Connect 5

Connect 5 is the collective name of five female artists from the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, who meet regularly to enjoy and share their artistic experiences by collaborating in their artwork.

Susan Jacobs, Heather Noonan, Marion Power, Kathleen Townsend and Marie Turner are from varied backgrounds, with a range of life experiences including isolation, brutality, health issues, travels and families. Thus a focus became the communal spirit and strength of women to help each other, with the added bonus of also being artists. The power of the collective female psyche is significant.

The collaborative works usually, but not always, start with simple concepts. Taking inspiration from the environment and community and drawing on the varied backgrounds and personalities involved, artworks evolve to a point of completion. They experiment with different modes of working to keep their approach fresh and exciting. They might work together on the one canvas; or they might start work in unison on individual canvasses and then pass each canvas on to the next person to continue, until all five works have input from all five members; or they might work individually on smaller pieces then put them together to form a combined artwork.

All five have art qualifications from tertiary institutions and pursue their individual art interests as well. The initial motivation to work as a group was to learn from each other; an experience that has proved to be a successful and joyful connection. By working together on group projects, the varied styles combine to create energetic and resolved pieces of art.

Successful exhibitions have resulted from these combined talents and Connect 5 chooses to contribute to the community by supporting and donating part of proceeds to various charities, such as the Cancer Foundation and Camp Quality. Charities are selected according to personal ideals of the Connect 5 members.