledge in the field of arts,” Bec said. “I am mostly drawn to sketching and painting with acrylics. I have also started playing around with watercolours too. My passion is photography. One of my subjects in my uni studies was Photo Essay and I really enjoyed that.”