The Shilo project comes to Ararat

Ararat Regional Art Gallery launched its newest exhibition, 'The Shilo project', last Friday afternoon to an appreciative audience. 'The Shilo project' is a NETS Victoria touring exhibition developed by the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne, and is curated by its Director, Dr Chris McAuliffe.

An iconic album cover from the 1970s, Neil Diamond's 'Shilo' is the stmulus for this exhibition which explores the introcate relationship between pop music and contemporary art. The original album cover featured an innovative join-the-dot image of Neil Diamond, inviting fans to complete their own portrait. 100 leading contemporary artists were invited to respond to the artistic challenge posed by the do-it-yourself 'Shilo' album cover.

'The Shilo project' is fascinating both in terms of the surprising artistic responses that emerged from the chellenge, but also for its innovative and inclusive exhibition design. Vicitors to the exhibition can leaf through racks of Neil Diamond album covers as if they are visiting a record store. They can even pull up a bean bag, relax and play the 'Shilo' album on a record player as part of the exhibition experience.

We were very pleased to welcome the exhibition's curator, Dr Chris McAuliffe, to Ararat last Friday to speak about the ideas informing 'The Shilo project' and the process involved in developing this intriguing exhibition. Dr McAuliffe's talk was followed by an exhibition opening reception where people had a chance to view the exhibition and enjoy the 'Shilo' album. Local artists who contributed their own Shilo album covers to the Ararat presentation of the exhibition were also in attendance.

Nalda Searles Visits Ararat

l to r, Christina McGuiness and Nalda Searles with Ararat Regional Art Gallery Director, Anthony Camm

On Friday 1 April 2011, we were honoured to welcome the esteemed contemporary fibre artist Nalda Searles to Ararat Regional Art Gallery for a series of events that concluded our presentation of the ART ON THE MOVE touring exhibition 'Nalda Searles - Drifting in My Own Land'. Nalda travelled from Perth with exhibition coordinator, Christine McGuiness, to present an artist's talk and attend an exhibition closing reception. We were thrilled that during her brief visit Nalda was able to share her prespective on fibre art through an intensive workshop for a small group of participants. Visitors came from far and wide to participate in the workshop which was held in the Shearer's Quarters at Allanvale Homestead. The gallery will hold future workshops at Allanvale. If you would like to receive advanced notice of future workshops please subscribe to the gallery's e-newsletter.

About Time in Horsham

(l to r) Anthony Camm, Mardi Nowak and Adam Harding at Horsham Regional Art Gallery ( l to r: tapestries by Valerie Kirk, Kate Derum and Gerda van Hamond)

Our touring exhibition, 'About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975-2005' was officially opened at Horsham Regional Art Gallery on Sunday 20 February at 3pm. The exhibition looks great in the gallery's temporary home. It was nice to see many people from Horsham's textile community in attendance and the inclusion of a Horsham community tapestry at the entrance to the exhibition was a nice reminder of the importance of the community tapestry movement in the studio tapestry story. Horsham Regional Art Gallery Director, Adam Harding was a great host and with his colleague Michael Shiell has done a great job in presenting and promoting the show.

We are thrilled that Mardi Nowak, who is an artist-weaver featured in 'About Time', has agreed to deliver public programs to support the exhibition's tour throughout regional Victoria. The day after the opening, Mardi presented a very successful talk in Horsham to over 50 high school students from across the Wimmera. Thanks Mardi! Mardi is also Curator of the Town Hall Gallery in Hawthorn.

The 'About Time' catalogue essays are now available to read on-line at Craft Victoria's 'Craft Culture' respository of craft writing. Ararat Regional Art Gallery Director, Anthony Camm's essay provides a response to the works in the show and their place in the rise of the studio tapestry movement. Essays by notable artist-weavers, Professor Kay Lawrence AM, Sara Lindsay and Hilary Green, from a section of the catalogue called, 'Reflections from the Field', can also be read on-line.

The Horsham show closes on 6 March, after which the exhibition will travel to Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery (1 July-14 Aug)and Central Goldfields Art Gallery in Maryborough (4 Sept-9 Oct). 'About Time' is funded by the Regional Exhibitions Touring Initiative and its catalogue is sponsored by the Gordon Darling Foundation.

Nalda Searles - Drifting in My Own Land

Debby and Mark installing Nalda Searles' 'Loitering at the Dancehall' (2008)

'Nalda Searles - Drifting in My Own Land' - an ART ON THE MOVE touring exhibition - will open at Ararat Regional Art Gallery tomorrow and will continue until 3 April 2011. We have just finished installing the exhibition and have had a lot of fun discovering Nalda's different artworks hidden in the many crates that carried them across the Nullabor to Ararat, which is the first gallery beyond Western Australia to present the exhibition. Nalda's exhibition will appeal to people interested in both surface design in textiles and the sculptural use of fibre materials. This is an exhibition that will no doubt attract many visitors given Nalda's profile in the textile/fibre art world.

Nalda Searles is a living icon of Western Australian art. For nearly thirty years she has been an innovator in the use of native plant fibres and found objects from the environment for the production of fibre-textiles, sculpture and installation artworks. Her exhibition is an expression of identity in relation to physical and social landscape. She has drawn on her own life, memories of her parents and the experiences of numerous regional women she has known in the gradual development of the twenty one exhibition works on view.

Nalda will travel to Ararat for a closing reception on Friday 1 April at 6pm, which will feature closing remarks from exhibition project coordinator, Christina McGuinness. Prior to the official closing, Nalda will present a free artist's talk at 4.30pm.

