Tim Bowtell's entry into Swanpool Art Festival's SCRAP exhibition in 2018 is on display in the foyer window gallery space at NEA.  

Title:  'Treadmill of Perpetual Happiness' (2018)
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Artist's Statement:  "Climate Change is my inspiration, it speaks of mass production and the over consumption of 'stuff' we don't need.  We live in a system that plugs in to our insecurities, selling us stuff to make us feel better.  Using SCRAP to create a positive move towards a healthier planet!"

Materials-Medium:  'Old conveyor belt and frame, buttons, switches, castors, electrical wire, plugs and security camera all salvaged from scrap yard.  Human form from scrap metal frame and papier mache.  

Price:  $2500
  

NEA's opening hours over the Festive Season - 

• NEA's Gallery and Gift Shop will close on Christmas and Boxing Day​

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• The Red Road Cafe in the Foyer at NEA is taking a break over the Christmas New Year period and will reopen in early January.  

'The Source Benalla' is an innovative event, to be held on Saturday March 23 2019, that explores our region and connects people with fantastic opportunities available right here in our own back yard. It provides a platform for our great producers, distillers, brewers, makers, and community groups to reach out and connect with the public all in the tranquil setting of the Benalla Botanical Gardens. It also aims to promote Benalla as a regional centre to the North East, the Goulburn Valley, and the Alpine regions showcasing liveability and lifestyle opportunities unique to Benalla.

The Makers' Market will hold many diverse stalls with incredible regional craft and produce. The market will also promote The Benalla Food Coop by holding a designated suppliers’ area, delivering the high quality (and sustainability) that is available to the food coop to the event.

The Source Benalla has spent over $10,000 on music and entertainment.

The headline act will be an intimate acoustic set from world renowned and award winning blues guitarist Geoff Achison. Warming up the stage will be Zac Slater, who this year, raced to number one on JJJ’s unearthed hip-hop charts. Ricki Wood who travels the world playing his guitar will grace the stage for a set as well. An amazing array of young local musicians from the North East and Goulburn Valley regions will support these acts. Music will be playing from midday to the close of the event at 8 pm.

As part of the entertainment the Benalla Scout Group are building a large ninja warrior course for little and big kids to test their skills on. They will also conduct fun activities for kids throughout the day, like making rockets and learning how to make ice cream.

The Source Benalla in conjunction with The Benalla Art Gallery will be conducting a kid’s art workshop. At its conclusion, in the morning, their art will be displayed around the event grounds.

There will also be a fairy trail to lead kids and their families or friends around the beautiful Botanical Gardens where they will find an amazing fairy and maybe a little treat too!
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Workshops will be held covering a wide range of things such as fermenting, coeliac cooking, and smoking meats.

There will be also be artist installations set up around the Botanical Gardens adding an extra splash to the atmosphere.

Unique to this event, the Hurdle Creek Still will be serving their famous cocktails and showing the great products available from their distillery.

​Benalla’s own Black Dog Brewery will be quenching the thirsts of many with their own wide range of locally brewed beers, with Booths winery supplying a variety of local wines.

The Source is also in partnership with EdSpace, an education and training centre in Benalla that is part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program. EdSpace is currently looking at catering the event, which will provide its students with an excellent opportunity to complete their learning modules. This is a very exciting as the food is healthy and locally grown.

Calendar of Dates  - December 2018 – February 2019
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December – Summer Solstice Event – Thursday 20th December 7 to 9 pm (note - change from previously advertised date of Friday 21st December)
January – Armchair Poets – Sunday 27th January 2 to 4 pm
February – Armchair Poets – Sunday 24th February 2 to 4 pm

Killer Pig Productions' Jake and Sam Bowtell are now producing weekly 'Suck It Up' podcasts from the studio they've begun sharing with Tim Bowtell at NEA..  They arrive at the studio early on Monday morning to produce the  episode - to date Episode 1: Jack Johnson; Episode 2: Franco;  Episode 3: Owen McLaughlin;  Episode 4: Annaliese - and coming up - Episode 5: Ellen James.   

