Paull McKee and John Parkes

  Ararat Regional Art Gallery presents two distinct yet related exhibitions by Australia’s most prominent male textile artists, Paull McKee and John Parkes. Paull McKee's 'The Art of Repair' and John Parkes' 'Present in the Process' were presented from 30 January to 16 March 2014.

Paull and John have developed their practices on opposite sides of the Australian continent: John in Perth and Paull in Canberra.  At first glance what links them is the use of reclaimed materials. These similarities soon diverge through the artists’ different approaches to their materials. The artists share an immense respect for the utilitarian origin of cloth - highlighting remnant marks and signs of wear and tear - with reference to the relationships of cloth to memories, the body and the environment. You can view the catalogue online here.

John Parkes was in residence at the gallery from 31 January to 2 February 2014 and during his stay in Ararat he established a stitching circle in the gallery. John was mentored in Perth as a student by the late textile artist, Elsje van Keppel, and he remains a passionate champion of her legacy. This photo shows John with local resident Nolene Fraser admiring Elsje van Keppel's 'Equivocal Landscape' 1991-92 from the gallery's permanent collection. Nolene also brought with her a van Keppel piece from her own collection.

Master Potter John Eagle

'This is where I live' is an exhibition of recent ceramics by Ararat artist, John Eagle. John's association with Ararat began following his artist's residency at Marian College. This residency evolved in a teaching role and a move to Ararat with his wife Rosemary, who is also an artist specialising in printmaking. This exhibition features richly glazed ceramics informed by the landscape around Ararat, including Mount Langi Ghiran, Mount Cole and the Grampians National Park.

The plates featured in this exhibition are from a major body of work commissioned from an American collector. John explains the origins of the project: "John Jay is a Ford executive who spent several years living and working in Australia before returning to America 23 years ago. Before he left he commissioned a copper red stoneware dinner set from me. John insisted that it was entirely up to me to create and he wanted me to use it as an opportunity to produce something special and develop my work...This was the unique opportunity that artists dream about: a patron."

Initially John considered developing a body of work inspired by the iconic images of Australia, from desert to tropical rainforests and the ocean, but with his relocation to Ararat a new source of inspiration emerged. "Driving back and forth at all times of day and night in all seasons made me realise that right here was my reference; my inspiration," John said.

John Eagle is widely recognised for his contribution to ceramics in Victoria. A graduate of RMIT, he enjoyed early success when selected for inclusion in the seminal Victorian craft exhibition, Craft Victoria '75 at the National Gallery of Victoria. Following an initial teaching career, John dedicated himself to a life as a full time potter. His commitment to his craft during these formative years was vindicated when he received the National Bicentennial Art-Craft Award for Functional Pottery in 1988. John is regionally associated with Linton Pottery, which operated at Linton, near Ballarat, from 1997 to 2007. He is also known in wider ceramics circles through his writing, mentoring and the inclusion of his work in exhibitions at galleries in Australia and overseas. His prize-winning ceramics often feature a striking copper red glaze, which remains a signature aspect of his work to this day. The exhibition continues until 12 March 2014.

National Exposure for Ararat Collection

In 2013 we welcomed arts writer Bronwyn Watson to Ararat Regional Art Gallery.  Bronwyn viewed objects from the gallery's collection and wrote a series of articles for her Public Works column in The Weekend Australian.  Have a look at the links below to learn more about these works:

Mona Hessing 
Annemieke Mein 
Olga De Amaral 
Ewa Pachuka 
Kate Just 

Top 10

If you visit Ararat Regional Art Gallery in November 2013 you can help curate the exhibition, ‘Top 10: The People Curate the Permanent Collection’. A book presenting photographs of textile and fibre artworks from the permanent collection will be available for you to peruse. You can select your three favourite works and make a comment which could end up on a panel in the exhibition.

The ten artworks which receive the most votes will be exhibited to provide an historical context for appreciating the ‘Recent Acquisitions’ exhibition. There are some iconic works in the collection which are enduring in their popularity, but it will be interesting to see which ‘dark horses’ make the final cut. We hope you can be part of this exciting experiment! We’ll also be posting photos on our Facebook page, and we’d love you to join the conversation.

