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A beacon of creativity

Sitting on top of Nobbys-Whibayganba Headland, is Nobbys Lighthouse, one of the most iconic landmarks in Newcastle - but it’s not just ships it’s guiding in. These days the lighthouse is home to Hunter Writers’ Centre initiative, Lighthouse Arts, and its artist-in-residence program. Swell speaks to Katherine McLean, Hunter Writers Centre and Lighthouse Arts director, to find out more.

Anyone vaguely familiar with Newcastle will be familiar with Nobbys Lighthouse. Located on Nobbys-Whibayganba Headland, it is as much a part of Newcastle’s landscape as beautiful beaches and cargo ships on the horizon. Be that as it may, what visitors and locals alike, might not be so familiar with is how the lighthouse grounds are used during the week. I, for one certainly wasn’t, until recently.

Rich in history, dating back to 1854 when it was established, Nobbys Lighthouse has weathered many a storm – both the literal and figurative kinds. Throughout World War II, the military controlled both the lighthouse and signal station. During this time, one of the three cottages located on site sustained a shell fired from a Japanese submarine that failed to explode.

These days, thankfully it’s much smoother sailing up there as the lighthouse grounds now operate as a multi-arts activation space. On weekends and public holidays, it opens its doors to the public with exhibitions, small events and an arts trading store. Monday through Friday, it welcomes a variety of creatives through an artist-in-residence program, which is how I was fortunate enough to spend some time there.

Throughout World War II, the military controlled both the lighthouse and signal station. During this time, one of the three cottages located on site sustained a shell fired from a Japanese submarine that failed
to explode.

Lighthouse Arts is an initiative of the Hunter Writers’ Centre, which is the organisation behind this.
The Lighthouse Arts project was established in November 2021 and received initial funding from the City of Newcastle’s Industry Response Taskforce to assist one of the hardest hit sectors of the pandemic, the arts. Now in its second year of operation, Lighthouse Arts is self-funded and runs under a licence agreement between Hunter Writers’ Centre and Port Authority NSW.

Expanding further upon how and why it all came together Katherine McLean, director of Hunter Writers Centre and Lighthouse Arts, says it was a joint effort to support artists.

Lighthouse Arts was the vision of our former director, and she did an extraordinary job in getting it up. It was a collaborative effort with a myriad of different arts organisations, artists, people and professionals.”

“Essentially, the lighthouse is a place to support writers and artists. It’s tough out there for artists. Art is often seen as expendable, but I thoroughly believe its one of the most vital things we can have in our community. It tells stories of who we are, it builds our identity, it creates community, it enhances the way we interact with our landscape and how we think about it,” adds Katherine.

At the core of Lighthouse Arts is the artist-in-residence program, which sees an array of writers and artists work in the lighthouse cottages from 10am to 4pm. Residencies can either be undertaken in one-week blocks from Monday to Friday or one day a week, Monday to Thursday for four weeks.

Applications are submitted through the Lighthouse Arts website and a subsidised fee is required prior to commencement. To date, more than 450 individuals have gone through the program. I chose the one day a week option and spent my time at the lighthouse working on a manuscript.

In describing what the residencies offer artists, Katherine says it’s multifaceted.

“There’s a lot of people who have ignored their artistic pursuits. They don’t call themselves artists because then they don’t feel like they practise. So, what the lighthouse does is give the writers and artists a gift to themselves. It’s like a personal dedication that they have to own their practice and from that, there is a way in which they can claim to be artists.”

“Once you’ve gone there, and you have committed to that space and time you start thinking, ‘I am doing this. I am an artist.’ It is an interesting, alchemical space. It’s a hugely historical space as well – it holds a lot of energy,” says Katherine.

There’s a lot of people who have ignored their artistic pursuits. They don’t call themselves artists because then they don’t feel like they practise. So, what the lighthouse does is give the writers and artists a gift to themselves.

From my own experience, I can say that having some time and space away from my normal
work-from-home situation was greatly beneficial. Gone were the distractions of everyday life – there was no dishwasher to unpack or loads of laundry to quickly hang out in between writing paragraphs. It was a rare treat to be able to focus purely on my creative project.

Even walking up to the lighthouse feels like a symbolic act. There is a sense of crossing the threshold from everyday life into the creative world and it’s made with a commitment, at least for the day, to your craft.

Not only that, but the dramatic change of scenery impacts your perspective in some way. The 360-degree views from the lighthouse are some of the most spectacular you’ll find anywhere in Newcastle. Open skies meet endless stretches of ocean, with the city shrinking before your eyes. You feel a million miles away up there, which almost encourages you to put your head in the clouds and consider things differently.

There is also the bonus of getting to meet a variety of artists and watching them work around you, which serves as a source of inspiration.

Anna Webster, a mixed media artist from Port Stephens, says she wanted to come to the lighthouse to do something different and simply experience the space.

“It’s quite a magical space. It’s separate from everything around you, so you feel quite isolated. Being able to concentrate solely on art and nothing else is great.”

Once you’ve gone there, and you have committed to that space and time you start thinking, ‘I am doing this. I am an artist.’ It is an interesting, alchemical space. It’s a hugely historical space as well – it holds a lot of energy.

Janet Mackintosh, a mosaic artist also from the Port Stephens region, had a similarly positive experience.

“To have this dedicated space and time is a real luxury. It’s meant that I could just focus on experimenting and using the different tools that I’ve learned over the past years, because you don’t often allow yourself that experimental time. I found it inspirational. Its really lifted me – I’ve come away with a little bit of a buzz – it’s been fabulous,” says Janet.

For artist, Jenni Nichols, undertaking the Lighthouse Arts residency program has been about giving herself permission to create again.

“Prior to about eighteen months ago, I had my own gallery in East Maitland… When the gallery closed because of Covid… I went into a bit of a hole. So now, I’m feeling like I’m ready and it’s time to step into my creative world… This has been really great – a bit of a fire, to give it a go,” explains Jenni.

And as Katherine adds, “Each person comes away with their good stories and feelings and I think mostly, it’s about what they did for themselves.”

So, next time you look to Newcastle’s iconic lighthouse, perhaps you’ll feel the artistic energy beaming out. And who knows, it might just guide you towards your own creative outlet.

Words: Emily McGrorey | Photography: Dominique Cherry

As seen in Swell Issue 19. Grab your copy here.

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