The 'Suck it Up' podcasts provide a unique opportunity to 'eavesdrop' on wide ranging conversations between Jake and Sam (aka the Bow N Tell brothers) in which they explore all sorts of ideas from a twenty something perspective in a comfortable, stimulating fashion, engaging their guests with their ideas and also drawing upon their guests to add more to the conversational menu.  Find a block of time in which you can focus on listening to their podcast - or perhaps dip into each one in 'biteable chunks;.  Enjoy!  

Check out Killer Pig's playlist of podcasts and videos on You Tube...​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUu-Ad_l1I20680Dvca-H3g/videos

Important, our next, and last Writer's Corner for 2018 will be one week earlier as the last Wednesday of December is Boxing Day! Some of us may be recovering from too much festivity, family, food & 'firewater', and, the Benalla Library will be closed.

For our last Writer's Corner on Weds 19th December, playwright and author Gabriel Bergmoser will be dropping in to run a writing workshop, AND we'll be going right through til 8pm if you want to stay for longer.

It will look something like this -
5pm start - Gabe to explain details

6:30pm - break/leave/supper
7:50pm - finish

Bring - 
* a piece of writing you're working on and want help with, come with a completely fresh idea or no idea, bring a 'prompt' piece from an earlier Writer's Corner that you'd like to develop further or go through old prompts and choose a new one or...come up with something not listed here
* supper to share, if you have special dietary requirements make sure to bring food you can eat 

Please also bring with you a few of your favourite pieces you have written in Writer's Corner. Make sure they are typed please and we'll add them to our BRW display folder which we're looking at turning into a Broken River Writers book.

Looking forward to seeing you there,
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Carla

As you will notice a lot of the artworks and creations have accompanying artist's statements which give the pieces a story and create a wonderful richness surrounding the artwork.

For example, Tara wrote about her mosaic 'Serene'... "After hearing about this exhibition, I wanted this to be in it, but as the deadline got closer and closer, I started having just a few doubts about getting it done in time. You probably could have made one of those dramatic slow motion yet 'inspirational' montages they put in movies with me slaving over this mosaic while silently complaining about my back hurting and wondering what the meaning of life is about all the while appearing completely nonchalant. But nonetheless I'm pleased with the result of this project!" Thank you Tara!!

Well done and thank you to the students on yet another successful and inspiring exhibition - it's wonderful to see such amazing creations by young local talent!  And thank you to everyone who supported the exhibition by visiting and or purchasing the students' work--the look on their faces when they find out they've sold is something is priceless!!!

On Tuesday the 11th December 2018, NEA will be closed. We will be celebrating the life of one of our NEA family. The celebration for Meralyn's life will be at 2pm at NEA.

The photos in this collection represent a little of Meralyn's life at NEA.  Commencing as a volunteer not long after NEA's relocation to 122 Bridge Street, Meralyn's sign writing skills soon announced NEA's arrival to our new second home.  Not long after her sewing machine was busy producing the rainbow flags which hang outside NEA letting the community know that NEA is open for business. 

Meralyn  immersed herself in workshops with NEA artisans and always  supported NEA exhibitions and events - that is, as long as they didn't happen on a day Richmond was playing; she was away at a beloved festival taking mandala or life drawing workshops, or demonstrating to improve animal welfare. 

A participant in the 'Door of Hope' program's 'Subject Object I' course and exhibition in early 2017, Meralyn moved on to become a key driver behind the 'A Brush With NEA' event during the Wall to Wall Benalla festival in March 2018.  

Meralyn's excellent IT skills, understanding of finance and marketing and passion for NEA's vision led her to roles as newsletter editor/producer; workshops coordinator; member of the finance team; general member then Treasurer on the committee of management, roles in which she worked with a quiet determination to strengthen NEA and ensure its future. 

Meralyn loved her little studio upstairs at NEA and had so many creative projects she wanted to complete there.

We will miss her so much.