It’s funny what you discover once you step outside and start exploring your city. I knew there was an art museum in Booragul, but I never visited before, thinking it wouldn’t be that great if it was only in a small suburb. Boy was teen me wrong. Museums like this are so important to the community, showcasing the wonderful work of artists close to home, and around the country. They also give the opportunity for smaller and upcoming artists to kickstart their creative careers. Let’s dive in!
The Museum of Art and Culture, Yapang is a free-entry art museum housing many different exhibitions and events over the years. First established in 1980, MAC was originally housed in Lake Macquarie’s former council chambers on Main Road, Speers Point, but was then relocated to its current site at First Street Booragul in 1996. With growing visitors, the gallery went under some well needed construction in 2019 as well as introducing Yapang, a dedicated Aboriginal program and space.
When my partner and I visited, the outside of the building was under construction, so not the best time for pretty pictures. But that’s ok. As soon as we entered the building we were greeted by one of the friendly guides, telling us about the exhibitions they had on at the time, the workshop they had running, and the other services they offered like the store and café. Now since the workshop was already running and we didn’t want to be rude and interrupt, we started looking through the first exhibition, New Exuberance: Contemporary Australian Textile Design.
This textile exhibition was brought to the Lake Macquarie Museum by JamFactory, a not-for-profit organisation that provides textile classes, galleries and stores to extend contemporary design into new markets. As someone who studied Textiles and Design in the HSC, stepping into this exhibition almost took my breath away. Year 12 me would’ve dropped dead. The colours, shapes and materials used in some of these pieces were things I would never have thought to use in my initial designs, yet they all worked so well to create a fantastic final piece! It wasn’t just a few pieces of material thrown together, you could see the culture and intention behind every artwork in the room. Just like the capes made by artists at the Babbarra Women’s Centre for the 2018 Commonwealth Games Fashion Parade. The screen-printed designs display how important art and culture are to the artists as Aboriginal women, as well as displaying the roles of women in the Indigenous Australian lifestyle. The designs are about the community between Aboriginal women, specifically mothers and daughters, and the symbols used are those used in Aboriginal art to tell a story.
Another textile display that caught my eye was the “Romance was Born” dolly cocktail and Carlotta frill neck dresses. The dresses are part of a resolve to influence change in the fashion and textile industry, declaring recycled materials can be fashionable too! The dolly cocktail dress is made out of, you guessed it, crocheted dollies and vintage yarn. And the Carlotta frill neck dress is made from antique Indian saris. These dresses, along with the rest of the RWB Forever Collection, display the designer’s ideals of how important recycling and limiting materials are when creating a textile item. They have proved that it is 100% possible to use only recycled materials in a design, while still creating a stunning piece of clothing!
The next exhibit we walked through was “Trevor Weekes: Opus – An Artist’s Odyssey”. Trevor Weekes is an artist from Orange New South Wales, possessing many skills within the creative world. As soon as I walked into the room housing his work, I picked up on his love for music and the desire to combine the visual arts with the audible arts. His sculptures had so many elements and emotions in each one. Usually, I’m not really a sculpture fan, mostly because the ones I typically see are very abstract. But these ones almost had a Victorian steampunk vibe to them. Every material, big or small, had a purpose in the final creation to send a message to the viewer.
Trevor Weekes clearly has some amazing talent when it comes to creating sculptures, but it doesn’t stop there. The exhibition also showed some of Weekes’ ink drawings and collages that I was very interested in. He obviously has an interest in birds, like myself, as well as his interest in music. Maybe because he finds the parallel between music and a bird’s song, maybe they represent freedom to him, or maybe he just finds birds a beautiful subject for his art. Either way, the collages were another amazing form of art that I hadn’t really seen in other museums or art shows. A lot of the time, creating something outside the box doesn’t pay well, but Weekes really knows how to make something different that appeals to his audience.
Those were the two exhibitions Lake Macquarie Museum of Art and Culture, Yapang had on show when we visited. But wait, there’s more! Outside of the museum was a sculpture park, with many different sculptures from different artists across Australia. Here you can take in contemporary art forms in nature and by the water, something very few museums offer. MAC also has a store set up in the main area, but this wasn’t for selling souvenirs or touristy products you’d expect. This area gave a chance to local artists and craft makers to sell their handmade items like jewellery, ceramics, textiles and giftware. Everywhere you look in this place, there’s just amazing art, from big and small artists!
We couldn’t leave without trying the coffee and food from the café. Plus, this was a date, so why not sit down and enjoy it for a while. We ordered 2 iced lattes and shared a delicious banana bread! It was only a small café but they sure knew how to make great coffee. With that, our day at the Lake Macquarie Museum of Art and Culture, Yapang was over. It was nice to see so many different forms of art in one museum. It really doesn’t have to be a huge place to be a great exhibit, and it certainly doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to experience breathtaking art.
All photos in this post were taken by me.
For more information about Lake Macquarie Museum of Art and Culture, Yapang, and its upcoming exhibitions, visit https://mac.lakemac.com.au/About
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