Jacko Meyers, Layla Bacayo, Scott Lea, opening performance
Yield brings together leading Riverina artists with learning disability to share their creative practice and vision with the wider community. Be immersed in the incredible world of arts and disability and witness how these artists have been working towards democratising the art world through their professional practice, making excellent work and advocating for inclusivity.
Artists and Team
Sarah McEwan
Curator
Sarah McEwan is an artist, musician and an artist-curator based in Birrego. She is interested in feminism and social change. Sarah creates solo work, installations and sometimes works under the pseudonym Her Riot. Sarah collaborates with other artists, community members and young people in gallery spaces or site specific locations.
Brad Wilson
Artist
Brad Wilson is both a drawer and painter from Barellan NSW. Brad is interested in portraiture and depicting regional landscapes. Brad creates expressive representations of what he sees. Over the years Brad has won many art competitions and exhibited in various exhibitions across the Riverina.
Brae Tye
Artist
Brae is a Wiradjuri man and artist with Cerebral Palsy who lives in Uranquinty. Brae has been making artworks for over 25 years, with his energetic paintings and drawings capturing the motion of movement with his purposeful sweeping gestures. Since 2018, Brae has been a member of the Art Factory. In 2019 Brae held his first solo exhibition No Limits, and was commissioned to create work for Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.
Jacko Meyers
Artist
Jacko Meyers in an artist and performer from Wagga Wagga who creates quirky paintings, drawings and performances about pop culture, Australian TV soap operas, her family and friends. Meyers is a visible leader, having been featured in documentaries and short films, along with performing in experimental site–specific artworks, traditional theatre plays, and holding numerous group and solo exhibitions. Meyers was an Ambassador for Don’t Dis My Ability in 2013. Since 2016 Meyers has been a member of the Art Factory supported studio.
Joel Stedman
Artist
Joel Stedman is an illustrator and artist from Griffith. Joel creates artworks inspired by his imagination using bold marks and gestures. Yield is Joel’s debut exhibition.
Kellie Hulm
Artist
Kellie Hulm is a painter from Wagga Wagga who creates vibrant landscapes full of energy and movement inspired by her travels. Hulm has exhibited work in the group exhibitions Art to Crow About, (2011-2016), 8 Artists (2013), The Art Factory (2016) at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Inspire (2016) at Artlands Dubbo, and End of Year Exhibition (2016 - 2018) at Riverina Community College Gallery. In 2019 Hulm is being mentored by Greg Carosi to have her first solo exhibition Around the World at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery in September 2019. Since 2016 Hulm has been a member of the Art Factory supported studio.
Layla Bacayo
Artist
Layla Bacayo is an illustrator, painter and digital artist from Narrandera NSW. Her work focuses on contemporary culture, luxury cars, new media channels such as YouTube, and CT Scanners. Layla’s exhibitions include; Nothing Is Useless (2015) and The Art Factory (2016) at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery. Layla wrote the script for the production The Dance Crash Mobs (2016) at Narrandera CRC Theatre. In October 2017, she held her first solo exhibition Fast Car Girl at Riverina Community College. Since 2016 Layla has been a member of the Art Factory supported studio.
Lorraine O'Hara
Artist
Lorraine is a painter from Temora who creates large multi-coloured images. She is inspired by anything and everything in her everyday life and her vast imagination. Lorraine has contributed to numerous group exhibitions including Art to Crow About at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery.
Lorraine Tye
Artist
Lorraine Tye is a Wiradjuri Elder and artist with disability from Uranquinty. Lorraine has artworks in major Australian collections and sits on various boards and advisory groups. Her artworks speak of Wiradjuri women’s stories, incorporating installation, video or intricate weavings across a variety of scales, from miniature to large and immersive. In sharing stories through her artworks, Lorraine allows people of different backgrounds living on Wiradjuri country to understand traditional stories and ways of life. Lorraine’s artworks act as a cultural bridge between divided and contested histories by allowing an entry point into important and ancient understandings of place.
