Warrnambool arts precinct F Project celebrates a decade

Long before Warrnambool's F Project had its own dedicated arts precinct, it rented premises above the former Kodak Express, on the corner of Liebig and Koroit streets.

Unknowingly to group members it was the original sewing room of Fletcher Jones, where the art collective's namesake began making his world-famous clothing.

"There's this real synchronicity," F Project chair Gareth Colliton said. "It was coincidental but it was so fitting because we follow that ethos of Fletcher Jones and what he established - innovation and community."

The F Project began in 2008 when a group of Warrnambool women saved trailer loads of Fletcher Jones fabric from going into landfill, transforming the salvaged material and coathangers into artwork which was sold at the group's first fundraiser.

Mr Colliton said the closure of the iconic factory coincided with the loss of several arts institutions and performance venues, leading to a "sense of crisis within the arts community".

He said the Fletcher Jones Project, as it was originally known, was established to support local artists and foster community engagement through creative and meaningful arts programs.

"(In 2008) there was a growing awareness that the arts were really suffering, going backwards," Mr Colliton said. "We were losing venues, losing live music, all these arts institutions. Everything was closing and then Fletcher Jones factory closed up in the same year."

In June 2013, the F Project announced its plans to relocate to the former Guyetts Funerals premises in Timor Street, turning the historic buildings into a new arts hub.

Since then it has provided a space to gather, share ideas, create, exhibit and encourage and mentor young and up-and-coming artists.

The F Project is a self-funded, volunteer run, not-for-profit organisation. It includes artist studios and workshop spaces, a community art gallery and gift shop showcasing local artisans' works.

"When we opened there wasn't too much opportunity for emerging artists and those who are learning in Warrnambool," he said.

"We recognised that. The more spaces there are for people to gather and think critically and creatively the better off we all are. So you have cross-pollination of ideas so things can be discussed and invented.

"If you don't have those venues, people tend to stay at home or it becomes very fractured, and so less things happen. So it was for all of that all of those reasons (the F Project began)."

Like in sport, he said artists needed a pathway, mentors and a supportive environment to hone their craft.

"You've got to have a way for young people to train up and learn how to become artists and exhibit professionally, and that was a gap."

He said F Project aimed to fill creative gaps in Warrnambool, of which there were many.

"In talking to the community and looking at other strategic plans around Victoria, the two main things that keep coming up are youth and performance," he said.

"There's nowhere for performers, there's nowhere for music. These are the two things that we hear a lot. So we're now working on a dedicated youth program. We're partnering with Brophy, council, all those sorts of places, to provide a dedicated youth arts space."

Mr Colliton said the new youth area, which was yet to be established, would be comforting and welcoming as emerging and young artists could sometimes feel "a bit intimidated in an established gallery space".

At the other end of the scale is the international artists they're appealing to as part of a new funded residency program with visiting creatives able to stay onsite.

The F Project and the Fletcher Jones Family Foundations have jointly funded the residency program, advertised nationally and internationally on website Res Artis, a worldwide network of artist residencies.

The Warrnambool-based programs are open to emerging and established artists from across Australia and around the world.

"We'll support them to engage with our community, put on their own exhibitions, workshops, show, performances, whatever they want to do," he said.

"They can stay here right in the CBD, have access to our studios, our galleries, our workshops, whatever they need and then produce something wonderful for Warrnambool."

Mr Colliton said there were plans to open up the F Project precinct and its beautiful gardens for more community events including markets, performances and music.

"Most people don't know it's here," he said. "We want to give it back to the community. People will start to see that over the coming months as the weather warms up more will start happening in the gardens."

In partnership with Westvic Staffing Solutions it offered a Warrnambool first, a curatorial arts administration traineeship as the organisation looked to employ more young people.

One of the two trainees has been employed as a part-time arts administrator, curating and working on exhibitions with artists, as well as administration tasks at the F Project.

"The next ambition and part of the vision is to find more young people and find employment opportunities for them," he said.

Mr Colliton said the unique precinct supported 100 artisans and micro-businesses who sold their works at the site, and exhibited 50 artists' work annually.

"It's all paid for without recurring funding," he said. "It's all paid for by the hard work of a team of about 60 or 70 core volunteers. There's over 50 who help run the place every day and then there's a team behind the scenes on the board and the working groups of 10 to 20 people.

"I'm not aware of any other arts organisation or for that matter, any other non-profit organisation that is as big as this one.

"We have 200 paid-up members, a mailing list of over 1000, an extensive exhibitions program, daily workshop spaces, 20 artists studios, a footprint of a couple of acres, all in the CBD.

"We are very proud of it all. We've got a volunteer workforce. How many local organisations have 60 or 70 volunteers?"

Mr Colliton said when the group did receive funding from philanthropic trusts, council or government agencies it used the grants "to grow ourselves in a way that will be sustainable without further funding".

"We're quite strategic in how we apply the funding that we do get, which so far has never been a significant one-off payment. We get recurring support from the Fletcher Jones Family Foundations and we will always be grateful for that.

"They've always been very supportive. And that's not always money, sometimes it's just a letter of congratulations from them that just helps you know that you're on the right path or some advice.

"They've been absolutely terrific and vital. I don't think we would have made it this far without them."

IN OTHER NEWS

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.