Hi, I’d like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Whadjuk people and pay my respect to their elders past, present and emerging who have been creating art here for thousands of years.

My names Gareth and It’s a pleasure to talk to you and the online audience the 2022 Creative Connections – Under The Umbrella Art and Poetry Exhibition both as a Creative Connections committee member and representative of Ability WA.

Ability WA – have proudly supported and partnered with Creative Connections for over 15 years.

Now in its fourteenth year the exhibition has become a highly anticipated event, with many artists and poets returning to exhibit their work year after year. This exhibition keeps growing from strength to strength.

Creative Connections Art and Poetry exhibitions are an opportunity to share artistry, bringing artists and poets together to share a collection of attitudes, values, stories, interpretations and expectations about the world around them for the benefit of the audience. How fitting the tittle of this year’s exhibition is ‘Under the Umbrella’ symbolising creativity and diversity.

Expressing yourself helps to connect with your emotions, your challenges, your motivations and passions. We all need a creative outlet, whether that’s visual or through writing. 

I’d like to thank and acknowledge the HUGE amount of work undertaken by the Creative Connections Committee. This exhibition is truly epic. To the incredible sponsors City of Fremantle, Oxlades Art Supplies and Australian Cultural Fund. This exhibition cannot succeed without the generosity of supporters like you.

For many artists it’s a lifetime dream and goal to have their work exhibited in a public gallery.

I’ve enjoyed working with Ability WA’s customers to help them connect to their artistic mission. The creative process is amazing to watch, and provides as much insight into their lives as a long-formed friendship.

Gareth Goodway