Local sculptor and Fungi Town artist Kathy Holowko tells Zoe Moffatt about her work in the community and connection to Macedon Ranges.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
I am a sculptor and work on all sorts of art forms including public art and installations for galleries or events. I also enjoy creating and running environmentally informed creative learning workshops for children and families.
What’s your connection to the Macedon Ranges?
I live in nearby Blackwood and have been lucky enough to create community engaged artworks for the shire over a number of years. I have previously delivered the ‘Wild City’ art workshop in the Kyenton Kids program, and this year I brought ‘Fungi Town’ to the program.
Tell us a bit about the Fungi Town Caravan?
Fungi Town was developed with the storm recovery team at Macedon Ranges council and we have brought this artwork-on-wheels to community events throughout the shire. The work is a celebration of the amazing lifeforms that are a feature of the natural landscape, and exploring fungi was a way for us to engage children that may have been frightened by the storms. By highlighting and learning about fungi’s role in ecology we hoped to provide a new focus, and provide positive experiences.
What do you like about where you live?
I enjoy living by the forest edge with the animal visitors, exploring the forest and discovering things like fungi, playing in the river, the sense of space, the sounds, and the quiet. I love knowing my neighbours, having room to grow veggies, and exploring the region’s natural places and beautiful townships.
What, if anything, would you change about where you live?
I’d have better light and insulation in my house to get through the winters, and I would like a place where the community could gather and meet in Blackwood.
Where is your favourite local place to spend time?
I really like spending time in the forests, waterways and in my garden, listening to birds and frogs, harvesting organic veggies or making artwork in my studio. I also like visiting Trentham for yummy bread, the markets and driving the country roads.
Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you?
I guess a lot of people would not have a clue that I’m an artist or that I get to take it to amazing places like the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, or the State Library, they just see me tinkering around in the yard.
Tell us a bit about your connection to art?
I studied fine art as an adult and it opened up a whole new world to me, I really love it. I use art as a way to connect people to ecological cycles and create a deeper connection to our understanding of our natural world in the hope we can build a positive future together.
