“An artist walks into a museum” served as the intriguing call for artists to apply for residencies as part of a collaborative program in the Upper Hunter. In this Museum Activation project, three artists were selected to collaborate with three local museums, creating artworks inspired by the museums and their collections.
Throughout 2024, Arts Upper Hunter, in collaboration with Tocal Homestead, Scone Museum, and Dungog Museum, has been working on the This Here Then Now (THTN) Museum Activation Residency Program. Supported by the Regional Arts Fund, this residency initiative seeks to revitalise small local museums by fostering creative engagement between artists and the museums’ collections, spaces, characters, and stories.
Successful applicant Sophie Cox was selected to create a work inspired by an item from the collection at Scone Museum. She chose a beautifully carved old cedar school desk, etched with names, initials, and words that resonate with voices from the past. This substantial desk and bench, originally from Scone Grammar School, will serve as the basis for a textile wall hanging. The piece will incorporate charcoal rubbings, stitching, and embroidery, created in collaboration with museum volunteers and students from Scone Grammar School. The wall hanging will be launched on the 25th October at 4pm at Scone Museum and will be open to the public on Wednesdays 9.30am -2.30pm, Sundays 2.30pm – 4.30pm.
Sophie Cox is a textile artist who combines text and textiles to explore themes of political and personal significance. Through the tactile and meditative process of hand-sewing, she creates work that seeks to provoke change both in herself and in the viewer as they engage with the artwork. Her practice examines the relationship between everyday life and societal issues, often incorporating appliqued banners, embroidered tea towels, and other sewn pieces that draw on the aesthetics of activist iconography. Sophie’s work addresses the intersection of craft, art, and political action, as well as the role of museums and galleries in the art world.