Inquiry Into Australia's Indigenous Visual Arts

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Inquiry Into Australia's Indigenous Visual Arts Introduction Report of the Contemporary Visual Arts and Craft Inquiry Introduction page 2 page 3 Introduction Report of the Contemporary Visual Arts and Craft Inquiry page 2 page 3 Introduction Disclaimer This report was developed for the Commonwealth by the Contemporary Visual Arts and Craft Inquiry. It draws on information, opinions and advice provided by a variety of individuals and organisations during the Inquiry. This report does not necessarily refl ect the views of the Commonwealth or indicate its commitment to a particular course of action. © Commonwealth of Australia 2002 ISBN 0 642 75095 5 Online ISBN 0 642 75101 5 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth available from the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to: The Commonwealth Copyright Administration Intellectual Property Branch Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601 Telephone: 02 6271 1000 Facsimile: 02 6271 1800 Email: [email protected] Website: www.dcita.gov.au Produced by the Commonwealth Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. page II page III Introduction Transmittal Letter page II page III page IV page V CONTENTS Chairman’s preamble 1 Executive summary 5 Recommendations 11 Chapter 1 Introduction 21 Background 21 Terms of reference 21 Conduct of the Inquiry 22 Submissions 24 Structure of the Report 25 Implementation issues 26 Acknowledgments 27 Chapter 2 The contemporary visual arts and craft sector—an overview 29 Defi ning and measuring the sector 30 Nomenclature 30 Statistical limitations 31 Visual artists, crafts practitioners and artsworkers 32 Education and training 33 Infrastructure: key organisations and institutions 34 Audiences for contemporary visual arts and craft 36 Commercial market 37 Funding sources 38 Cultural diversity 42 Economic contribution of the contemporary visual arts and craft sector 42 Cultural and creative contribution 45 Guiding principles 55 page IV page V Chapter 3 Valuing artists 57 The visual artist and craft practitioner population 58 Artists’ incomes 59 Education and training 61 Graduates and emerging artists 73 Relationship between the artist and the commercial galleries 81 Artists’ fees, loan fees and exhibition fees 84 The individual artist and new technology 87 Funding for artists 92 Status of the artist 99 Professional status and taxation 106 Social security 114 The work environment for visual arts and craft practitioners 119 Insurance 126 Artists and intellectual property—copyright 130 Indigenous cultural and intellectual property 150 Resale royalty 158 Estate planning 171 Chapter 4 Strengthening the infrastructure 175 Contemporary arts organisations 176 Craft and design organisations 188 Art and craft centres 198 Artist-run initiatives 202 Major art museums 207 Regional galleries 210 University art galleries 214 Artists service organisations and associations 215 New technology 223 Art administrators and curators 227 page VI page VII Chapter 5 Expanding the market 233 Audiences for contemporary visual arts and craft 233 The commercial market 238 Promotion and access through touring 249 Major contemporary visual arts and craft events 261 International promotion and exchange 267 Promotion through Artbank 275 Contemporary art and craft writing and publishing 297 Special projects 285 Chapter 6 Resourcing the sector 291 Role of governments in supporting the contemporary visual arts and craft sector 291 Policy objectives and targeting by governments 293 Interrelationships, coordination, targeting and opportunities for new synergies 312 Private sector support 316 Broadening the funding base 328 Appendix A Biography of Rupert Myer 343 Appendix B Consultations and conferences 344 Appendix C Indigenous Reference Group 351 Appendix D Key references 352 Appendix E Submissions 369 Appendix F Glossary of acronyms 373 Appendix G Derivation of value added estimates for the contemporary visual arts and craft sector 374 Appendix H Tertiary institutions offering courses in visual arts and craft 378 Appendix I Types of insurance cover for visual artists and crafts practitioners, and arts organisations 380 Appendix J Resale royalty 382 Appendix K Key organisations in the contemporary visual arts and craft sector 388 Appendix L Australia Council and State and Territory government funding of the contemporary visual arts and craft sector, 1999–2000 397 Appendix M Overseas philanthropy 398 Appendix N Inquiry Secretariat 400 page VI page VII page VIII page 1 CHAIRMAN’S PREAMBLE This has been a timely Inquiry. It follows on from recent detailed reports and policy initiatives covering other arts sectors as well as a number of reports undertaken by the contemporary visual arts and craft sector. Many of the issues are complex and have required detailed analysis. Enthusiastic support for this Inquiry has ensured that the visual arts and craft communities have signifi cantly contributed to the future shape and direction of the sector as contemplated by this Report. In imagining the future, it is relevant to consider the development of the Australian fi lm industry, particularly over the last decade. After many years of strategic investment and planning, that industry is reaping the benefi ts of a healthy slate of local feature fi lms, television drama and other productions. Few now question the value of the public investment that has supported and continues to support this creative industry. We celebrate the success of both the industry and the individuals whose roles have contributed to the essence of our nation’s culture. Many of those individuals emphasise the importance of their professional training, access to