JAYNE MILLER
While most of us can’t wait for 2020 to be over, there has, for some, been a silver lining to an extraordinary year. When the problems of the world seemed so large, they were often overwhelming. One strategy for managing a sense of helplessness was to get creative. The act of simply making and of doing can help us effect change in the smallest of ways. In 2020, many of us re-discovered our creative spirit-whether acquiring a newfound love for our gardens, mastering sourdough, bagel baking or kefir, growing mushrooms or seizing the opportunity to explore the wonder of our own backyards (hello Mowbray Falls and Hartley’s Creek, we’re talking about you).
Many others unveiled a hitherto unrequited penchant for pottery, dabbling in watercolour or relishing the fine attention to detail in botanical drawing.
Douglas Arts Base (DAB) in Mossman recognised that there has never been a more vital need for a heart for our creative community to collaborate, and to nurture one another. This shared space for creativity is undeniably part of the glue that brings and keeps our community together.
Therefore, 2020 is proving to be a critical year for the significance of DAB in the Douglas Shire community. While the gallery and studio space closed in early March for over three months, many homebound creatives carried on, relishing their newfound space and the additional time to create. When DAB re-opened, it provided a newfound base for an enriched creative life for many new members, with increased membership, and enrolment in popular classes such as pottery, painting, and glass work.
DAB members are now gearing up for their End of Year Exhibition, which will take place from Saturday 14 November to Saturday 12 December, 2020. This year, the exhibition will showcase a diverse range of artwork created by members during the year, including paintings, botanical drawings, urban sketches, sculpture, ceramics, glass work, jewellery and mosaics. The Exhibition is an affirmation that despite the devastating impact of coronavirus, local creative industries can be the cornerstone of recovery for our communities and local economies.
DAB’s Exhibition is an exceptional opportunity to showcase our local talent, to get inspired, and to support local artists by purchasing in time for Christmas gift-giving.
DAB, as our local community arts institution, contributes significantly to the revitalisation of our community, to the development of trust, improved health and wellbeing, and the promise of a more positive future.
ABOUT DAB
DOUGLAS ARTS STUDIO GALLERY INC. is a not-for-profit community arts centre which is aimed at teaching, promoting and encouraging the artistic development, appreciation and personal expression of people living in Mossman, Port Douglas and the whole Douglas Shire region, in Far North Queensland. It is known as DAB for short – Douglas Arts Base – which was the original name.
TO SUPPORT
DAB hosts a range of art classes and groups including working with clay, printmaking and collage, glass work, botanical painting, watercolour painting, urban sketching, life drawing, sculpture, writing and mosaic, with pop-up workshops and courses throughout the year.
TO VISIT DAB
DAB is located at 11 Mill Street Mossman (opposite the Library). Its facilities include a studio gallery where art classes are held and members can exhibit and sell their artwork, and two sheds out the back for pottery, mosaics and glass work. The Gallery is currently open six days from 10:00 am -2:00pm, and is closed on Sundays. Artworks, prints, and cards are for sale.
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