Perched on the roof of Morningside’s 100-year-old School of Arts Hall, a metal ibis stands guard—its beak thrust forward and paintbrush clenched in one wing, it is like a modern-day gargoyle.
The sculpture is the work of Brisbane artist Ryan Forster who was commissioned to mark the hall’s centenary. It is a fitting tribute for a building that has survived a century through sheer local persistence.
Forster’s ibises began life as guerrilla art. “Three years ago, I’d just make one and stick it somewhere,” he said.
One famously landed atop the XXXX Brewery, where Forster posted a video daring beer bosses to keep it. The brewery relented, and the bird stayed.
Today, more than a hundred bin chickens sit atop rooftops and shopfronts citywide—each tailored to the business below.
For celebrated Brisbane artist Debra Hood, saving the building—affectionately known as “The Mornsie”—is a deeply personal battle. Hood founded the Southside Art Market at the hall in 2016 after witnessing the building’s slow decline.
“A lot of the work we’ve carried out is invisible,” Hood said. “People think, ‘Well, what have you done?’ but that’s where the hard yakka goes.”
In the past year alone, the community has raised around $60,000 for critical but hidden necessities: new electrics, plumbing, and protecting the foundations from moisture.
However, the total restoration bill sits at around $250,000. External repainting will cost nearly $95,000, internal work another $65,000, and essential disability access and air-conditioning—at a further $65,000—would finally allow the hall to remain a year-round hub.
Art shows, markets, and gigs all help fund the effort. Last Remembrance Day, poppies made from melted vinyl records hung from the trees, with passers-by stopping for a minute’s silence. The brick-and-timber building has hosted everything from community fêtes to a performance by the Bee Gees in their early years.
Owned by the community through the Morningside School of Arts Incorporated Association, the hall is protected by a Brisbane City Council heritage overlay.
Hood’s vision for the next five years is ambitious. “Our dream is to make it a vibrant space for the whole community,” she said. “It would be lovely to generate theatre, music, fine arts, sculpture—everything.”
To commemorate this milestone, local stories have been compiled into Hood’s coffee-table book, 100 Years, 100s of Stories. The volume features photographs, memories, and artwork.
Support the restoration via a GoFundMe page at https://shorturl.at/2HUjN