opportunities to display their talents and the role of publicly funded investment as the key elements of this industry’s development. The associated benefi ts of employment opportunities, related economic and investment activity, tourism developments and the nurturing of our nation’s creative talents are widely discussed. The key to these observations is that they are relevant across the whole of the creative arts sector. The challenge is to maintain and develop a contemporary visual arts and craft sector bristling with vitality and built upon the multiple talents, imagination and commitment of independent artists and craft practitioners. With well-targeted cooperative public investment and a supportive legislative environment, the contemporary visual arts and craft sector can move rapidly to consolidate its current position and further evolve to become bolder and more inventive, providing greater opportunities for its participants. Such a vision requires well resourced organisations confi dent in their business models with managements committed to promoting artists and exciting audience responses. It is possible to imagine a future for the sector where artists and craft practitioners enjoy a higher status within the community, where they are faced with fewer economic uncertainties, where there are greater opportunities to exhibit and sell works of art and where the fi nancial and market success of their work is not taken as the sole measure of quality. It is also imaginable that effective advocacy for the sector, publication programs and on-going research and development with new creative disciplines would be valued activities. In such an environment, multiple pathways for artists to follow during their lives would involve ongoing formal and informal learning and skills development, mutually benefi cial interaction with the marketplace, audiences and their peers and greater access to publicly and privately funded project activities. The keen remembrance of generation old practices and policies would be replaced by an appreciable enthusiasm for new models of Commonwealth, State and Territory funding and a signifi cantly expanded role for private benefaction and sponsorship. page VIII page 1 Building on the strength of core government support, it is possible to imagine the sector well supported by an increasing number of private organisations and individual benefactors. In this scenario, there would be many prospective partnerships promoting Australia’s visual culture at signifi cant international events, bilateral exhibitions and events principally for local audiences. This Report proposes policies intended to increase the fi nancial support provided for individual artists and their supporting infrastructure from corporate sponsorship and private philanthropy. This is not intended as a substitute for government support but as a critical supplement. The successful implementation of new policy initiatives requires the sector to respond with an energetic view of itself and its own potential. The possibilities for such an energised future are already evident in many of the current trends. Throughout its consultations around the country, the Inquiry observed the sector’s vibrancy and sophistication. It is also clear that the participants have a strong will to contribute to the sector’s successful development. The growth of the demand for tertiary arts courses, the cultural and commercial appreciation of Indigenous art and the developments in copyright and moral rights contribute to this observation. In addition, capital investment in infrastructure across metropolitan and regional centres, increased
Recommended publications
  • Emu Island: Modernism in Place 26 August — 19 November 2017
    PenrithIan Milliss: Regional Gallery & Modernism in Sydney and InternationalThe Lewers Trends Bequest Emu Island: Modernism in Place 26 August — 19 November 2017 Emu Island: Modernism in Place Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest 1 Spring Exhibition Suite 26 August — 19 November 2017 Introduction 75 Years. A celebration of life, art and exhibition This year Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest celebrates 75 years of art practice and exhibition on this site. In 1942, Gerald Lewers purchased this property to use as an occasional residence while working nearby as manager of quarrying company Farley and Lewers. A decade later, the property became the family home of Gerald and Margo Lewers and their two daughters, Darani and Tanya. It was here the family pursued their individual practices as artists and welcomed many Sydney artists, architects, writers and intellectuals. At this site in Western Sydney, modernist thinking and art practice was nurtured and flourished. Upon the passing of Margo Lewers in 1978, the daughters of Margo and Gerald Lewers sought to honour their mother’s wish that the house and garden at Emu Plains be gifted to the people of Penrith along with artworks which today form the basis of the Gallery’s collection. Received by Penrith City Council in 1980, the Neville Wran led state government supported the gift with additional funds to create a purpose built gallery on site. Opened in 1981, the gallery supports a seasonal exhibition, education and public program. Please see our website for details penrithregionalgallery.org Cover: Frank Hinder Untitled c1945 pencil on paper 24.5 x 17.2 Gift of Frank Hinder, 1983 Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest Collection Copyright courtesy of the Estate of Frank Hinder Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest 2 Spring Exhibition Suite 26 August — 19 November 2017 Introduction Welcome to Penrith Regional Gallery & The of ten early career artists displays the on-going Lewers Bequest Spring Exhibition Program.
