Julian Meagher, 'Inlet #13'. 152 x 122. Oil on linen, 2017. (Right) 'Inlet #9'. 152 x 122cm. Oil on linen, 2017. SECCA Collection. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
24 February 2025
The Bega Valley Shire Library, SECCA (South East Centre for Contemporary Art) and the South Coast Writers Centre are excited to announce the results of the ekphrasis poetry challenge at a special free event at SECCA on Friday 28 February.
Acting Library Services Coordinator, Linda Albertson said 130 submissions were received for the TIDELAND: Art + Word Ekphrasis Poetry Challenge, which was launched on 16 December last year.
"We are thrilled with the level of interest from poets across Australia and pleasantly surprised at the number of submissions we've received," Ms Albertson said.
"It demonstrates the high level of interest in poetry and that people are attracted to exploring the intersection of visual art forms with the written word to trigger new creations."
SECCA Gallery Director, Janice Falsone who co-judged the submissions with South Coast Writers Centre Chair, Peter Frankis said the poems were inspired by specific artworks from the current TIDELAND: Works from the SECCA Collection exhibition.
"The poems, like the artworks, engage with themes of water, regional identity and the contested views on landscapes," Ms Falsone said.
"We were impressed by the quantity and quality of the submissions. The project is a wonderful example of collaboration, cross-artform conversation and strong community engagement."
Ms Albertson said everyone is invited to this Friday's event, which runs from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
"We will reveal the 11 poems selected for display alongside the artworks and will have Bega Valley poets Gabrielle Journey Jones, Rae Kennedy and Nick Whittock performing new spoken word poems," she said.
"There will be an open mic for one-minute poems and a DJ set by Kyle Wilson. Anyone is welcome to share their poems in the open mic sessions."
"Attendees can also enjoy the commissioned work created for the Tideland project by Caren Florence, a contemporary text-based artist and poet."
Event bookings can be made via this link: https://events.humanitix.com/tideland-art-word-project-launch
This project was made possible by the Australian Government's Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia and Regional Arts NSW.