Ararat Regional Art Gallery will also offer an intensive residential workshop with Nalda Searles from 1 to 3 April 2011. The workshop will be held at Allanvale Shearers’ Quarters, located on a magnificent working sheep property, in the vicinity of the Great Western wineries and within a half‐hour scenic drive to the Grampians. The fee is $330 (including GST) per person, which includes the two day workshop, including materials, basic twin‐share accommodation and meals, including a Saturday night catered dinner. There are only a few places remaining and payment in advance is required to secure a place. For information and application forms, phone
(03) 5352 2836 or email: gallery@ararat.vic.gov.au

For more information about Nalda you can visit her blogs: Fodder for Making and The Stringmakers, or read an Artlink review of 'Nalda Searles - Driting in My Own Land' by textile artist and writer, Holly Story.

The national tour of this exhibition is managed by ART ON THE MOVE. This exhibition is supported by Visions of Australia, an Australian Government program supporting touring exhibitions by providing funding assistance for the development and touring of Australian cultural material across Australia.

Celebrating the Glover Legacy

The daughters of Eileen and John H. Glover, (l to r) Margie Glover, Ellie McCutcheon and Cate Whitehead, with opening speaker, David Crofts.

Ararat Regional Art Gallery officially opened it's latest exhibition, 'Parallel Lives: The Art of Eileen Glover and John H. Glover' on Thursday, 13 January 2011 at 6pm. 'Parallel Lives' is a tribute and celebration of the lives and work of Eileen and John H. Glover, well-known community identities in Stawell and across the Western region, who died in 2007. Despite a very wet evening - and the floods that subsequently followed - people travelled from far and wide to celebrate the exhibition opening. Melbourne-based writer and friend of the Glover family, David Crofts, provided opening remarks that were marvelously evocative and gave a sense of Eileen and John's respective and shared personal and artistic journeys.

'Parallel Lives' has its genesis in conversations between the artist's three daughters about their parents' creative lives and the rich legacy and influence it has had on them and their individual creativity. The exhibition spans 60 years of art making and includes paintings, drawings and mixed media works dating back to the 1930s. The exhibition features a range of journals and artist's books produced by Eileen and John early in their artistic lives, and these are a real highlight. An extraordinary comic book depicting the Australian countryside is an early example of Eileen's life-long interest in horses serving as source material for her art. John is represented by a number of journals, including one from 1934 that was completed while he was resident at the Boy's Training Farm, Tally-Ho. The journal shows a sketch from a photograph of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was opened in 1932. John was to later draw the newly constructed bridge on-site after riding his bicycle from Melbourne to Sydney in 1937, and this drawing is also featured in the exhibition. This is just one of the fascinating stories that emerge when viewing 'Parallel Lives' - an exhibition that aims to capture the spirit of Eileen and John's life-long commitment to art that was passionately pursued from their youth to their later years. The exhibition continues until 13 February 2011.

Y Now

Meg Harrington, Alex Prockter and Hamish Harrington at the exhibition opening.

The Mayor Cr Andrea Marian officially opened 'Y Now: 2010 VCE Graduate Exhibition' on 16 December 2010 at 6pm. The Mayor provided her opening remarks to a large crowd including secondary school principals, teachers and community representatives and, of course, the participating young artists and their families and friends. The exhibition opening provided an opportunity for the community to join in celebrating the students' talents and achievements in the visual arts and the conclusion of their VCE studies. The opening of 'Y Now' coincided with the announcement of VCE results and there was much excitement and discussion about future plans for study and careers.

This is the third time an annual celebration of VCE graduates has been presented at the Ararat Regional Art Gallery. It has taken some time to develop this event, but the success of the 2010 exhibition has established this VCE celebration as a core part of the Gallery's community programming. Eleven young artists from across the region feature in 'Y Now' representing their respective schools, Marian College Ararat, Donald High School, Lake Bolac College or Ararat College. This year's exhibition features many impressive artworks in a range of mediums including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics and textiles. The young artists have explored diverse subject areas including fairy tales, childhood themes, animals and nature and social justice issues. Some students have also presented their work in applied art areas such as fashion and theatre design. Journals from some of the exhibitors are on display as well, and these provide a sense of the process involved in creating the artworks featured in the exhibition.

Rainbow Love

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Artist Cath Johnston and Jules Walker, Community Development & Health Promotion Manager for Grampians Community Health.

Ararat Rural City Mayor, Cr Andrea Marian officially opened Cath Johnston's exhibition, Rainbow Love on Thursday 9 December 2010 at 6pm. The opening was one of our new Mayor's first official engagements. Cr Marian spoke passionately about the struggle to receive equal rights and recognition for gay and lesbian people, with reference to Cath's exhibition and interactive 'Rainbow Love' sculpture. Cath's exhibition is deeply informed by her personal circumstances and values and its creation is motivated by a desire to break down prejudices in the community towards the recognition of same sex relationships.

'Rainbow Love' presents the idea of 'Love' in a sculptural form. Integral to this interactive artwork is the tying of rainbow ribbons by gallery visitors on to each of the sculptural letters that form the word "Love'. Cath said, "I have created this installation in support of the designation of 2011 as a year of action for equal love". Cath chose the word 'Love' for her sculpture because she feels it is "the unifying ethos by which all change, tolerance, acceptance, hope, equality and positivity evolve". In the introductory panel to the exhibition she writes, "We are all equal in love. My personal wish is that one day very soon all gay, lesbian, bisexual, trangender and intersex (GLBTI) people will be able to legitimise their love for one another by law. She then asks the viewer, 'What is your hope for our shared future?' ".