Last week we hosted a group of tapestry weavers (pictured), led by gallery advisory committee member Debbie Herd, who visited our current exhibitions and had access to the permanent collection. The ladies all cast their votes for the 'Top 10' exhibition. Photo: Wendy Stevens

Goya meets Todd

We were pleased to welcome the very charming Bianca Acimovic, Visual Arts Coordinator from Albury Art Gallery to Ararat Regional Art Gallery t on 9 October 2013. Bianca presented a floor talk about Francisco Goya's 'Los Caprichos' which is touring to Ararat from the AlburyCity collection. This exhibition features an early edition of 'Los Caprichos', a set of eighty-one etchings first published in 1799. It is one of the most influential series of graphic images in the history of Western Art. The arresting images in 'Los Caprichos' deal with such themes as the Spanish Inquisition, the corruption of the church and the nobility, witchcraft, child rearing, avarice, and the frivolity of young women. Its cast includes goblins, monks, aristocrats, prostitutes, and animals acting like human fools; these personages populate a world on the margins of reason, where no clear boundaries distinguish reality from fantasy.

Geoff Todd, 'The Goya Painting (2013), Acrylic & charcoal on canvas, 168cm x 214cm, Courtesy of the artist.

To coincide with and complement our presentation of the 'Los Caprichos' etchings, Ararat-based artist Geoff Todd was invited to respond to the exhibition which resulted in a major new painting which updates Goya's satirical vision of a corrupt society. Geoff’s new painting references Goya’s art and life as well as his own socially-engaged practice. Geoff presented an illustrated talk about his work and his affinity with Goya on 23 October at 6pm.

'Los Caprichos' and Geoff Todd's 'The Goya Painting' will be on show until 23 November 2013.

Sensorial Loop

Michelle Elliott installing her artwork, 'hemispheres, drawn to you, still' (2011) with the able assistance of Sue Kennedy. Photo: Wendy Stevens.

Image: Michelle Elliot, 'hemispheres: drawn to you' 2011, materials: cotton thread, paper, 2,000 hand-made wooden pins, 300 H x 180 W (variable)

We are installing the touring exhibition, 'Sensorial Loop: 1st Tamworth Textile Triennial' with our team. Pam Brown from Tamworth Regional Art Gallery visited Ararat to guide the installation of some fascinating and complex textile fibre works. Sydney artist Michelle Elliott was also with us installing her extraordinary work, 'hemispheres, drawn to you, still' (2011). This is the final presentation of this Tamworth Regional Gallery touring exhibition. We hope to see you this Saturday 17 August 2013 at 2pm for the exhibition opening. 'Sensorial Loop' will be opened by the curator Patrick Snelling, Program Director, School of Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University, Brunswick campus. Pam, Michelle and Sandra McMahon, Director of Tamworth Regional Art Gallery will also be in attendance together with some of the represented artists.

Permanent Collection

Yvonne Koolmatrie, ‘Large Eel Trap’ 2012, woven sedge, 224 x 49cm (variable), Purchased with Ararat Rural City Council annual allocation, 2012, Ararat Regional Art Gallery Collection, Photo: Chris Koolmatrie

We often receive enquiries about the Ararat Regional Art Gallery's permanent collection, but it is not possible to present a good representation of the collection at any one time. However, to mark our 45th birthday we recently presented collection works across all galleries in the 'Big Time' and 'Bold Beginnings' exhibitions and these shows attracted a very positive response. For locals it was a chance to revisit old friends, and for visitors from out of town a chance to get a very real sense of the collection's strengths and unique character. These exhibitions were enhanced by two articles which appeared in The Weekend Australian highlighting objects from the collection by Annemieke Mein and Olga De Amaral, offering considerable national exposure to Ararat.

The collection focus continues into winter with our current retrospective, 'Making Time: The Art of John Corbett 1974-2013'. John is one of Australia's foremost fibre artists and the most represented artist in the gallery's collection. The exhibition features 18 works of great diversity from quilts, embroideries and woven sculptures.

Community members can expect to see our program draw increasingly on the collection in the future.
Our summer programming will now annually feature collection based shows, with an exhibition of recent acquisitions planned for later this year. This will create a context to present recent acquisitions for the first time, including works by established fibre artists such as Nalda Searles and Diana Wood Conroy, alongside innovative contemporary works by Sebastian Di Mauro and Starlie Geikie.

Given the importance of weaving and fibre in Aboriginal culture, it is disappointing that Aboriginal fibre artists have long been underrepresented in the permanent collection. To correct this underrepresentation Yvonne Koolmatrie was commissioned to create one of her signature large eel traps to form the centrepiece of a sub-collection which will focus on the indigenous fibre art of South Eastern Australia.Yvonne Koolmatrie is a Ngarrindjerri woman and a pivotal figure in the rise of Aboriginal fibre craft since the 1980s, especially through highlighting the cultural importance of weaving to cultural continuity for Aboriginal people in South Australia and Victoria.

Her large eel trap was woven in the first half of 2012 in the artist's home town of Berri in South Australia, and the work features woven sedge which was harvested from the Murray River near her home.
This elegant eel trap will join other beautiful and intriguing art works in our recent acquisitions summer exhibition.