Zero Waste: Doing It Imperfectly – Exhibition at Belconnen Arts Centre, ACT

Zero Waste: Doing It Imperfectly – Exhibition at Belconnen Arts Centre, ACT

Exhibitions
Since finding my first drawer on the street a few years ago, I have been contemplating different ‘drawer’ projects. In this exhibition, I use drawers conceptually in relation to sustainability and climate change. The first trigger for this project was the book A Zero Waste Life, which I found in a free ‘little library’ in Lyneham. The second was a Clean Up Australia e-newsletter that stated: “We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly; we need millions of us doing it imperfectly”. To me, the drawers symbolise global, systemic ‘boxed in’ thinking, a business-as-usual mind frame regardless of intensifying environmental crises. Nonetheless, I’ve found Canberrans are increasingly committed to doing something – however imperfectly and each in their own way – to help mitigate climate change. Hearing…
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In the Drawer: The Silver Lining – Found object assemblage sculpture

In the Drawer: The Silver Lining – Found object assemblage sculpture

Exhibitions
Melbourne was in lockdown longer than any other city in the world: 262 days. During these times, I collected a wide range of trash – including numerous wooden drawers – on my daily outdoor walks. To me, these drawers symbolised containment, lockdown, isolation, quarantine: the situation in which we found ourselves. Yet during this time, I also witnessed immense resilience and spirit. People were undertaking imaginative family activities, exercising in unusual and creative ways, developing productive hobbies, and engaging in stimulating pursuits, all within severe public health restrictions. Despite the cloud of COVID-19, many people were creating their own silver lining. I have used this variety of positive experiences as a trigger to create images in the drawers – often abstractions rather than representations. I assembled them from the metal,…
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Rivers Run Free – Dirty Dozen exhibition with River Studios

Rivers Run Free – Dirty Dozen exhibition with River Studios

Exhibitions, Past Events
This February I participated in the art exhibition Rivers Run Free at the Dirty Dozen with artists from River Studios. The exhibition ran from 4 - 29 February 2020. The Dirty Dozen is an unusual gallery - a series of 12 display cases in the below-ground entrance to Flinders Street Station. The display cases are located in Campbell Arcade. The rollerdoor entrance is on Flinders Street between Elizabeth and Degraves streets. The other artists participating were all resident artists from River Studios. They include screen printers, fabric designers, illustrators, glass bead makers, photographers and painters. Then there's me, a found object assemblage sculptor. We were each allocated one display case for our own works, then a second display case to share with a partner. I shared with Lin Tobias. She…
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River Studios Christmas Market and Exhibition

River Studios Christmas Market and Exhibition

Exhibitions, Latest News, Past Events
Once again, River Studios resident artists worked together to hold an outstanding exhibition and market in the lead-up to Christmas. For the first time, we had access to a large function area on the ground level. It is located just around the corner from the studios, and it proved a great venue. A new space for Creative Spaces This function area was formerly occupied by Gather and Tailor. Creative Spaces has now taken over management of this area for the City of Melbourne. A huge thank you goes to Michael Carr, who is responsible for developing this space. Creative Spaces arranged for a special hanging system along the back wall to accommodate the art exhibition. Michael was there in the lead-up, as well as on the day, to provide support.…
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From the Streets of Vientiane

From the Streets of Vientiane

Exhibitions, General, Past Events
In September 2019, I worked with a cultural group and a wine bar in Vientiane, Laos, to run an art benefit. This is how it all came about. The trash of Vientiane I lived and worked as a volunteer in Vientiane, Laos, from May to September 2019. While I was there, I selectively picked up trash from the streets, as I always do, in order to create wall sculptures. The trash in Vientiane comprises plastic, plastic and more plastic. Drink bottles, cups, straws and bags proliferate in the gutters and on the footpaths. However, amongst this real trash were some treasures. This included unusually shaped pieces of both shiny and rusted metal. I also found some interesting, though small, backing materials. These included ceramic tiles, varnished ply, metal sheeting and…
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Brooches – Minisculptures on Your Lapel

