14 May 2012

A major exhibition by one of Australia’s leading sculptors, Sam Jinks has broken attendance records at the Shepparton Arts Museum. Around 3000 people have viewed the exhibition since its launch at the beginning of the month, some travelling from Bendigo, Melbourne, Geelong and the Mornington Peninsula.

The show has also attracted considerable media attention, including feature stories in the Herald Sun and The Age, the front cover of Art Almanac (Australia’s highest circulating art magazine) and a spot on Channel Nine’s Postcards travel show.

The Sam Jinks: Body in Time exhibition opened on May 3 and follows on from the huge popularity of Jinks’ sculpture Woman and Child, which was acquired by Council with community support in 2010. This exhibition brings together 11 works spanning Jinks’ career that have never previously been exhibited together, and will continue through May and June.
Greater Shepparton Mayor Michael Polan said the exhibition would help reinforce Shepparton Art Museum as one of regional Australia’s premier cultural institutions and position it as an arts icon on the tourist trail.

“The redevelopment of SAM has enabled us to host such a major exhibition that has been curated locally and will tour other regional areas”, Cr Polan said. “At the same time, this exhibition shows the importance of our new Art Museum both for tourism and economic development more broadly”.
Curated by SAM Curator, Danny Lacy, the exhibition has been developed by Shepparton Art Museum and will tour to Lismore Regional Gallery in September 2012 and Rockhampton Art Gallery in November 2012.

“It is very exciting that an exhibition of this scale has been initiated here in Shepparton”, Danny Lacy said, “and to tour the exhibition interstate really spreads the brand of SAM and Shepparton further afield”.
The Shepparton Art Museum is a Greater Shepparton City Council facility. To find out more about the exhibitions, workshops and programs SAM has on offer in 2012 please visit the SAM website today, www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au.