Allison Wiese, an interdisciplinary artist who works with sculpture, sound, performance, and architectural interventions, will be spending nine days in the region this March as part of the Radical Fields Artist in Residence program (RFAIR). Allison, who currently lives and works in San Diego, California, where she is an Associate Professor at the University of San Diego, will use this time to gain an introduction to the area and its community. This initial visit will form the basis of a new work to be presented at the 2027 Radical Fields Harvest Arts Festival when she returns next year.

Her work is often created for public spaces at the boundaries of, or outside, institutions and has been exhibited throughout the United States. Allison has made artworks using firewood, fruit, livestock, and hay bales, combined with purpose-written texts that float across landscapes like super-text. Drawing on the visual language of road signage, ranch entrances, banners, and flags, her practice plays—often with subtle wit—on the complexity that underlies seemingly banal vernacular culture.

“I love things that hover at the boundary of
literal and the metaphoric,” she says, “that can vibrate back and forth between being banal and important in some way.”

This will be Allison’s first time in Australia, and her visit will be brief. Nine days is certainly not enough time to absorb the local idiosyncrasies that long-term residents take for granted. Keeping this limited timeframe in mind, it will be interesting to see what Allison notices, gathers, and responds to during her stay.

“I’ve never felt comfortable dropping into a place,” she explains, “then pretending that I can truly know it very well. Artists typically want to avoid a quick cliché. But shallow research into big questions, or the ‘discovery’ of things locals are already well aware of, are other pitfalls when we try to force an impossibly close connection. Acknowledging my own odd external point of view can give me permission to make decisions without speaking for others in ways I can’t.”

At this stage, Allison has no fixed plan beyond the hope “to see and understand as much as I can without any preconceptions, and to be on the lookout for ideas, images, and systems that I can interact with without being presumptuous.” Local interest in the residency has already been expressed by people ranging from farmers to teachers, and the prospect of an overseas artist engaging directly with the region’s history, culture, and environment has generated genuine curiosity. Supported by generous donations from local residents, Radical Fields is providing accommodation and a daily stipend for Allison’s stay, alongside a grant from the University of San Diego assisting with travel and research. However brief, her visit will act as the catalyst for a significant original work that will be returned to—and shared with—the community that inspired it.

“As someone who’s kind of curious,” Allison says, “I’ve used art as an excuse to talk to people who know about things I don’t: to learn and to explore ideas with abandon in ways that would be impermissible without the banner of art. I’m not sure what I’ll hone in on in Glenlyon and the surrounding region, but I’m always especially interested in the way, as William Faulkner put it, ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past,’ and in the grace and friction present when shared work brings people together eagerly and imperfectly. I’m as interested in the fire brigade as the landscape and wildlife.”

To mark Allison’s arrival, Radical Fields will host a community BBQ on Sunday 1 March, from 5–7pm at the Glenlyon Community Hall. The event will be an informal opportunity for locals to meet Allison, welcome her to the region, and hear more about the Artist in Residence program. The evening will also coincide with the launch of new Radical Fields merchandise, with proceeds supporting future artistic and community initiatives.

Community BBQ & Meet The Artist
Sun Mar 1st – 5-7pm
Glenlyon Community Hall
Sausage sizzle / sides available for purchase – Veg / GF Options Available

BYO Drink