    [Show full text]
  • The Art of Elizabeth Quay, MRA, Perth
    • • • • THE ART OF • ELIZABETH • QUAY • • 1 6 / Penny Bovell 9 / The Deadly Dozen: Aurora Abraham, Rod Collard, James Egan, Sandra Egan, Sharyn Egan, Peter Farmer II, Peter Farmer III, Kylie Graham, Biara Martin, Cheryl Martin, John Walley & Theresa Walley 13 / Christian de Vietri 16 / Pamela Gaunt 19 / Simon Gauntlett & Matthew Ngui 22 / Stuart Green 25 / Sandra Hill & Jenny Dawson 28 / Eveline Kotai 31 / Laurel Nannup 35 / Anne Neil in collaboration with Dr Richard Walley & John Walley 38 / Jon Tarry. 2 The contribution Noongar artists have made to Elizabeth Quay Artists view the with both permanent and temporary artworks is especially world differently. meaningful and welcome. A unique partnership between the MRA and the Whadjuk people – the traditional owners of the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River) and of the land on which Elizabeth Quay sits - presented an opportunity for cultural authenticity. Artists create visual experiences that intrigue, inspire, amuse and It was clear to the MRA at a very early stage of development perhaps even confuse, but which are never humdrum. Outside that the prominent position and high use of Elizabeth Quay of galleries, in the public realm they can influence urban design would provide the perfect opportunity to share Noongar history in surprising ways, making thought provoking artworks that and culture with the wider community. creatively activate space. Public art is intended to generate interaction. The success of This book is a glimpse into the world of each of the artists the Elizabeth Quay artworks can be measured at least in part who designed or made artworks for Elizabeth Quay, the highly by the constant flow of ‘selfies’ being taken around all of them, visible and popular waterfront development that connects and the obvious joy of children having fun with artworks in play Perth city with the Swan River.
    [Show full text]
  • Download the 2018 Catalogue
    2018 “And then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev 21:1-2) Turner Galleries, Perth June 1 – 30 2018 Finalists Corinne Barton Julie Davidson Benedict Juniper Sonia Payes Bec Bigg-Wither Robert Davis Jennifer Keeler-Milne Rachel Peters Godfrey Blow Paul Drok Alice Linford Forte Julian Poon Bob Booth Kris-Ann Ehrich Jane Lyons Suzanne Rivera Libby Byrne Silvana Ferrario Aliesha Mafrici Brian Robinson Charlotte Campbell Thomas Gibbs Elizabeth Marruffo Laura Siryj Laura Castelijn Alicia Gorey Simon & Naomi McGrath Alexandra Spargo Mikaela Castledine Naomi Grant Antoinette McSharry Courtney Spence Madeleine Clear Beric Henderson Alan Morrison Nicole Steenhof Emilio Cresciani Ian Johnston Michael Vincent Murphy Monique Tippett The Mandorla Art Award for contemporary religious art is Australia’s most significant thematic Christian art prize, attracting some of the country’s finest artists since its 1985 inception. Mandorla (MAN-dor-la) is an Italian word Past winners include John Coburn (1996); meaning almond. It refers to an almond- Nigel Hewitt (1991, 1992); Brian McKay shaped halo or aura that we find around (1986, 2002); and Julie Dowling (2000) the images of Jesus or Mary in Christian art who was named the most collectible artist and particularly in icons. It represents the in Australia shortly after her win. Another 2018 Theme: light that emanates from a divine being, notable winner was the much beloved A New Heaven and a New Earth or one very close to a divine being.
