I couldn’t be prouder of the 7 months of work that has gone into conceiving and setting up the Wunder Gym. It’s my homage to the Bauhaus which is celebrating its centenary this year. I’ve fixated on that legendary school in my practice as a designer and artist for as long as I can remember.
Walter Gropius, Bauhaus founder said “We are in the midst of a momentous catastrophe of world history, of a transformation of all aspects of life and of the entire inner human being. This is perhaps fortunate for the artistic person, if he [or ‘she’ thanks Walter!] is strong enough to bear the consequences, because what we need is the courage to have inner experience.” For me, the Wunder Gym is the result of lots of inner courage and a culmination of my experience, in a time of incredible changes and challenges.
Walter envisaged the Bauhaus school as a place of creative argument and debate and he managed to recruit many multitalented teachers. Today, for fellow Bauhaus fans, curious and creative, the Wunder Gym is a place conducive to experimentation and self-exploration through doing and participating in a creative community with mentors from diverse artistic and creative practices.
An art school community in the real world to creatively, socially and, wherever possible, financially benefit emerging and mid-career artists. Aiming to provide participants with an accessible and inexpensive pathway to continue their practice the Wunder Gym fosters creative community and learning while providing gallery exposure and connection to other artists and broader audiences. Far from another once-off workshop or a HECS laden debt to pay off.
While it’s vision is very Walter Gropius clear in my mind, here is a quick 10-Step to How It Works:
1. Sign up to become a member. The backend process takes 24 hours from processing to confirmation. Then you’ll receive a nice welcome email confirming your membership with access to the members only website & private Slack group.
2. Join the member online Slack community (Slack is a online chat software like FB Groups BTW) & introduce yourself to your peer artists & creatives, sharing your IG or website.
3. Receive the established artist or creative mentor project brief & start exploring according to that month’s schedule.
4. You work from your own studio or home. This is so your artistic practice fits in with your exisiting life & time commitments.
5. Mid month/project you meet at the mentor & member exclusive Q&A event to discuss all things you want to discuss at Schoolhouse Studios, Courtyard Collingwood.
6. Continue working on your project response in your own studio or home. Expect to spend between 2-5 hours per week on your project over a month period. The time you invest, is what you get back from your work.
7. Continue building as little or as much online Slack contact with your Wudner Gym community. Share your artwork before submission if you need more feedback. Again, the time you invest, is what you get back building your creative community.
8. Submit your final artwork when required for hanging in the group exhibition according to that month’s schedule.
9. Celebrate your creative confidence at the group exhibition opening! The exhibition is opened by your established artist or creative mentor.
10. Promote the group exhibition & sell your work!
To close, Walter said “My sole aim is to leave everything in suspension, in flux, in order to avoid our community solidifying into a conventional academy. Our initial resources may be few, but our spirits are high, receptive, and excited, and that seems to me to be the most important thing right now.”
I concur Walter. I concur. Now, move over!
BTW. I totally did not compare myself to Walter Gropius, nor the Wunder Gym to the Bauhaus in this post for the record!
