Artists and rural Aussies engage on environment

Regional communities running the length of the Murray Darling basin have been engaging with artists to share and promote ideas and values about the environment. The results of the three-year project are revealed in a book and exhibition launched at ANU. The Engaging Visions project is an initiative of ANU and the Murray Darling Basin Authority. Since 2007, project leaders and a range of artists have engaged with communities in St George (Queensland), Tumut (NSW), Renmark (South Australia) and Benalla (Victoria). People from those towns have opened their doors, farm gates and minds, giving artists and researchers insights into how they are balancing environmentally sustainable water practices and broader environmental needs. The artists have translated these insights into different media including photography, painting and sculpture. These works have been shown at a series of exhibitions in the communities and many purchased back by the communities they depict.