    [Show full text]
  • National Anthem a New Order 8.3–7.7.19
    NATIONAL ANTHEM A NEW ORDER 8.3–7.7.19 EDUCATION RESOURCE Authored by Brooke Babington 3 About this resource and curriculum links 3 Planning your visit 4 Introduction — About the exhibition — About the artist — About Buxton Contemporary 8 National Anthem — Exploring and Responding — Focus artworks — Activity — Questions to consider — Research activities 13 A New Order — Exploring and Responding — Focus artworks — Activity — Questions to consider — Research activities 19 Curating a Collection — Exploring and Responding 2 — Focus artworks 23 Glossary of terms 26 Artist Biographies 36 Image references Education Resource About this resource and curriculum links Target Audience: Secondary school level students This learning guide is intended for educational purposes to aid teachers, tutors and other educational staff to support student learning in visual art subjects. It is designed to provide a starting point to generate discussion and activities before, during and after a visit to National Anthem and A New Order, to be used in conjunction with the exhibition catalogue, didactic labels and artworks. The resource is intended for use in the design of projects related to subject strands and curriculum outcomes. It is broadly aimed at students from years 7 to 10 and VCE Units 1–4, however, it provides generalised information that can be tailored to suit younger students. While the focus of the resource is on the artistic practices of artists included in National Anthem and A New Order, it can be adapted to explore modes of artistic practice more broadly, and to extend avenues for further discussion and research. Similarly, the scope of this resource may be modified to suit cross-curricular activities in various subject strands and to enable a range of pedagogical outcomes.
    [Show full text]
  • C a N B E R R a M U S E U M a N D G a L L E R Y REFLECTIONS on THE
    REFLECTIONS ON THE BODY CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY Cover image: Nell, a white bird flies in the mist, a black bird flies in the night, a woman walks, wild and free, she is not afraid to die, 2008, bronze, mother-of-pearl resin with 33 hand-blown glass figures. Collection, the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery. Photograph, Mark Ashkanasy Published in association with the exhibition, PULSE: Reflections on the body at Canberra Museum and Gallery, 18 October 2014 to 22 February 2015 Exhibition curator: Mark Bayly Texts Introduction: Shane Breynard, Director, CMAG and ACT Historic Places Essay: Dr Sarah Rice Artist entries: Mark Bayly, Assistant Director, Exhibitions and Collections Project website www.PULSEatCMAG.com developed by 2B in partnership with Canberra Museum and Gallery ISBN 978-0-646-92912-5 Published: Canberra, Australia 2014 Text: Copyright Canberra Museum and Gallery Artwork: Copyright the artists All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or information retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. Design: 2B.com.au Printing: Whirlwind Print Photography: Brenton McGeachie (unless otherwise specified) Canberra Museum and Gallery Cnr London Circuit and Civic Square, Canberra City Mon- Fri 10am-5pm; Sat & Sun 12 noon-5pm www.museumsandgalleries.act.gov.au 18 OCTOBER 2014 – 22 FEBRUARY 2015 Sidney Nolan One must be absolutely modern, 1982 synthetic spray can paint on canvas 122 x 152.5 cm Collection, The Nolan Collection at Canberra Museum and Gallery is managed on behalf of the Australian Government 4 PAGE PULSE: REFLECTIONS ON THE BODY INTRODUCTION The folds of your skin.
    [Show full text]
  • Tasmanian College of the Arts
    Tasmanian College of the Arts Tasmanian College of the Arts, Hunter St Higher The Sensation Degree by of Place Research (HDR): TranslatingFine Art the experiential Studio-­‐based examination process 2015-­‐2016 sensation of a place through painting. by Ann Holt MFA (Monash University) Submitted in the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Signed statement of originality This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for a degree or diploma by the University or any other institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief it incorporates no material previously published or written by another person except where due acknowledgement is made in the text. Ann Holt i Signed statement of authority of access This thesis may be made available for loan and limited copying and communication in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. Ann Holt ii Ann Holt PhD Candidate Abstract The Sensation of Place: Translating the experiential sensation of a place through painting. The aim of this project was to paint the complexities of ‘felt’ moments of experiencing place on Bruny Island, Tasmania, and in doing so, create a visual realisation of the subjective, experiential and conceptual awareness of the artist in relation to the matter and phenomena of the surrounding environment. The investigation was based on the phenomenological model that posits that our understanding of place arises through inter-subjective encounters: the connections, meaning and associations we make in our mind’s eye to what we see. This project explores the formal aesthetic and conceptual translations of atmospherics and movement (light, time, mark) because these aspects most readily provide scope for a painterly inquiry into a subjective and intrinsic experience of place.
