Clifford Gouldson Lawyers’ Artist-in-Residence program is designed to better connect the business and artistic communities in Toowoomba.
It has been run 6 times since 2016 but will not be run in 2024.
Benefitting Business and the Arts
We believe the Clifford Gouldson Artist-in-Residence Program provides real benefits to our firm, our clients, other visitors to our office, the artist involved and the wider Toowoomba art community.
Our aim is to:
- provide an opportunity for our staff to interact and engage with a working artist within our workplace
- provide an opportunity for our staff, clients and other visitors to our office to experience artworks outside the usual venue of an art gallery
- demonstrate to our staff, clients and other visitors to our office that Clifford Gouldson Lawyers understands that there is more to life than the law
- provide a forum for a broader audience to view the artist-in-residence at work
- provide a venue for the display of the work of the artist-in-residence
- provide modest financial assistance to the artist during the in-residence period
- open an additional connection between Toowoomba’s business and art communities
The opportunity for the Artist-in-Residence
The Clifford Gouldson Artist-in-Residence Program provides:
- an 8-week residency period for the artist
- a space in our office in which to create their artwork during the residency period
- a weekly stipend during the residency period
- promotion of the Artist and the Program via Clifford Gouldson’s website and other marketing materials
- Exhibit Evening function combined with the official Office Opening event to reveal the artwork prepared and to promote and offer for sale the artists other displayed works.
CGLaw Artist-in-Residence Hall of Fame
For me, the residency at Clifford Gouldson came up just at the right time in my life. I really enjoyed setting up my little studio near the lunch area and chatting with people about my art practice as they walked to and from the kitchen to get coffee. I think that the commitment that CG Law has shown to the arts, business and our local community is the sign of a dynamic and progressive workplace. In terms of wellness, it also reveals a healthy and functional enterprise as staff members from all levels of management worked together as equals to create their artwork. I enjoyed the challenge of incorporating the stories of the Foundry into some of my paintings and consider the joint opening of the new offices at CG Law and my Art exhibition to be a special and memorable evening that exposed my art practice to a much wider audience.
I had a ball painting in the Clifford Gouldson office because the team were so friendly, and it reminded me of my father’s office when I was little. I wanted to capture some of the details of this office and encouraged the team to stretch their creative muscles and sketch with me. The exhibition was a lovely finale and sincerely appreciated the opportunity to see all of my work displayed and appreciated in such an interesting and creative space.
I’m very grateful to CGLaw for this artist residency program that has supported my arts practice in a meaningful way through funding, professional development and providing the opportunity to explore new places, develop new concepts and techniques, and significantly expand my network while engaging new audiences in the region.
I adore seeing the value of arts and creativity recognised, and am incredibly impressed by the progressive and dynamic approach of Clifford Gouldson to host such a residency. It’s truly inspiring that such a wonderful program is being run in Toowoomba — I’m thrilled to have been part of it!”
I wanted to create on a broader spectrum and the intensity of this law practice with its focused and passionate staff, took me to another level of creativity and provided me with the commitment to invest in a new body of work.
Maryika Welter
My time as Artist-in-Residence was both challenging and rewarding. The challenge was to work in an unfamiliar work space away from the normal studio setting and in someone else’s professional work space and be creative and productive at the same time. The reward was the stretching of my comfort zone as well as stretching the comfort zone of the staff. The uniqueness of each individual was great and the concept of left and right brain was very prominent. The meeting of thinking versus feeling was merged and a playful attitude was adopted to produce works for a final exhibition.