Art Haus Solomon Islands is now hosting its first International artist in residence.
Joel Gailer, Melbourne-based print maker, arrived in Honiara yesterday to spend six weeks with Art Haus exchanging skills and learning more about Solomon Islands.
Joel is the first of several international artists who will come to Solomon Islands between July 2014 and July 2015.
Art Haus’s International artist in residence program invites emerging and established artists from around the world to visit Art Haus for between two weeks and two months to exchange skills, ideas and culture with Solomon Islands.
A competitive selection process by Art Haus advisory committee aimed to find artists who will connect with Solomon people, exchange skills and knowledge in their art and craft form, support the development of creative industries in Solomon Islands and also help this not-for-profit project become financially sustainable.
Joel is active in the Melbourne Metropolitan art scene and has exhibited his work throughout Australia.
He holds a First Class Honours in Fine Art at Monash University, is currently lecturing in print media at RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) in Melbourne and conducting his PHD in printmaking. Joel is interested in the way that print making can be accessed by all different people and that copies of the same image can be transferred across geographic and cultural borders making different impacts.
Joel said: “I have a keen interest in Australian and Melanesian relations. The Art Haus residency offers an opportunity to develop a strong relationship between the Melbourne and the Solomon Islands art communities.”
In August Joel will be running a four-day introduction to printmaking where he will teach sustainable printmaking practices through the use of found and recycled materials.
The course costs just SBD $400 per person with 100% of fees going towards the development of Art Haus programs.
Bookings and prepayment is essential as spaces are limited.
Joel has been fundraising within his community for a printmaking press for Art Haus which will be used during the workshops.
After the workshops the press will be available for supervised public use through Art Haus.
Joel will be spending the rest of the time here working on his printmaking and is also interested in meeting other printmakers and artists in Honiara who may be interested in working towards a joint exhibition.
Joel will be hosted in a family home in Honiara when he arrives. For the opportunity to enrol in Joel’s workshop, meet and work with Joel, host an international artist or hear more about Art Haus’s programs email: [email protected] or visitwww.facebook.com/arthaussolomonislands
Art Haus is a non-profit initiative of the Solomon Islands Arts Alliance operating from Wednesday to Saturday every week inside the Solomon Islands National Museum and Art Gallery Area in Point Cruz, Honiara and will run arts and cultural activities of all types for all age groups at a small cost to the public.
The project is in partnership with the Solomon Islands National Museum and People with Projects Australia.
