Cream Town

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

The arts sector has been among the hardest hit by the global pandemic. As governments across the world restrict their citizens’ movements in an effort to control the situation, galleries, cinemas, theatres, museums, libraries and live-music venues have all been forced to close.

While all kinds of businesses have had to pivot in order to survive, those in the creative industries have one great advantage and it’s all in the moniker: creativity. By nature, artists have had to remain inventive in order to not only continue creating works of art but simply to survive, and so maybe in lots of ways they’ve been more prepared than anyone to cope with the challenges of 2020.

And for the rest of us less artistic types, it’s more evident than ever how much we all rely on art in times like these to feel safe, happy, entertained and fulfilled. How bleak isolation and, indeed, life would be without movies, music, literature and visual art!

One such innovative young artist is photographer Isaebella Doherty, who - at the very onset of the pandemic- pioneered Cream Town, which at that time was an online platform to help struggling artists to sell their work. The motivation was to make fine art prints accessible and affordable: all prints have a starting price of $100, with higher prices for larger sizes and framing. The artworks are printed locally in Brunswick at Hound & Bone Studio, framed by Icon Frames in Malvern East and can be posted Australia-wide and also internationally.

A few months down the track, the online art shop is still there, but, with the help of Bell’s family and tight knit circle of friends, is evolving into so much more. The team have found a bricks-and-mortar space in Castlemaine to house Cream Town: a gallery, café, produce store and events space. It will also be HQ to the family’s farm planning non-profit business Regrarians. Their broader aim is to create a hub for local businesses that are creatively, socially and environmentally progressive.

Here at Padre Coffee, we know that the best and most successful business relationships form over shared values and reciprocal commitment and support. We couldn’t be prouder to have partnered with the team at Cream Town and look forward to working together to create brighter futures for our communities.

If you’re local to the Goldfields region, head to Cream Town from opening day - August 1 2020, and enjoy a Padre Coffee in their beautiful space. For now, those of us in Melbourne will have to admire from afar!

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