Virginia Kaiser's 'Outback Stories'

Virginia Kaiser, 'Shapes in the Landscape' 2010, Bulrushes & dyed rattan core x 4, muehlenbeckia & dyed rattan core x 1, Photo: Boris Hlavica












Participants in Virginia's two day workshop

Virginia Kaiser is an artist who employs a wide range of weaving techniques and natural fibre materials in her sculptures and baskets. Her current exhibition 'Outback Stories' is deeply informed by the landscape around Broken Hill where she presently lives. Her exhibition is presented at Ararat Regional Art Gallery until 8 August.

Virginia's life and work has been closely tied to the development of the craft movement in Australia and the practice of basketry in particular. She is widely recognised as a leader in contemporary Australian fibre art as an exhibiting artist, curator and mentor. 'Outback Stories’ is dedicated to some of the key influences in Virginia’s life, including South Australian basketry pioneer Jean Lange and American fibre artist Douglas Fuchs, who influenced the character of Australian basketry so profoundly during his Australian residency in the early 1980s. During her visit to Ararat, Virginia had a chance to see some of the fibre artworks in Ararat Regional Art Gallery’s permanent collection, including objects from Jean Lange, Douglas Fuchs, and many Australian basketmakers.

The launch of Virginia’s exhibition last Friday 2nd July 2010 began with an artist’s talk in the afternoon where she spoke about the development of contemporary Australian basketry. Following her talk, Virginia’s exhibition was officially opened by special guest Lindy Allen, Senior Curator, Anthropology (Northern Australia), Museum Victoria. Lindy spoke about Virginia’s influence on Australian fibre art and about the unique position that basketry holds as a means for dialogue between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

The exhibition opening was attended by many people with an interest in contemporary fibre art, including practicing basketmakers who travelled to Ararat from Melbourne, Sydney, and Regional Victoria and South Australia for the opening. A contingent of visitors also attended a weekend workshop presented by Virginia at the Allanvale Homestead’s Shearers Quarters, between Ararat and Great Western. Participants were thrilled to have completed several baskets during the workshop, as part of their introduction to this ancient craft.

Flames of Creation: The Pottery of John Eagle

Top: L-R John Eagle, Janette Todd, Rosemary Eagle

'Flames of Creation' was officially opened at the gallery on Saturday 22nd May at 2pm. It is an exhibition highlighting the 40 year career achievement of ceramicist John Eagle. Now based in Ararat, John Eagle is widely recognised for his contribution to ceramics in Victoria, including through his pursuit of excellence in functional pottery. The exhibition was opened by special guest Janette Todd, an exceptional artist in her own right, who has known John for a number of years. The opening was attended by over eighty people including Cr Andrea Marian, local pottery enthusiasts as well as a number of visitors to the area.

A graduate of RMIT, John enjoyed early success when selected for inclusion in the seminal Victorian craft exhibition, Craft Victoria '75 at the National Gallery of Victoria. In the 1970s, John dedicated himself to a life as a potter. In 1988 John was awarded the National Bicentennial Art-Craft award for Functional Pottery.

'Flames of Creation' presents a range of objects that track John's growth as a potter over a forty year period, revealing pivotal breakthroughs in his throwing and glazing techniques. Many of these featured objects are treasured possessions of the artist; other signature pieces have been sourced from a range of private collections. Also included is a new ceramic installation 'Garden of Creation' ,"based on the memory of annuals that used to flower every Spring at Linton', which was created especially for this exhibition. 'Flames of Creation' continues until June 27 2010.

Ochre, bark, fibre, wood

Above: Guests at the opening; Below (l to r) Elizabeth Crauford, Ian Mitchell and Ted Lovett at the opening.

Last Thursday we were was pleased to open our latest exhibition, 'Ochre, bark, fibre, wood: The art of Arnhem Land from the collection of the Art Gallery of Ballarat'. The opening was well attended and guests had the opportunity preview the exhibition as well as hear opening remarks from indigenous Elder, Mr Ted Lovett, and Director of the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Mr Gordon Morrison.

The exhibition is curated by Mr Morrison and is the first travelling survey of Ballarat's Arnhem Land collection since it was established in 2004. Mr Morrison gained a deeper appreciation of the art of Arnhem Land through a research trip funded by the Gordon Darling Foundation in May 2005, which enabled him to spend five days at Yirrkala and five days at Maningrida. Meeting artists and learning about the cultural context in which they created their work profoundly informed Mr Morrison's approach to establishing this new area of collection at Ballarat. Mr Morrison commented that, "although Arnhem Land is an integral part of Australia, travelling to this part of the Northern Territory can seem like travelling to another country. It is not just a matter of the physical remoteness of the region; this is a place where indigenous languages - and there are many of them - are still spoken and where age old customs, tribal law, ceremonies and art are still part of everyday life".

Bark paintings and fibre works rarely tour due to their fragility, so we are indeed fortunate that the Art Gallery of Ballarat has so generously shared its collection with us. The exhibition brings together exquisite bark paintings and majestic wood and fibre sculptures from 'the Top End'. It provides a rare opportunity for people to learn about the rich indigenous culture from this beautiful and remote part of Australia. The exhibition continues until Sunday 16 May.

Jukebox Paintbox Exhibition

Bernadine Streeter (centre) with members of the Jailhouse Rock committee.













Marcella Crowley and Bernadine Streeter announcing the winners.

Ararat Regional Art Gallery's staff were pleased to welcome 40 community members to the launch of the Jailhouse Rock Festival last Wednesday. The launch was an opportunity to celebrate the festival's commencement and enabled the Jailhouse Rock Festivals committee to thank its many friends and supporters. This gathering also provided a great opportunity to introduce community members to the Gallery's current Jailhouse Rock exhibition 'Jukebox Paintbox'. This community access exhibition is our contribution to the 2010 Festival program and builds on last year's successful community exhibition, 'Discard to Disc Art'.

