By Ananya Rao
One of my favourite places on campus is the Sunken Garden, where I find myself on aimless walks when I am procrastinating or have nothing to do. Every time I’m there, I look straight ahead towards the large ‘Lawrence Wilson Art Galley’ (LWAG). “Wow, sounds grand. I wonder what treasures it holds,” is my usual thought. But I never actually went inside to explore all the treasures I imagined. Until I finally had the perfect reason: the Women in Arts Event, organised by the Women’s Department of the UWA Student Guild, as part of Women’s Week celebrations!
On the evening of Tuesday, 16th of August 2022, I had the pleasure of meeting many lovely people at this Art Gallery, having insightful conversations, and enjoying some beautiful art (while also getting to paint some of mine!). The event started with a talk by Women’s Officer Chloe Bryant about the goal of Women’s Week: bringing women at UWA together to celebrate women. This event was all about celebrating the artists featured in the ongoing installation and adding a social aspect to it by giving everyone the opportunity to make their own art (keep reading!).
The next bit, something I was quite looking forward to, given my intrigue with the Gallery, was an address by Ms Lee Kinsella, Curator of the Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art. Lee spoke about what it means for LWAG to be hosting this event, and how it fell so perfectly. Lee was kind enough to give me the book they had published for this Collection- ‘Sustaining the art of practice’. As I read the foreword by Prof. David Sadler (Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education), I am amazed by all that it stands for as “the only public collection focused specifically on women’s art in Australia”.
When I got the opportunity to speak with Lee, I could see her passion and her ideas for developing LWAG in the UWA community and beyond. We discussed how good it would be to have a dedicated space for interactive workshops at the gallery. Speaking of which, the event also hosted a ‘Paint & Sip’ session for all attendees, and the theme was ‘Body’! There was a buzz of surreal creative energy in the room as so many of us sat down with paper, a brush, and some paint to give life to our personal vision of ‘Body’. I wanted to know more about this theme, and what it meant for the people who decided on it. So, I spoke to the editors of Damsel (the annual Women’s Department magazine featuring art, poetry, and non-fiction) and more from female-identifying students at UWA.
Millie Foster (a student of English and Philosophy) and Tori Williams (studying Juris Doctor at UWA) are the co-editors for Damsel in 2022. Speaking to them about the theme ‘Body’ really gave me insights into their understanding of this small but large word. Body is a universal concept, a lived experience for everyone, and not the same for anyone. With Damsel, they want to provide a platform for all students on campus who identify as women, and people of all genders with a lived experience of misogyny, to write what comes to their mind when they think ‘Body’. No matter how controversial or emotional, Damsel is here for your voice, and hey, it could prove to be cathartic too!
I also learnt that part of this discussion around the body is the issue of mislabelling body parts. I was made aware that one never really mislabels a penis as testicles but calling a vulva a vagina is quite common. And this issue has some serious consequences, like health and treatment-related problems stemming from misdiagnosis. Furthermore, I realised that associating certain qualities to words is also a practice: why are some words made to feel dirty and others vulgar? Words are words. Don’t make them feel bad about what they are! But I suppose this is another long discussion (potentially a debate) I could say lots about.
Finally, I absolutely must mention the beautiful performance that accompanied us in the background: a flute performance by Chloe Lockyer, a music student at UWA. Art exists in various forms, and that night, two of the most notable ones were the paintings and pieces showcased at the gallery. As well as, Chloe’s music that was the perfect setting for all the admirers of the Collection. Lee observed that although art holds different sources of inspiration for every artist, there may be something in common: people. As I was listening to her talk about how art produced in isolation still has traces of society and community and people, I absorbed everything in my environment to write this piece in the comfort of my bedroom tonight. This is my art for you: a description of one of the events during Women’s Week at UWA and how it has forever inspired me and will be reflected in all I do here.
I hope this inspires you to make the most of what is on offer at UWA – go to that gallery you have always wanted to visit, try that iced coffee at the Ref, dress up and attend the Ball. Show up even if you are alone because then you get to share your perspective and inspire your listeners; doesn’t it feel good to own a piece of it, something you get to cherish by yourself?
Please enjoy a shot of this beautiful and my favourite piece:
