Dates: Friday, 30 August – Friday, 27 September
Times: 9:30am – 2:30pm, Monday to Friday
Entry: FREE
Venue: Hills Hub, Emerald
Exhibition statement:
The idea for Hills with Heart has been in development since the 2020 Victorian storms. The artist wanted to support those effected and their greater community, at a time when many felt quite helpless. When one of the volunteers had a tree come down on their own home while out helping others, that was when Tracey Sharp felt that she didn’t just want to do something, but needed to.
The Hills with Heart project invited local Hills families to participate in a charity photoshoot. The $100 participation fee was donated in full to either the CFA or the SES, at the choice of each individual family.
Artist statement:
Tracey Sharp in the daughter of a career fireman who continued to serve his community by volunteering with the SES after retirement. Inspired by the dedication of all those like her dad, she created the Hills with Heart project to give back to those who give so much, raising money for the CFA and SES.
“Dad gave me my first camera, and my second, sparking a lifelong passion for capturing the beauty in everyday moments. These small joys, like the first blossoms of spring, bubbles swirling in my favourite coffee cup, or the warm embrace of a child are what keep me grounded in life.
We often take these moments for granted, but just like the baby you once held in your arms, they eventually slip away. My goal is to seize these moments while I can for my own family, and for others.”
Family is everything to Sharp, and home is her absolute happy place. Life for a mum of teenage boys can be chaotic—especially when trying to capture photos of them! But that chaos is part of what makes life beautiful.
The artist often hears, “We’re too busy to book a session right now,” or “I want to lose some weight first.” To which, she responds with, “Who cares? This is you right now.
“I believe in capturing and celebrating this present moment, the essence of who you are today, preserving the love and emotion, so that one day, your children will cherish these moments too. Family portraits are timeless memories, a way to hold onto who we are, this very moment in time.
While I was working on the Hills with Heart project, dad passed away. I had planned to share a newspaper article about the project with him as a Christmas gift, but life had other plans. This experience has only deepened my commitment to capturing life’s fleeting moments, because we never know when they will be gone.”
To learn more about my work, please visit her website here.
This project is proudly funded by a Cardinia Arts Small Change Grant 2023.
Artwork credit: Tracey Sharp, Thompson Family Sep 2023, digital photograph, 2023 (detail)