An informal art group known as Four of Us will launch its first exhibition at the Kalorama Collective Community Hub this Sunday, 9 November from 1pm to 4pm, to showcase the group’s inspiring and colourful collection of local artworks.
The exhibition will run from Sunday, 9 November, to Saturday, 22 November at 1209 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, Kalorama (in front of the Post Office), with drinks and nibbles provided.
The Four of Us group includes, Susan McCooey, Jean McGill, Wendy Donald and Anne-Maree Rogers, four artists who came together to support and inspire one another in their creative journeys.
Each artist works in a different medium, which adds diversity and makes the exhibition more engaging.
Kalorama Collective is simply hosting the exhibition, the Four of Us is an independent art group.
Ms McCooey who also manages this project, said the group was formed to help artists in the area find encouragement and confidence in sharing their work.
“We are just four local artists who got together to inspire and encourage each other in artistic pursuits,” she said.
“I took it upon myself to seek a way of putting our work out there in a non-threatening way, there are lots of galleries around the hills, but it can be daunting and expensive for people exhibiting for the first time.”
When the newly opened Kalorama Collective offered a community hub space, Ms McCooey approached them about using it as an artistic venue.
“They were really keen,” she said.
“We’re the inaugural art group using the space to exhibit our work and it’s a wonderful opportunity to support community art.”
Ms McCooey said working together had helped ease the nerves that often come with public exhibition.
“As artists, we’re our harshest critics, it’s daunting to put your work out there for people to appraise,” she said.
“This is about encouraging local creative people to overcome that fear and to get positive feedback in a welcoming, community-driven space.”
The exhibition features an array of styles and mediums, including Ms McCooey’s acrylic paintings reproduced as prints from her time in India; Ms Rogers’ abstract resin and acrylic works; Ms McGill’s imaginative 3D ‘assemblages’; and Ms Donald’s vibrant knitting and weaving pieces.
“It’s four completely different artists, all expressing ourselves differently but coming together to create cohesion around the idea that difference is powerful,” Ms McCooey said.
She said the Kalorama Collective’s community hub, which opened just six weeks ago, was already becoming a positive space for many locals, especially in the wake of the 2021 storm that left many in the Dandenongs disturbed and isolated.
“After the storm, people were very traumatised and segregated,” Ms McCooey said.
“The Kalorama Collective created a place for people to come together, his new hub is their first tangible space, and it’s great to see it supporting community art.”
Ms McCooey said she’s looking forward to the exhibition’s opening.
“We’ve made the space look bright and cheerful, very welcoming,” she said.
“We hope people will come in, chat with us, enjoy the artwork, maybe buy something, and just be part of that community feel.”
“Many talented artists in the area work alone, and the Hub provides a friendly, non-daunting space to showcase their work and connect with others and we are grateful to the Kalorama Collective for hosting this inaugural exhibition.”
Entry is free, and the exhibition will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11am to 4pm, and Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm.
