The artists (Lucas Ihlein and Kim Williams) live in Wollongong NSW and have been working regularly in Mackay since 2014, at the invitation of local farmers and community activators John Sweet and Simon Mattsson.
Throughout 2015-17, the focus has been on building relationships within the Mackay community, as a foundation for new collaborations such as this project.
The Watershed project involves collaboration between artists, farmers and members of Mackay & District Australian South Sea Islander Association (MADASSIA), Yuwibara Aboriginal Corporation, Central Queensland Soil Health Systems, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), Artspace Mackay, and Reef Catchments – and of course the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens.
We are continually building our network of community participants – get in touch if you’d like to be involved.