Art Guide

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Sept/Oct 2010

Bringing the outside in > NSW
May Lane is a very short street in Sydney’s inner west Read More

Cream of the crop > NSW
The Museum of Contemporary Art becomes a hive of activity in preparation for Primavera, Read More

Drawing NOW > VIC
A single black bullet is drawn starkly upon a plain white ground. Read More

Melbourne Art Fair 2010 > VIC
No one could accuse Melbourne Art Fair organisers of treading too lightly. Read More

Social capital
Craig Walsh’s Digital Odyssey is epic Read More

To fair, or not too fair > VIC
Never before has alternative culture been so mainstream. Read More

Weird scenes inside the Art Museum
There’s a scene in the brilliant recent Australian film Animal Kingdom Read More

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M16 artist-run initiative

By David Wills

It’s well known that artist-run initiatives run on the smell of
an oily rag, and M16, a mini-institution for aspiring art
professionals and many others, is no exception. Each year M16 exhibits the work of emerging and established artists, manages over 30 artist studios, supports community art organisations and still finds time for art prizes and workshops.
For those who may not be familiar with its history, M16’s
origins hark back to 1985 where it was known as Kingston
Art Space (KAS) and later Leichhardt Street Studios (LSS).
It was here that some of Canberra’s most well known art professionals would emerge - artists such as Derek O’Connor, Judy Watson and Jon Cattapan to name a few. Helen Maxwell, who currently runs a gallery in Braddon opened her first venture here, the highly regarded Australian Girls Own Gallery (AGOG). Despite the name, it wasn’t just a space for female artists in the region but many others who caught Maxwell’s attention at the time. Both KAS and LSS were creative hot spots and kick started the careers of a number of artists and gallery directors. They also provided a home to Canberra Art Workshop (now with 220 members and a 61 year history), who is still a tenant of M16. The M16 chapter began when the studios moved to the less salubrious surroundings of Fyshwick, taking over a former bus repair depot. While it’s amusing to entertain thoughts of ‘gunning for art’, the name reflects the more mundane street address of 16 Mildura Street.
M16’s new location equated to a larger and more cavernous space. The task was to transform a cold and empty warehouse into a thriving art facility and gradually the studios filled and the gallery began to take shape. Between 2002 and 2007, through the efforts of studio tenants, volunteers and part-time administrators M16 began to expand, with new community workshops joining, including Hands On Studio (a Centacare-supported program for people with disabilities) and studioMAP (a program for kids and teenagers run by artist Jeffree Skewes). Rising rents and an uncertain future in Canberra’s private rental market meant drastic measures were needed if M16 was going to be viable in the future.

Fast forward to 2007, when the current General Manager, Joseph Falsone, first arrived. Falsone’s ambition was to squarely place M16 on Canberra’s art map as a place where the very best in contemporary art was fostered. Aside from administering M16, Falsone also coordinates the exhibition program, curates shows, and works to increase awareness of the space. As with many art institutions funding remains a continual challenge and a constant effort is required to meet budgets and crippling commercial rent.
Currently M16’s program has been extended with three
separate spaces to show in: the main gallery is where

Fernando do Campo, Roger Ballen’s arm, 2009, 50cm x 40 cm, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2009.

significant group and solo exhibitions, community shows, prizes and tenant surveys take place; the foyer space is more inclusive and accessible; while the ‘Backspace’ is a fully equipped projection room suitable for screenings and experimental work. Up to 30 exhibitions now occur each year, up from 12-14. A longer duration is also planned for shows, maximising promotional opportunities and giving artists’ greater exposure. Following the success of recent exhibitions touring from interstate, Head On and ACMP Projections, plans are afoot to increase the frequency of these types of projects.
The M16 Drawing Prize is another exhibition that has garnered significant interest. A tighter selection process has limited the number of works on show resulting in a more focussed exhibition, while guest judges such as Michael Desmond, the National Portrait Gallery’s Senior Curator , and most recently, Patsy Payne, head of Print media at the ANU School of Art, have brought greater cachet to the award. A recent forum inviting responses to the question - tell us what you think drawing is - encouraged some strong views. Led by political journalist David Speers, debate was difficult to slow once it was fired up. People of all ages and artistic persuasions joined in and Falsone was thrilled by the
passion it invoked; “If you give people that opportunity, they’ll respond”.

M16 appears to be prospering. Art sales have risen substantially, there is strong community support, and the openings are positively heaving with crowds over the past year. Upcoming shows include ceramic works by Avi Amesbury and Margaret Carlin; new media work by Talbet Fulthorpe; an unusual collaboration between emerging artists and a Mt Stromlo astrophysicist; paintings by Wynne-prize finalist Brett Bailey; and photography by Lauren Hewitt and Alex James, as well as two community exhibitions featuring studioMAP and Hands On Studio.
With such a promising future, the next major change may be an imminent move to a new space. Unlike Sydney or Melbourne where disused buildings can often be transformed into lively art galleries (Newcastle providing a great example of this), Canberra’s property situation has few surplus spaces. Encroached on by growing industrial neighbours, M16’s current location is hidden with little foot traffic. After two years of negotiation, there is a good possibility that M16 will move to new surroundings, offering a larger gallery space and the possibility of making classrooms available to studio artists so that they can run classes. A new site will no doubt see the beginning of yet another chapter for this burgeoning artist-run space.

Richard Blackwell, Lines 1, 120 x 240 cm, MDF and black laminate, 2009.

David Wills is a Canberra-based artist and writer who lectures at the ANU School of Art.