    [Show full text]
  • ELISABETH CUMMINGS ELISABETH CUMMINGS 5 Born in Brisbane Queensland in 1934, Elisabeth Cummings Is the Oldest of Three Children
    ElisabethElisabeth Cummings Cummings EasternEastern Arrernte Arrernte country country & Morocco& Morocco Elisabeth Cummings Works on paper Contents Randi Linnegar Introduction 7,9 Sioux Garside Eastern Arrernte country 13 Sioux Garside Morocco 53 Curriculum vitæ 66 Cover: River bed bank with flies Ross River 2019 (detail) gouache on paper 27 x 37 cm Opposite: Studio, Wedderburn 4 ELISABETH CUMMINGS ELISABETH CUMMINGS 5 Born in Brisbane Queensland in 1934, Elisabeth Cummings is the oldest of three children. Her father Robert Percy Cummings was an architect and teacher who founded the architectural department at the University of Queensland. Her mother Mavis was a teacher before she married. Elisabeth’s parents were active participants in the Brisbane art scene; Robert was a trustee at the Queensland Art Gallery in the 1950s. During the war years, the Cummings held open house on Sunday evenings for American Soldiers headquartered in Brisbane, and welcomed many visitors from North America, including numerous American artists and architects and the well known businessman, collector and philanthropist Edgar Kaufmann. Australian artists were also welcome: Donald Friend, Roy Dalgarno, David Strachan, Margaret Olley, Len and Kath Shillam were regularly in attendance. Robert and Mavis's friendship with Brian and Margery Johnstone of Johnstone Gallery, Brisbane in the 1950s and through into the 1970s contributed to the steady flow of artistic visitors. By the age of 18, having already participated in Vida Lahey’s art classes as a child (along with her brother and sister) Elisabeth decided to move to Sydney to pursue her art studies. During her last year at high school Elisabeth and her sister Charlotte lived with close family friends while her parents were on sabbatical in Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • JUDY WATSON Australian Indigenous Art Has a Broad Reputation As Being
    JUDY WATSON Australian indigenous art has a broad reputation as being innovative; but few artists are as intriguing as Judy Watson. While her work takes its inspiration from the land and traditions of the Waanyi culture, Watson distils her distinctive stained canvases into poetic abstractions that have the power to speak to all. Margie West comments: ‘Even though the messages in her work are often tough, they are conveyed in an almost subliminal and subtle way, to be discovered in the layering of the surface and the imagery that floats mirage-like on it.’ Describing herself as a ‘cultural traveller,’ Judy Watson has completed projects in India, Italy, France and the United States and exhibited widely over the last 20 years. She co-represented Australia at the 1997 Venice Biennale with Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Yvonne Koolmatrie and won the Moet & Chandon Fellowship in 1995. Her recent public art commissions include: Wurreka, a fifty metre etched zinc wall for Melbourne Museum; Walama forecourt, a sculptural installation of woven steel screens and upturned bronze dilly bags at Sydney International Airport and Ngarrn-gi, a fifty metre etched zinc wall for the Victorian County Court. Her survey exhibition sacred ground beating heart opened at the John Curtin Gallery, Perth in 2003, subsequently touring to the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane and South East Asia. She is currently working on a commission for the new Brisbane Magistrates Court. 1 JUDY WATSON Born 1959 Mundubbera, Queensland, Australia Lives and works in Brisbane, Australia Represented
    [Show full text]
  • Student Education Resources
    Student Education Resources Prepared by Kerry–Anne Reeves and Museums & Galleries Queensland Teachers Notes Fifteen exhibiting artists have been profiled in this resource. All are winners of the Tattersall’s Club Landscape Art Prize. This education resource kit was developed during the implementation phase of The Australian to the glossary attached to Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s Standard Curriculum: The Arts (Visual Arts) and caters for upper primary and lower secondary students. Elaborations for each year level(1) to discuss key terms and ideas with your class. The varied learning opportunities align with the Australian Curriculum, including the cross– curriculum priority areas of Sustainability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories All students, regardless of age, should be briefed on appropriate gallery etiquette. An and cultures. They also support the General Capabilities of building critical and creative understanding and appreciation of the “look but don’t touch” nature of these exhibits can thinking, and ethical understanding. The tasks have been created to contribute to the learning of be nurtured through classroom discussion. Students should be encouraged to engage with cross–curricular content and to assist in the development of skills, knowledge, understandings the artworks through critical observation of each artist’s contribution. Prior instruction in and techniques as artists, designers, critics and audiences. critiquing may be necessary for some students. Close scrutiny of the paintings displayed at the exhibition will enhance the experience and help students to engage with the artworks as The activities suggested in this kit link with the Australian Curriculum: The Arts (Visual Arts) the artist intended.
