INSPIRE: Jo Wassell’s Women in Whaling exhibition set to shine a light on the stories of Albany’s women

Jo Wassell’s new exhibition Women in Whaling shines a light on an oft-overlooked group of Albany women and their experiences with the city’s whaling history. The whaling industry, and more specifically the end of it, is a well-known and widely quoted part of Albany’s history, with dozens of locals who were part of it still residing in the city. Wassell’s exhibition, hosted at Albany’s Historic Whaling Station, tells the stories of local women had a hand in building its legacy and brings their often-overlooked perspective to the fore. The artist moved to Albany in 2017, and said as an out-of-towner, was honoured to represent the women who had each played a role in a well-known part of Albany’s history and share their lives — if not a slightly daunting task. “I think I was a bit naive, going into it,” she said. “I knew that the whaling station is a huge tourist attraction, but it was only through doing this and speaking to the women that I understood what a huge industry it was, how important it was to the economy,” she said. “But also the sense of community here, and how, when it closed, very suddenly, the impact that that had on people.” One of the women included in the exhibition is Jill Bell, whose husband John worked as a spotter pilot for the whale chasing crews. The couple were later instrumental in transforming the whaling station into the widely visited museum and tourist attraction it is today. Another is Loretta Upton, who grew up at the whaling station while both of her parents worked for the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company. “Even though their lives have been shaped in some way by their connection to the whaling station, these women’s stories go far beyond that,” Wassell said. “The women are all very different, but the similarity was just their really great approaches to life. “There’s some difficult things that have happened in their lives, some loss and grief, but their attitudes and they way they approach life was quite inspiring to me. “I had the privilege of being invited into their homes, spent time with them, had conversations, and those conversations shaped the exhibition, and the content of the exhibition. “It was lovely to to meet them and spend time with them and hear what matters to them and what’s important in their lives.” Wassell spent time with each of the women and took photos of each of them to inform her portrait work. The portraits are drawn in pencil and charcoal, and feature only headshots from the shoulders up, offering an intimate connection with each subject. The exhibition will also showcase art pieces of objects or places that are important to each woman, making up an artistic map of each of their lives. “I took all the photos at the end of our conversations, when I had gotten to know them,” Wassell said of her process. “I chose photos that I felt captured something of their personality and something I felt in the time we spent together, so when I’m working on their portraits I’m hoping to capture that. “The exhibition space is just going to be taken up with these women and their lives in what is typically seen as a male industry. “When I look at my artistic practice, I am drawn to people’s stories or places or objects that are overlooked, and it was a real honour to be able to capture these women and show their lives and their impact on the whaling industry in Albany. The Women in Whaling exhibition opens at Albany’s Historic Whaling Station on April 2, and will be on show until the end of May.