The original project blog, established in 2009, described itself as:
A COMMUNITY FORUM FOR THE COMING OF AGE PROJECT, FACILITATED BY KIM V. GOLDSMITH. COMING OF AGE IS A MULTI-MEDIA ARTS PROJECT EXPLORING ISSUES OF ART AND ECOLOGY – IN PARTICULAR THE VALUE OF TODAY’S ENVIRONMENT TO COMMUNITIES OF REGIONAL AUSTRALIA. WHAT WILL OUR ENVIRONMENT BE LIKE IN 21 YEARS TIME, IN 2030?
The result of the 2009 project research was a three-artist show of works by Kim V. Goldsmith, Gail Naden and Peter E. Charuk, titled Perspectives. Art. Ecology.
In 2014, the project broadened its scope to ask what it is we value in our communities. Those communities whose response to this question comes most readily are those in the process of transition, fighting for their future. With the closure of the cement works in Kandos in 2011 and the future of mining in the area under question, Kandos is one such community. It’s also a community with great natural beauty surrounding it and cheap real estate, all within about three hours of Sydney.
The Coming of Age Project was revisited in 2014 as part of a residency conducted at Kandos Projects (7-13 December). Fifteen Kandos locals did short mobile video interviews answering the following questions:
1. What would do you value in your community?
2. What would you fight to preserve?
A full report of the residency can be read here.
THE COMING OF AGE PROJECT: 2009 VIDEO (RE-EDITED)
THE COMING OF AGE PROJECT: 5 YEARS ON (KANDOS) VIDEO
kvgoldsmithart.com 