Locals rally for Louise

While the news of a new park at Boyd is welcome news to Southbank, it has come at a cost for one of our most loved locals, artist Louise Baker.

The 88-year-old has been renting space at Boyd School Studios through the City of Melbourne’s Creative Spaces program for the past seven years.

With the former classroom block to be demolished in July to make way for the new park, a local effort has started to help Louise find a new space in the area to finish her art project, which explores the life and death of the tomato and its relationship to humanity.

Southbank Local News first met Louise in 2012 shortly after she first moved into the Boyd Studios.

A career fashion illustrator, Ms Baker has become a well-known figure at Boyd having originally taught her craft of fashion illustration out of the community hub. Since then, she has been working on her unique tomato art project, which she is still yet to finish.

In 2012, she provided us with what is now an ironic quote, which reflected her yearning to stay at Boyd School Studios for as long as possible.

“I don’t even care if the bulldozers have pulled half the building down, as long as my studio is still standing. I’ll still be there,” she said at the time.

True to her word, she remained at Boyd until the very last minute. Sadly, she is now desperately searching for a space to finish her work.

“I was given hardly any time. I have been working on one subject for seven years now and I thought that we had more time,” she said.

“I need somebody to support me because I’m being pushed around. Nobody has rung me to say I’m sorry you have to go. There’s been nothing. No ‘there are a few spaces available would you like to move to one?’… Nothing!”

The South Yarra resident first received official correspondence regarding the termination of her tenancy from commercial real estate services company Cushman & Wakefield on behalf of the City of Melbourne on February 22.

The letter informed Ms Baker and all other tenants occupying space at the Boyd Studios that they were required to vacate the premises by March 31. However, with demolition of the building not taking place until July, Ms Baker had thought she had more time.

Occupying two large rooms at the studios, which are packed to the rafters with her work, she found herself desperately searching for support last month to help her find space to finish her project.

“I’m either going to have a heart attack or burst into tears because I can’t cope. They (council) haven’t been nice to me. You know I’ve been a good tenant,” she said.

“It’s financially wrecked me because I’m so involved with what I’m doing I don’t earn any money so I’m trying to live on the pension. I just have to keep drawing on my savings but I’m determined to finish this tomato story.”

She describes her art project as a “poetic metamorphosis”, which captures the life and death of the tomato as it relates to humanity. Once complete, she said she hoped to obtain a grant to share her story.

After contacting Southbank Local News and the Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) last month, a community effort has started to help Louise find a new space to fulfill her artistic vision.

Thanks to a request from SRA, the City of Melbourne provided Louise with an extension of her tenancy until April 5, which allowed her time to organise removalists to relocate all of her work to a storage facility in South Melbourne.

Discussions have already been prompted among fellow artists, Creative Spaces, the City of Melbourne as well as a prominent local developer, in an effort to help her find the space she needs.

If you know of an available opportunity for a rentable studio in the local area, please email [email protected]