Sunday Arts

[stephbg]

To the WA Art Gallery today to look at some gorgeous aerial photography of salt pans, ploughing lines, natural desert and shorelines. Right up your alley redbraids, and some of the landscapes featured were the inspiration for this thing of mine:



The whole exhibition was full of really quite amazing stuff that challenged my sense of scale and perception of reality. In some of the images it was impossible to tell how manipulated or how natural they were. And made me wince a bit for what farrming had done to the land :-(


We also checked out the Aboriginal Art Awards, and at Husband's curious insistence, the Barbie exhibition. He seemed particularly fascinated by the pink plastic chairs in the gift shop. "Barbie chairs!" he exclaimed in wonder. No doubt they were very expensive Barbie chairs, given their retail location. I was tempted by a lovely photography book of glass beads, and the craft market outside had more of the real thing.

Then off to gallery cafe for coffee and the cheesecake I'd promised myself, but there was no cheesecake to be had. Instead I had a lemon and poppyseed fiend friend friand which was OK. Husband had a turkey and friends croissant which looked much less attractive once it had been nuked and put on a plate. Sad little croissant.

Again, the Royal Show and the nice weather deflected the crowds and it was a good day to find parking in Northbridge and look at art without competition.

I was shocked, however, to belatedly discover that the Art Gallery of Western Australia--jewel of the Perth Cultural Centre precinct--is now closed on Tuesdays. And the Museum of Western Australia--other jewel of the Perth Cultural Centre precinct--is closed on Wednesdays. I can't believe it.

*facepalm*

What an appalling indictment of the state budget-cutting process! Again! It's embarrassing and stupid and it makes me want to punch Troy Buswell on the nose. Again. No, really, I'm going to be in the region of parliament house a couple of times in the next week and I swear I might do that man some damage if I see him in person. I wonder if that sentence could get me put in jail. But there's no room in the jails.

I can't believe the kind of cuts that have been going on all over the place just so he could put his nasty little name next to an imaginary budget surplus. And once the state revenue starts flowing back in these institutions will not exactly find it easy to get their funding back. Efficiency measures my arse.

Yes, hospitals, schools and police are arguably more important than tourism and state pride, but the arts and dignity have their place as well.

grrrrrrr

Comments

[redbraids.livejournal.com]

Sounds gorgeous! I love land as art. And I agree it is crazy for the museums to be shut just for cost-cutting reasons.

[(Anonymous)]

I read a terrific Tweet today: "Our libraries not our Wal-marts should be open 24-7." (substitute any form of retail for Wal-mart)

--Rhonda