ArtRage 2009

Tasmanian School of Art, Centre for the Arts, Hobart

Friday 7^th May 2010

By Anneliese Milk

When the work of eighty secondary school art students from across the state is brought together under the one roof, you can expect the atmosphere to be diverse and electric, with the occasional nuance of teen-angst. Presented by the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, ArtRage 2009 encapsulates all of that and more. It is an engaging and sprawling exhibition representing every possible medium, theme, colour and emotion.

What is initially striking about these emerging artists is their evident mastery within their chosen mediums. A sweeping statement, perhaps, yet a large portion of the work on display is as technically sound as you would expect to encounter in the work of artists twice their age.

XYZ Poetry #1

On a ‘school’ night, the likelihood of finding the time to listen to a Bach concerto, have a glass of red, and write some poetry is, for me, very slight. Admittedly, time isn’t really the issue, but rather the lack of energy and inspiration. Yet when Fullers’ reading and cultural community XYZ announced its inaugural writing event, Poetry #1, I began to see how it just might be possible to indulge in the aforementioned activities while still only three-quarters through my working week.

XYZ prides itself on being informal, unstructured, contemporary – and its poetry night is no exception. After a brief welcome and a reading of ‘Hens,’ a lovely lyrical poem by eminent Tasmanian poet Sarah Day, we were gently invited to pick up our ‘scribbling instruments’ and write some poetry of our own.

There was no topic, no time limit, and no obligation to share our work. Nevertheless, our small group quickly dispersed around the cafe and fell into a studious, albeit poetic silence as we focused on that rewarding task of putting pen to paper.

Despite its lack of structure, XYZ’s poetry night craftily puts poetry into your busy work schedule. With a free glass of wine in hand as you browse through Fullers’ books to the strains of Bach, casually jotting down a line of poetry or two, whoever said there wasn’t time for lofty cultural pursuits mid-week?