Creative Foundations
16 August – 5 October, 2025
Group exhibition at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre
Curated by Harrie Fasher and Kim Fasher
This exhibition brings together seven artists who are part of a growing creative community at The Foundations Portland – a former cement works in regional NSW, now transformed into a vibrant arts precinct.
Exhibiting artists include Elisabeth Cummings, Harrie Fasher, Kim Fasher, Jody Graham, Jennifer Leahy, Annabel Mason and TC Overson.
Excerpt from Creative Foundations Essay
Introduction by Sabrina Roesner
Former Artistic Program Leader of the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
In the midst of this uncertainty, renowned regional NSW sculptor Harrie Fasher and her collaborators were building something extraordinary: a creative hub where artists could develop ideas, make work, and connect. Despite the challenges of the time, Harrie and her team demonstrated remarkable resilience, vision, and collective spirit, transforming the disused industrial site of the former Portland Cement Works into a thriving centre for artistic practice and exchange.
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Additional buildings on site, including the former Cement Works bathhouse, have been repurposed into artist studios, as well as workshop and exhibition spaces that now host a range of programs – including exhibitions, artist-led workshops, and community engagement initiatives.
The transformation of the former Cement Works has positioned Portland as a vibrant regional centre for creativity, with national partnerships (such as those with the National Art School and Arts OutWest) further extending its reach and impact.
The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre has long been committed to supporting and showcasing the work of artists from the Blue Mountains and Central West. During several visits to the Foundations in the early 2020s, the Centre’s gallery team witnessed firsthand the remarkable transformation taking place in Portland. It was in response to this growing movement that the idea for the Creative Foundations exhibition emerged, celebrating the creative energy, collaborative spirit, and artistic exchange that have come to define the Foundations.