John Caldwell and Len Davenport
The Ipswich City Council Regional Art Gallery pulled off something of a coup recently, with its exhibition entitled The Colours of Black. The idea for the show came from Sydney based art historian and publisher, Lou Klepac, who, on a visit to Ipswich in 1988 to judge the Gallery 's Aberdare Art Prize, went to see the Aberdare coalfields. He suggested that they would be an interesting subject for a future show at the Gallery. He also recommended artist John Caldwell, as an appropriate artist to undertake this project.
Caldwell was offered and accepted the commission. Last year he spent a total of ten days at the coal face, making studies and preparing for a further twelve months work.
Building upon the idea, photographer Len Davenport was asked to accompany Caldwell during his visit to the mines. Her photographs formed a companion view to Caldwell 's, acting partly as a documentary of his time as "artist in residence", as well as making their own visual comments on the experience of the same landscape.
From its inception in 1988, the project has taken several years to complete. As an example of the fruitful co-operation of a Regional Gallery, local industry (as inspiration and sponsor), artists and an art "expert", it suggests that much can be achieved. Add to this the avowed intent of the Labour Ipswich Council to 'put the city on the map' and to use the art gallery as of flagship to represent and chart a course for local cultural development, and you have a powerful combination.
This 'idea' then, of an exhibition focussing on the city 's traditional industry of mining , seemed an excellent plan . Over