Esperance Community Arts, in collaboration with the 10 mile collection, presents this community led exhibition bringing together clay, fibre and community in a creative response to environmental care. Through a series of artist-facilitated, hands-on workshops, by Naomi Stanitzki, Jess Le Monnier and Michelle Crisp, participants of all ages and skill levels have contributed to the creation of unique vessels—shaped, painted and woven through shared making processes.   

The works emerged through a two-stage collaborative model designed by Esperance Community Arts to encourage connection and collective authorship. Community members initially formed and decorated ceramic vessels, which were then reimagined by others through the addition of woven rope. These workshops were delivered across Esperance Community Arts programs and partnerships, including the Open Studio program, Yorgas, ESCARE and other community groups—reflecting Esperance Community Arts’s strong network of engagement. Each piece carries the imprint of multiple makers, embodying Esperance Community Arts’s approach to shared creative process and community collaboration.

Central to the work is Esperance Community Art’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Reclaimed rope and fishing debris—collected from the Kepa Kurl / Esperance coastline, particularly 10 Mile Beach by the 10 Mile Collection—have been transformed through workshops into tactile, meaningful forms. 

All works are offered for sale, with profits donated to the Great Southern Reef Foundation, supporting vital efforts to protect and restore our marine environment.

Every artwork purchased will provide one (1) entry to a lottery to win the print "Creatures of the Great Southern Reef" by Amok Island. Terms & Conditions.

Opening: Thurs 7 May at 6pm
Exhibition Dates: Fri 8 to Sat 30 May
Opening Hours: Tues to Fri 10am to 4pm / Sat 12pm to 4pm

This project is conceived & developed through Esperance Community Arts and is supported by Healthway WA through Art for Wellbeing funding.

Esperance Community Arts

Esperance Community Arts (ECA) is committed to supporting a strong network between arts organisations, artists, and other community groups in the region, and to delivering  inclusive and accessible arts projects in partnership with community members.

We offer mentoring and assistance with project planning, event promotion and funding application to our members and to other community groups engaged in arts-related activities. ECA facilitates and contributes to a variety of programs that help to increase participation in the arts by supporting individuals and groups to work together, to access local resources, to expand social networks, and to express creativity and local identity.

We also provide members with access to affordable space for small workshops and informal exhibitions at 67 Dempster Street Esperance, where we can promote the work of local artists and community groups. Our volunteers also run a shop space for over 50 local artists and craftspeople to display and and sell their work.

10 mile collection

The 10 Mile Collection began following its first exhibition in 2024, evolving from a remarkable discovery in 2023 when local residents Michelle and Sam Crisp found a huge amount of rope washed up at 10 Mile Lagoon. Retrieving the rope required a significant community effort over many months, bringing people together in a shared commitment to care for the coastline. This unusual discovery enabled the pair to pursue their long-held dream of creating artworks from marine debris at a community level, with profits donated to charities supporting the marine environment.

Thank you to the State Government of WA for the funding through the Regional Arts Venues Support program supported by Royalties for Regions through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, enabling us to expand our artistic programming into our second gallery the Art Room.