ipswich art scene booms
On Saturday 5, September the Queensland Museum Rail Workshops located in Ipswich hosted a marvelous ‘Street Art Jam’.
Attendees were invited to unleash their inner artists with guided aerosol masterclasses led by experienced street artists.
The day was jam-packed with DJ entertainment, food trucks, breaking workshops, zine & Pine workshops, a battle and open jam session, and panel talks.
Artists traveled from far and wide to showcase their work at the Ipswich Railways, Kaho was born in Japan but has been living locally for three years and was eager to show her work at the Art Jam.
Ipswich-based artist Mei Jones, aged 18, proudly painted her sea-inspired piece on the day, grateful for the opportunity to do such large-scale paintings.
“I love the creativity, there’s not really a wrong thing you can do,” she says
“It’s so exciting to have Ipswich do this, up until recently I didn’t even know Ipswich did artsy stuff so I’m really happy they are introducing more art to this space,”’ she says.
Kitt Bennett, a Melbourne-based artist, made the journey to Ipswich to showcase his amazing mural installations. His three-day process is best viewed from above.
Artists of all ages were encouraged to get involved and showcase their work. Nine-year-old Riley works alongside his partner/friend, 15-year-old Thomas, to bring their Brisbane-based aerosol work to Ipswich.
“It’s mostly just so much fun,” told Riley in his paint-splattered clothes.
“I love the recognition I get from it,” said Thomas.
Elements Collective offered free break-dancing workshops for all ages throughout the day, sure to keep event-goers entertained.
North Ipswich Railway Workshops is a heritage-listed landmark for rail in the region. At its peak, the Workshops employed 3,000 men and women, mostly from Ipswich and surrounding areas, making it Queensland's largest employer.
The museum hopes to continue to bring community members together and make the Art Jam an annual event hosted at the Ipswich workshops.