Elizabeth Blakeman | With a Beady Eye: Bushfire and Beyond

31 July - 05 September 2026

Special opening event 5.30pm Friday 31 July 2026

All welcome. Free

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Our farm was burnt out on 30th December 2019. Only the house survived.

 

We had chosen to stay and defend. 

My brother had joined us.

As the embers fell, I changed my mind and chose to leave.

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This body of work depicts my experience of that night, in the Wairewa Hall: 

and of our survival. 

It depicts the rain: our fatigue: the assessment of loss: and of our gratitude. 

 

And it records my recovery, particularly measured by my pleasure in the plant life recovery.

And it records acceptance of the future, whatever it may hold. 

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Artist Talks: Michael Donnelly & Elizabeth Blakeman

11am Saturday 22 August 2026

All welcome | FREE

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Exhibiting artists Michael Donnelly and Elizabeth Blakeman come together for a lively conversation sharing insights into their art practices, the stories behind their works, and the connections between art, community and place. Both artists are visual storytellers, with very different journeys into art, yet their practices have become intertwined

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Image: Life Survived But It Was A Narrow Squeak. 8mm glass beads, medium white cotton Kaygee thread, square stitch weave on 10mm stainless steel rod,  horizontal bead holes, 45x31cm