Patrick Napoli
Artist
Patrick was born and lives in Griffith NSW and loves the colour blue, music and painting. He enjoys Italian food, is a keen ten pin bowler and bike rider. Patrick's art reflects his personality and love of life with the use of bright colours, bold brushstrokes and uplifting subject matter. Patrick has been part of numerous exhibitions and regularly donates his artworks to charity.
Rochelle Hapgood
Artist
Rochelle is an artist from Wagga Wagga who works across a variety of mediums including paint, pencil, watercolour, print and clay. Her current work is inspired by colourful and pretty beach houses. As a painter and sculptor, Rochelle has contributed to the group exhibition Art to Crow About (2011-2017) at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery.
Scott Lea
Artist
Scott Lea is an artist from Wagga Wagga who has developed a unique and delicate illustration style using fine line work and watercolours. As a dancer, from 2007 – 2014 he was a member of the Butoh inspired Twilight Dance Group. Scott has contributed artworks to: Art to Crow About (2009 – 2017), 8 Artists'(2013), Nothing Is Useless (2015) and The Art Factory (2016) at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery and Bush Country (2017) at Turbo Gallery, Rainbow Victoria. Since 2016 Scott has been a member of the Art Factory supported studio.
Steven O’Hara
Artist
Steven O’Hara is an artist from Temora who works across printmaking, painting, pastels and drawing. Steven’s work combines portraiture of himself and his idols with mythical characters such as vampires and zombies, set in a bush landscape. Steven has participated in fifteen exhibitions over the past six years. He has been a member of the Art Factory since 2016.
Teresa Gullo
Artist
Teresa Gullo is an illustrator from Griffith who enjoys working with watercolour and felt tips. Teresa is interested in cooking, going on outings, nature landscapes and communities. Yield is Teresa’s debut exhibition.
Veronica Watson
Artist
Veronica Watson is a founder member of Blue Room and has created work at Bluecoat (Liverpool, UK) since 2007. Watson has many years experience as a self-advocate, speaking out for the rights of learning disabled people. Most recently Watson has advocated for greater recognition for learning disabled artists, presenting at large arts industry conferences across the UK. Watson’s artistic practice focuses on accurate observational drawings of the people and places around her. Recently, during her first studio residency, Watson focused on developing her portraiture through documenting the many and varied faces of the artists, staff and volunteers she encounters at Bluecoat. The Studio Me exhibition, held at Bluecoat presented these first explorations in this new chapter of Watson’s creative practice.
Opening
Griffith Regional Art Gallery
Friday 16 August, 6pm - 8pm
Featuring a performance by Jacko Meyers, Layla Bacayo, Scott Lea and Vic McEwan.
Forum and Creative Program
Griffith Regional Art Gallery
Saturday 17 August, 11am - 2pm
Featuring artists from The Art Factory (Wagga Wagga), Arts Project Australia (Melbourne) and Blue Room at Bluecoat (Liverpool UK) who will talk about their studio environments. Plus short films made by and about people with learning disability including: Thom and Angelmouse, Next in Line Films, Roomies Inc, Liam Cull, Jack Clancy and Vic McEwan.
Public Programs
Pop-Up Studio
Lake Wyangan Studio
Over 8 weeks, The Cad Factory, Griffith Regional Art Gallery, The Art Factory, Kalinda School and Western Riverina Arts worked together to create a pop-up supported studio at the beautiful and peaceful Lake Wyangan studio. In this period, four senior students from Kalinda School, Giannin Papalia, Joel Stedman, Tanielu Tinei and Teresa Gullo, along with Layla Bacayo and Brad Wilson, created artworks for Yield.
This kind of studio practice is the first time learning disabled artists in the Western Riverina have had an opportunity to work in such a studio environment. As Brad commented, "the lake supported studio has been like my home away from home."
Yield is supported by The NSW Government through Create NSW, The Australian Government through their Regional Arts Fund, Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal through their Seeds of Renewal program supported by ANZ, Narrandera & District Community Bank Branch of Bendigo Bank, Sidney Myer Fund, Griffith City Council, Griffith Regional Art Gallery, McWilliam's Wine, Riverina Community College, The Art Factory, Kalinda School, Bluecoat, Western Riverina Arts
