One of Brisbane’s hidden cultural gems, Adderton: house & heart of mercy, reopened to the public on Saturday 9 January 2021. An initiative of the Sisters of Mercy Brisbane Congregation, Adderton is located at 547 Ann Street within the historic All Hallows’ Convent visible from the Story Bridge.
Adderton Curator Linda Phillips, says Adderton: house & heart of mercy is a space for the community, focused on creativity, engagement, justice, learning, and reflection. One of Queensland’s oldest surviving residences, Adderton is welcoming visitors with new exhibitions, workshops and activities for the first time since COVID-19 forced its temporary closure last year.
The opening exhibition was a collaboration between artist Carol McGregor, Elders, knowledge-keepers, and community members, with a map capturing the history of Inala and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have shaped the area. He | She | They | Them | Us is a collaborative work by Aha Ensemble, Daniele Constance, and Phluxus2 Dance Collective that invites visitors to view others more deeply and reflect on their thoughts and ideas about other people.
The video portrait series explores visibility and invisibility – particularly for people living with visible and invisible disabilities – capacity and capability, acceptance, and difference. Young visitors can take part in free activities in the Mini Mercy children’s space and will receive a free, illustrated activity book, Fruit Salad, the adventurous tales of a Convent Cat, to complement a self-guided activity trail. Visitors of all ages are invited to see the tumbling teacups by artist Denise Faulkner and brew their unique “cup of kindness” to add to the new exhibition, A Cup of Mercy.
“Adderton: house & heart of mercy opened in August 2019 so is still a very new cultural destination,” Ms Phillips says. “When it unexpectedly closed this year, we saw an opportunity to present Adderton Everywhere, a program of exhibitions, workshops, events and activations in surprising public spaces including shopping centres, parks, markets, and vacant shopfronts throughout Brisbane.
Adderton’s reopening in 2021 marks a milestone year for the Sisters of Mercy Brisbane Congregation, the 160th anniversary of the Foundation of the Sisters of Mercy in Brisbane.
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