Aim of Project

To generate community focus on water in Regional and Urban centres by activities and artistic expression on multiple levels.

• Each centre to generate major focus and engagement with its own specific water environments, looking to express this concern in artistic outcomes.
• Through these artistic activities, to highlight problems and explore solutions, delineating future directions and stimulating ongoing programs.
• To involve professional Regional artists whenever possible.
• To involve local organisations, e.g. Councils and Catchment Management Authorities, in the development of the project.
• To offer tours by visiting professional artists as participating performers, also available for workshops where requested.
• Above all, to develop active involvement of the local community on all levels.

Possible Directions

1. Visual arts and/or photographic exhibitions representing the past, present and future of the waterways.
2. Performances highlighting the complexity of competing claims on water resources.
3. Community arts installations, raising awareness and/or commitment to waterways.
4. Practical regeneration projects or walks along waterways also recorded in poetry, stories, songs ‒ a possible regular festival.
5. Schools arts programs exploring water use in the community.
6. Regional awards for:
• Best local indigenous garden
• Water-wise garden
• Best water-wise school grounds
7. Several professional artists have already developed their own projects on water, and are interested in touring them together, including Brigid Burke composer/visual artist, who has a multi-media performance piece, and Dindy Vaughan, who has recently completed a major work, Prayer for Restoration of Our Rivers consisting of six movements:
   1. Lacrymae, Pound Bend
   2. Yarra River, Murray River
   3. Pental Island
   4. Swan Hill, Goulburn River, Wimmera River
   5. Lake Hindmarsh
   6. Snowy River
8. 'Prayer for Restoration of Our Rivers' is performed by Anne Norman (Shakuhachi) and Peter Hagen (Harpsichord) and has been developed as a multimedia performance with photographs by Neil McLeod. All above-mentioned professional artists are skilled in workshop presentation. Workshops could be available as well as performances.

Artists

• Anne Norman
• Brigid Burke
• Daniel Jenkins
• Dindy Vaughan
• Ian Cuming
• Neil McLeod
• Neil Murray
• Peter Hagen

About Dindy

Dindy Vaughan is the Chief Co-ordinator of Focus on Water 2005
Gallery Without Walls is a major sponsor of Focus on Water 2005.

Dindy Vaughan BA(Hons) MA.

Recipient of the University of Sydney Alumni Award for Achievement in Community Service

Selected to appear in Who’s Who in the World, Millennium 2000 edition, and subsequent editions. Selected to appear in the worldwide publications Outstanding People of the 20th Century and Outstanding Intellects of the 21st Century.