‘Australia turns a corner’: Addi Road in May

Albo visits “the heart and soul of the Inner West”

Congratulations are in order for Anthony Albanese, our local member for Grayndler, who is now settling in as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia. Anthony has been a loyal and supportive local member, visiting Addi Road and even pitching to pack hampers during the Covid-19 lockdowns. He calls us “the heart and soul of the Inner West”.

We’ve seen him here often – with and without the media. Opening our Public Schools Arts Festival; consulting with us about poverty and unemployment issues; backing our work at the Addi Road Food Relief Hub through bushfires, pandemic and floods; and bringing attention to inequality and “the working poor” during his election campaign with a press conference here.

We look forward to your next visit Anthony – and to maintaining the good relationship with you across all those fields, from our food relief and social justice work through to our arts and culture and community activities. More than anything we appreciate you caring about what happens at Addi Road and taking an active part. No task too big; no act too small not to matter and be meaningful when it all adds up.

International Day for Living in Peace (Photo Tim Bauer)

It was a joy to see our friends come together to mark International Day for Living in Peace. This was also the 4^th chapter in our ‘Addi Road meets Abbey Road’ community creative project, mimicking the famous Beatles album cover on our rainbow pedestrian crossing on special days throughout the year. Thanks to Craig Foster, Annabel Crabb, Reverend Bill Crews, Andrew Denton, Jane Caro and many others who celebrated peace and had fun on the day deciding who was Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr. Come walk our way again.

Sydney Swans support #RacismNotWelcome

It was a huge Friday night for Addi Road when the Sydney Swans invited us to ‘Marn Grook’ at the SCG. This annual fixture pays tribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and their contribution to football. The Swans warmed-up in their #RacismNotWelcome t-shirts, inviting Addi Road CEO Rosanna Barbero to speak to a crowd of 50,000 people. #RacismNotWelcome is a community-led initiative to acknowledge the existence of racism and normalise conversations about racism whilst also igniting change. You may have seen the #RacismNotWelcome street signs are just one part of a wider campaign. A big thank you to former captain Brett Kirk and the Swans for supporting #RacismNotWelcome.

Keen to show your support too? T-shirts $20 from Addi Road or online at racismnotwelcome.com/product/t-shirt/

Visum – a gathering of Addi Road Artists

Did you know over 40 artists are practicing in studio spaces at Addi Road? We were pleased to showcase 18 of them in a show called Visum that opened at our StirrUp Gallery. Coordinated and curated by Addi Road’s Vanessa James, the exhibition featured sculpture, printing, drawing, painting, textiles and animation. Visum ends 12 June; open every day 11-4pm. We will have more exhibitions throughout the year!

It’s a Wrap! Addi Road Writers’ Festival 2022

Addi Road Writers’ Festival 2022 ended with a full moon rising over the Inner West, a final special note to a very special day. 40 writers, journalists and thinkers appeared on twelve panels across both Gumbramorra Hall and the Greek Theatre. Another dozen musicians, activists and spoken word artists joined us in ten-minute ‘hotspots’ to blast a feeling or idea into proceedings.

Writers from Northern Ireland and Indonesia were beamed in, while we heard from local figures like Book of the Year winner and graphic novelist Safdar Ahmed, poet Robert Adamson, musician Lo Carmen and Artistic Directors Mark Mordue and Sheila Ngoc Pham. Over 400 people attended, more than triple the number for our inaugural festival last year in 2021. We expect next year will be even bigger, conforming Addi Road Writer’s Festival as a major annual event on Sydney’s cultural calendar.

It’s important to note ARWF2022 is a completely independent community-driven effort. This year we were supported by a $10,000 grant from Inner West Council. The day comes with an even bigger investment of energy, time and resources from Addi Road. We do it because engages us on a profound level with our community…. through storytelling, conversation and the related arts. And it does so at a time when ‘culture’ has been a unifying and healing force in spite of the pressures and crises rained down upon us over the last two years. Our staff, volunteers, and crew gave their all to the day. Thank you everyone.

Check out Addi Road’s website or Facebook page for even more to come!!