The concept behind 'Jukebox Paintbox' was that people respond artistically to a classic rock'n'roll song from a jukebox playlist. Each entrant was provided with a small canvas as part of their challenge and artists of all abilities were encouraged to enter their work. There was no selection process as the exhibition is essentially about promoting participation in the visual arts with everyone encouraged to have a go. A few prizes were on offer to keep things interesting. Sue Kennedy of Pomonal took out the $150 open prize for her painting, 'Tutti Frutti (after Arcimboldo)'. Sue's work was selected as the winning work by local artist, Carolyn Thomas, who is also the director of Off the Beaten Track Wine and Art Gallery in Buangor.

Carolyn was especially taken by Sue's homage to the Italian Mannerist painter, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who is known for his intriguing portraits of people whose images are made entirely out of fruit and vegetables. In this case, Sue's portrait captured the likeness of Little Richard, who is famous as the singer and composer of 'Tutti Frutti'. The Jailhouse Rock Festival director's award was judged by Bernadine Streeter and presented to Rosemary Wilson for her painting, 'Blueberry Hill at the Central Hotel'. Bernadine presented her award to the painting that she felt best captured the character of the Jailhouse Rock Festival.

Both judges were full of praise for those who contributed to this fun and colourful exhibition celebrating rock'n'roll culture. The People's Choice Award is being tallied today following the receipt of many votes over the festival weekend. The winner of the award will receive a voucher from Blue Whippet Art Supplies. The exhibition continues until March 28.

Tea Party: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria

Dr Morna Sturrock AM officially opening 'Tea Party'

Last Thursday evening a crowd of around 100 people attended the launch of Ararat Regional Art Gallery's latest exhibition, "Tea Party: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria". The exhibition includes objects from the Gallery's own collection, historic tea cosies and aprons from the Embroiderers Guild's collection, contemporary tea cosies by guest artists and works borrowed from public and private collections.

A highlight of the exhibition is an afternoon tea table setting made by the Guild's Ararat branch members featuring knitted, crocheted, felted and embroidered cakes, sandwiches, slices and, of course, tea cosies. Many of the women who contributed to this project were in attendance at the opening to celebrate the completion and unveiling of their amazing collaborative artwork.

The opening attracted a strong contingent of Embroiderers Guild members from across Victoria, including representatives from the executive committee, its entire 50th anniversary sub-committee and members of branches in Geelong, Hamilton, Ballarat and as far as Mildura. Many people heading home from the Grampians Texture textile event at Halls Gap also stopped by to attend the opening.

We were especially honoured to welcome two distinguished guest speakers at the opening - Dr Morna Sturrock AM and Janet de Boer OAM, who are both well-known and highly respected textile art identities. Their respective opening remarks were warmly received by the large audience and provided a valuable context for appreciating 'Tea Party' and its contribution to the Guild's state-wide celebration. The exhibition continues until 4 April.

Y Now - VCE Exhibition Opening

Participating Artists at the Exhibition Opening

Last Saturday we were pleased to host the opening of our new exhibition Y Now. The exhibition features 2009 VCE visual art graduates from the Ararat and Pyrenees region. It was a great opportunity for the young people of our community to see their work exhibited in a professional environment. Gallery Director Mr Anthony Camm offered words of encouragement for the young artists in his opening speech. The exhibition was attended by around 70 people including family and friends of the artists, members of the Gallery, VCE art teacher, Mr John Eagle, and principal of Marian college, Mr John Crowley.

The exhibition features works from the students of Ararat Community College, Stawell Secondary College and Marian College Ararat. The young artists have used a range of methods and materials including, oil paint, canvas, textiles, paper mache, photography, Raku pottery and drawing. The subject of the artworks include local issues such as the impact of bushfires, whimsical themes like fairies, as well as exploring the more serious issues of relationships and drug addiction.

The VCE exhibition forms a major part of our community arts programming for the year, launched for the first time in 2009, and the success of this show will ensure its place on the Gallery calendar in future years. An important initiative for our young people. The exhibition will be open until February 21, 2010.

58th Blake Prize Touring Exhibition

Above: (l to r) Mrs Penny Hawker, Hon David Hawker MP, exhibiting artist Dianne Coulter and Gallery Director Anthony Camm; Mr Hawker addressing the audience at the opening.

We were very pleased to welcome Member for Wannon, the Hon David Hawker MP, to officially open the 58th Blake Prize Touring Exhibition last Saturday afternoon. The exhibition comes to Ararat direct from its unveiling in Sydney. We also welcomed Blake Prize Finalist and Winner of the inaugural Human Justice Award, Dianne Coulter, who provided closing remarks.

Presented by the Blake Society, named after the visionary artist and poet William Blake, the Blake Prize was established in 1951 to encourage artists to create significant works of art with religious content. Today the Blake Prize attracts fresh, contemporary expressions of spirituality, with artists extending the envelope to encompass a wide diversity of religious expression that make up the landscape of belief in Australia.

The touring exhibition features the work of 30 finalists including the winning work 'Rapture (silent anthem)' – a silent video created by Angelica Mesiti. Filmed from a concealed position under the stage at the Big Day Out music festival, Mesiti’s video captures the ecstatic faces of young music fans and intriguingly connects a contemporary cultural moment with art historical references and Christian iconography.

The Gallery is pleased to be the exclusive Victorian presenter of this exhibition and anticipates strong attendances due to the Blake Prize’s high profile as one of Australia’s leading art prizes. The exhibition continues until 16 January 2010.