Brooches – Minisculptures on Your Lapel

Exhibitions, Latest News
Thinking on a smaller scale After concentrating on wall sculptures and small 3D sculptures for over two years, I had an opportunity to think even smaller – brooches.  The Contemporary Art Society of Victoria was holding its 12th Australian National Brooch Show from May to October 2019. Exhibitions were being held at both the Fitzroy and Eltham Public Libraries in Melbourne, and there would be ‘try and buy’ days to launch the show at both venues. I had been thinking off and on about working on a smaller scale. Handmade jewellery designer Lynn  Allison from Devil May Care Designs in New Orleans had been following me on Instagram. She had encouraged me several times to try something ‘jewellery sized’. Until then, the smallest works I’d tried were miniature silver-coloured cityscapes…
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Bienvenidos to the Spanish Language Fiesta

Bienvenidos to the Spanish Language Fiesta

Exhibitions, Past Events
What great fun at North Melbourne’s fourth annual Spanish Language Fiesta on 6 April 2019. The festival is sponsored by The Centre: Connecting Community in North and West Melbourne. The scheduled opening was at 11am, but visitors were already dropping by at 10.30. During the first year of the fiesta, I ran a Spanish-language book exchange. This year I combined books and Spanish and found objects. Children—and a few brave adults—created flatlays based on pictures in Spanish-language children’s books. They were made entirely from trash I had found on Melbourne's streets. Exhibiting in Spanish In my small exhibition, La Ciudad, I showed four photos along with the wall sculptures based on them. These were Las Flores, La Ciudad, El Puente y Los Barcos, and Tres Globos Aerostáticos. The aim of…
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Group Exhibitions 2018 – Many Venues, Many Themes

Group Exhibitions 2018 – Many Venues, Many Themes

Exhibitions, Gallery, Past Events
In 2018, in addition to my group shows at Incube8r Gallery in Fitzroy, I participated in several other group exhibitions at a range of venues. Each one presented some interesting challenges - whether it be theme, venue, weather or technology. The work, or one of the works, from each exhibition is shown to the right. Not So Gentle Arts - In Fact, a Shark Early in 2018, I attended a meeting of the Artists Guild. In addition to discussing art, we had the chance to create an embroidery. It was for their exhibition, Not So Gentle Arts, which was part of Rebel Embroidery at Docklands from 9 to 29 March 2018. My work ‘Cookie Cutter Shark’ included pieces of metal I’d picked up on the way to the meeting. It…
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Incube8r Gallery group shows 2018

Incube8r Gallery group shows 2018

Exhibitions, Past Events
I was very pleased to be included in five of Incube8r Gallery’s group shows in 2018. Each had a theme quite different from the others. This gave me a good chance to experiment with different materials and on different scales. Some of my works were small wall sculptures less than 8cm square, while others were three-dimensional sculptures approximately half a metre square at the base. One work from each of these shows is pictured in the righthand column. You can view other works from these shows by using the Instagram hashtag #nancydeeincube8rshows. Lost and Found Lost and Found from 25 January to 7 February 2018 couldn’t have been more appropriately titled for the works I make. It was one of the ‘Almost Solo’ shows where each of the artists displays…
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From the Streets of Melbourne

From the Streets of Melbourne

Exhibitions
Exhibition at the Melbourne City Library What better place to display works made from found objects from the city streets but the place that many city dwellers consider their home away from home—the Melbourne City Library. My solo exhibition ran from 9 January to 4 February 2018. You can view the exhibition on Instagram using the hashtag #nancydeecitylibraryshow. Planning for the exhibition The library has a range of display cases throughout the ground and mezzanine floors. The venue was perfectly suited to my small-scale works. At first I thought there wouldn’t be much room. However, I began to realise how many nooks and crannies there were. I calculated that I would need about 45 works to fill the space. Preparing for the show required lots of measuring and decision-making. I…
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