    [Show full text]
  • Foundation Annual Report 2017–18
    Foundation Annual Report 2017–18 Foundation Annual Report 2017 –18 4 CONTENTS Chair’s report 6 Foundation overview Foundation Board 13 About the Foundation 14 Support Ways of giving 16 Members 18 Donors 2017–18 37 Select gifts 45 Financial statements Independent auditor’s report 71 Directors’ report 74 Financial statements 84 Notes 88 Directors’ declaration 91 NGA Foundation Annual Report 2017–18 5 CHAIR’S REPORT I am delighted to present the National Gallery James O Fairfax Theatre to $1.6 million. of Australia Foundation Annual Report 2017–18. These necessary upgrades will enhance the Through this publication, we enthusiastically experience of all visitors through improved acknowledge and celebrate our generous access, usability and technology. The theatre community of supporters who have enabled will continue to be named for James for the Foundation to continue to support the another twenty years. National Gallery through our collective Several gifts of works of art were given fundraising efforts. in honour of Dr Gerard Vaughan AM who In 2017–18, the Foundation received donations retired as Director of the National Gallery of cash and works of art with a combined on 1 July 2017. Australian artist John Olsen value of $12.623 million. These generous generously gave his 2016 painting Dingo gifts underpinned our many successes which Country, Foundation Board director Philip include acquiring works of art for the national Bacon AM gifted a rare painting by Girolamo collection, developing and staging of important Nerli, Apia, Samoa 1892, and Don Holt gifted exhibitions and supporting the National a major painting by Indigenous artist Cowboy Gallery’s Learning and Access program and Louie Pwerle from the Northern Territory.
    [Show full text]
  • Rebecca Agnew
    Rebecca Agnew Rebecca Agnew, I like the way you like, three channel stopmotion animation 2018, installation view at Gertrude Glasshouse. Contemporary Art on the Road is a unique program that provides access to artists and art experts from some of Melbourne’s leading art institutions. This resource was created to introduce teachers to a range of hands-on, expertly designed strategies and resources for teaching contemporary art in their classroom. Contemporary Art on the Road is funded by the Department of Education and Training Victoria (DET) through the Strategic Partnerships Program (SPP) and partnered with the following organisations: Contemporary Art on the Road is an initiative developed by Gertrude Contemporary and in partnership with Monash University Museum of Art, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and three regional Victorian galleries: Latrobe Regional Gallery, Horsham Regional Art Gallery and Shepparton Art Museum. About the Artist Rebecca Agnew was born in Dunedin,New Zealand,Aotearoa,in 1982. In 2004 she completed at Bachelor of Fine Art, University of Otago, Dunedin, before relocating to Australia and completing a Master of Fine Arts, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne in 2012. Agnew works predominantly in painting, sculpture and stopmotion animation. In 2015 she was awarded the Keith and Elizabeth Murdoch Travelling Fellowship, with residencies undertaken with Waaw, Saint Louis, Senegal and Theertha Red Dot Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka. In 2013 Agnew was commissioned by Artbank to produce a work for their permanent collection.She has led animation workshops for the inaugural NGV Triennial, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, and previously received an ArtStart Grant from the Australia Council for the Arts in 2014.
    [Show full text]
  • The Glass Michael Zavros Tweed River Art Gallery 29 June - 12 August 2012
    THE GLASS MICHAEL ZAVROS TWEED RIVER ART GALLERY 29 JUNE - 12 AUGUST 2012 1 There was a rough stone age and a smooth stone age and a bronze age, and many years afterward a cut-glass age. F. Scott Fitzgerald Red Diamond/First you make your heart a stone 2007 oil on board 15 x 15cm Private Collection If one were to hold a mirror up to a mirror, one might see eternity and hear the echo of timelessness, like the static encountered when searching for a radio station echoes the universe imploding millennia ago. In the work of Michael Zavros, collected reflectively in The Glass, the mirror reoccurs as a visual and metaphoric trope, a device through which we may literally view the artist’s work as either a narcissistic folly or a serious meditation on self-criticism. The Glass includes a myriad of reflective moments: a blackened bronze mirror in which we may never see ourselves, but which may bear witness to our deepest darkest souls; a baroque hall of mirrors incongruously stacked with shiny gym equipment that offers a trompe l’oeil reflection; architectural follies emerging from enchanted formal gardens and lakes, obsessive fashion gestures that hold a mirror to contemporary culture and an etching that depicts the artist’s signature initials as they disappear in an illicit moment of self-indulgence. Showcasing the work of one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, The Glass explores the meaning of Zavros’ work and challenges our interpretation of his hyper-realistic practice. 2 THE GLASS |MICHAEL ZAVROS EDUCATION RESOURCE CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
    [Show full text]