Healthy Waters Partnership supports swim Art Prize
To mark the upcoming 2024 Townsville Dry Tropics Waterways Report Card, the Healthy Waters Partnership is proud to support the TOWSA Cameron & Co Art Prize.
This month, Townsville residents are invited to explore the powerful connection between art and nature at a unique exhibition celebrating swimming and our local waterways.
Hosted at the Drill Hall Studio, the exhibition will culminate with the unveiling of the fifth annual Townsville Waterways Report Card, revealing the state of our region’s rivers, creeks, and coastal waters.
“This is a water-loving town,” says Kara-Mae Coulter-Atkins, Executive Officer of the Healthy Waters Partnership, a collective of more than 20 organisations keeping watch on local waterways.
“Healthy waters matter to us for many reasons, not least because we swim, fish, paddle, and dive in our marine and freshwater waterways. This exhibition captures the essence of our connection to swimming and water, and we encourage all locals to take a look.”
70th birthday of Townsville to Magnetic Island Swim
The Art Exhibition was launched to mark the 70th anniversary of the Townsville to Magnetic Island Swim, a legendary event among open-water swimmers.
From 1954-2007, the swim was conducted in shark cages, limiting the field to 7-8 swimmers. Since 2007, the event has been cageless and unassisted, organised by the Townsville Open Water Swimming Association (TOWSA), with entrants now coming from around the country and world to participate.
“When I’m in the open water, there’s a feeling of freedom I can’t find anywhere else,” says Julie Boxsell, Townsville nurse, distance swimmer, and visionary behind the Art Prize. “Our rivers and ocean fuel my body and my mental health. For me to be healthy, our waterways must be healthy.”
The exhibition features a diverse range of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and multimedia pieces, all inspired by the TOWSA swim, and by Townsville’s vibrant aquatic environments. It will run throughout the month at the Drill Hall Studio, providing a platform for artists to showcase their work and for the community to engage with the beauty and importance of our local waters.
Join us at the Drill Hall Studio to celebrate swimming and our local waterways, and look for the release of the 2024 Townsville Waterways Report Card on 19 July.
