Deputy Chief Minister and local member for Ginninderra, Yvette Berry, will tonight launch the Ginninderry CREATE Program – an initiative designed to inspire culture and community by connecting residents through the pursuit of art.

The program will be launched at the Ginninderry WinterFest event at The Link in Strathnairn, and coincides with the opening of local artist Jo Hollier’s latest exhibition, “Place”.

Through the Ginninderry CREATE Program, the local community and future residents will have the opportunity to engage with like-minded artistic souls keen to pursue their creative passions through participation in workshops, program initiatives and collaboration with artists from the local Strathnairn Arts Association.

Deputy Chief Minister Berry said CREATE was an exciting new community initiative.

“Ginninderry’s CREATE program is already establishing a good reputation and bringing the community together, with projects such as the With One Voice choir. It’s great to hear success stories like this from around Canberra and I anticipate in future years we will witness the growth of a vibrant, connected community at Ginninderry.”

Ginninderry’s Community and Cultural Planning Manager, Susan Davis has provided the creative inspiration behind the new program and said it was an important part of building a community at Ginninderry.

“We understand that community and culture aren’t things that can simply be created, but are borne over time out of opportunities for people to establish connections through the realisation of shared values, passions and beliefs,” Ms Davis said. “By providing a platform for current and future residents to do this – such as through the CREATE Program – we hope to not only contribute to the formation of a community, but one where people are genuinely connected.”

Members of the program’s With One Voice choir project will also perform together tonight in their first ever public event, accompanied by members of Canberra’s Symphony Orchestra.

Also featured is “Place” – An exhibition of Works on Paper by Jo Hollier.

Peter Haynes, Ginninderry Curatorial Advisor and Curator of the exhibition said “Place” exemplifies the importance of art in the evolving Ginninderry community. As the exhibition title indicates, the works featured are concerned with place – particularly the place that is Strathnairn, the art centre adjacent to The Link on Stockdill Drive, Holt.

Hollier is a printmaker who works from a studio in Strathnairn. The works in “Place” constitute a visual diary in which the artist has expressed her reactions to the landscape surrounding the studio, including flora and birdlife she encounters on a daily basis. The impact of her immediate environment has resulted in a beautiful body of work that celebrates place and the beauty of nature.

For more information on the CREATE Program, including projects such as With One Voice already underway, please visit https://ginninderry.com/environment-and-people/create-program/

MEDIA CONTACT: Chloe Wheeler | chloe.wheeler@contentgroup.com.au| 0407 063 499