H.V. Evatt Memorial Dinner 2018 with Ian Milliss

MC: Susan Templeman MP

Hosted by the Evatt Foundation in association with the Katoomba branch of the ALP.

Speech and video now available.

Download pdf format.

About the speaker

Ian Milliss is an artist and writer who has long argued that art is the process of constant cultural adaptation, and that this now occurs in work not usually seen as art, produced by people who do not usually describe themselves as artists. His approach emphasises the need to adapt: to evolve, to recycle the materials we appropriate, and to ensure that our culture, our society — and, indeed, ourselves — remain sustainable. Ian's early conceptualism developed into a practice based on cultural activism, working with community and political groups rather than the art market. The issues he has worked with include green bans, prisons, unionism, artists’ rights, sustainable farming, community media and arts programs (including the Australia Council’s ‘Art and Working Life’ program), heritage and conservation and climate change.

Ian has worked for trade unions, business and government, ranging from painting and installation to publishing and online media. His main recent interests have been land use, the commons, big data and open source processes, and have resulted in The Yeomans Project (with Lucas Ihlein) on agricultural innovation at the Art Gallery of NSW (2013–14); a retrospective at the Macquarie University Gallery (2006) and a joint exhibition with Vernon Treweeke at the same gallery (‘Then and Now’, 2014); another retrospective, at Artspace Sydney (2013); the formation of the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation based on his work in the group show cementa 2013; other group shows, ranging from Monash University’s ‘Art As A Verb’ to the Redfern Biennale 2014; and a 2017 solo exhibition at Penrith Regional Gallery on the role of quarry workers in the Lewers family's modernist quest. He has written for Art Monthly Australia, the Journal of Aesthetics and Protest and RealTime Arts, and guest edited the March 2017 Artlink magazine issue on big data and data visualisation.

About the MC

Susan Templeman MP was elected to Australia's House of Representatives for the New South Wales seat of Macquarie in 2016, and has lived and worked in the Blue Mountains for over 25 years.

The 2017 lecture sold-out and we have moved the venue and lowered the ticket price. With gorgeous views over the valley, the Mountain Heritage Hotel is not far from the previous venue nor the station. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

You can book your tickets online or by contacting Sarah Shrubb on 4784 3064 or 0418 649 497 or by email to sarah.shrubb@gmail.com. or by downloading and returning a booking form. If you have any problems, contact us. THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT

Mary Alice Evatt: Art for the People

Plan your visit to include the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery. The 2018 Evatt lecture is on the evening following the opening by David Stratten of Mary Alice Evatt: Art for the People on Friday 18 May, and the Curator's Talk by Dr Melissa Boyde on the afternoon of Saturday 19 May. As well as the work of Mary Alice Evatt, the exhibition presents a unique opportunity to view works acquired and donated by the Evatts, on loan from private and public collections, including by artists such as Fernand Léger and Henri Matisse as well as by some of Evatt’s friends, including Margaret Olley, John Coburn, Moya Dyring and Tom Gleghorn.