Venus Studio 2024
At the start of 2024, I was offered to participate in a group studio initiative run through the Gold Coast Council Arts and Culture Sector. My studio partners were Sarah Gee and Eira-shay, and we titled the studio 'Venus Studio'. We were placed at The 4217 in Surfers Paradise, alongside two other artist studios called 3/3 Studio, with the artists Michelle Le Plastrier, and Level Up Studio, with the artists Anika Kirk, Emily Dolphin, Lisa Hu and Melissa Spratt.
We had the studio initially for 3 months, and then it was extended for another 2 months with just Sarah and me. Orignally the building where our studio was placed was an old transit centre. This informed the layout of our space, with the front of our studio being an old ticketing booth. We transformed that space into a gallery to show completed works and the back, larger part of our studio as our creating space.
As part of our contract, we had to hold a series of ' activations'. Activations are events or programs that would bring attention to us as artists, as well as attention to the space that the council was funding. The activations that we did were: an artist market with our fellow studios, a solo exhibition for Eira-Shay, an open studio along with other events the studios were holding, and a workshop that Sarah and I held.
The Studio at 4217 is a City of Gold Coast initiative to connect creative collectives with space to thrive and reinvigorate the 4217 Surfers Paradise Transit Centre
Me with my studio partners. (in order: Darcy, Eira-shay, and Sarah)
Photo courtesy of City of Gold Coast Arts and Culture
Video courtesy of Sarah Gee
Photos from our artist market activation.
