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Free entry - open 6 days, closed Tuesdays. Opening hours: 10am to 4pm. Elsewhere at SAM café: 8am to 4pm.

School Holidays at SAM

31 August 2016

September

Middens and Memories 
Gain insight into the local traditions of the Yorta Yorta people. Children will make objects that reference the sourcing of food, building knowledge that deepens understanding and value of culturally significant sites.
Date: Wednesday 21 September
Audience:
10.30am to 12.30pm for 5 – 9 years BOOK: here
1.30 to 3.30pm for 10 – 14 years BOOK: here
Venue: SAM workshop room
Cost: $20 (Friends $18)
Artists: Jack Anselmi and Auntie Cynthia Hardie
 

Family Walking Tour
Join SAM and Gallery Kaiela staff for a guided tour of exhibitions at both venues and discuss the artwork over morning tea.
Date: Thursday 22 September
Time: 10 to 12noon
Audience: Families
Venue: SAM and Gallery Kaiela
Cost: Free
Bookings: Online

Painting Stories: Aboriginal Signs and Symbols
Learn to read a painting through Aboriginal signs and symbols used to reference Country, cultural protocols and traditional visual language. Create your own story using paint and mixed media.
Date: Friday 23 September
Time: 10.30am to 12.30pm
Audience: 9 to 13 years
Venue: SAM workshop room
Cost: $15 (Friends $13)
Tutor: Tammy-Lee Atkinson
Bookings: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aboriginal-signs-and-symbols-sam-school-holiday-workshop-9-13yrs-tickets-26165978145

Drawing Wall #24 by Darren Wardle

24 August 2016

Darren Wardle is the 24th artist to feature on the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) Drawing Wall this week (22 – 26 August 2016).

Darren Wardle is known for his hyper-real paintings of abandoned buildings and urban structures that appear to be drawn from a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi dystopia. Painted in a synthetic day-glo palette, they hint at the failures of modernism and its associated belief in a rational and orderly world.

Darren Wardle’s Billboard Panorama, on SAM’s Drawing Wall in the Eastbank Centre Foyer, is an instantly recognisable image for any suburban dweller in the Western world. This archetypal scene depicts disused advertising billboards silhouetted against a highly saturated sky. While uninhabited, there is evidence of life in the form of graffiti scrawl that defaces the structures: an attempt at visibility or to reclaim territory within the constant barrage of advertising. A surveillance camera records and monitors from overhead.

SAM Senior Curator Anna Briers said:

‘Wardle’s image could portray a specific place, or nowhere in particular. An urban view that we might experience in transit while on a road trip: somewhere between our present location and our destination. As a representation of the way in which commodity culture informs architecture and space, the image recalls the homogeneity and sameness of cities globally. The work has an alluring cinematic quality that evokes the post-war gasoline stations and roadside architecture that seminal West-coast American Pop artist Edward Ruscha captured in the ’60s.’

Darren Wardle holds a Masters by Research from the Victorian College of the Arts, 2014. He has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards and his works are held in various Australian collections including the National Gallery of Victoria, Heidi Museum of Modern Art, and RMIT University Collection, amongst others. He has held over 20 solo shows and exhibited widely in the USA, Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Wardle is represented by Fehily Contemporary, Melbourne and Stephan Stoyanov Gallery in New York City.

Darren will be installing his work from until Friday 26 August. This is a great opportunity for the community to come by and see him at work and ask questions about his art and processes.

Image Credit: Darren Wardle in his studio.

2016 Indigenous Ceramic Art Award (ICAA) winner announced.

22 August 2016

Congratulations to Gallery Kaiela Artists, Jack Anselmi and Cynthia Hardie, Yorta Yorta (VIC), the 2016 ICAA recipients.

The Shepparton Art Museum is pleased to announce that the 2016 Indigenous Ceramic Art Award has been awarded to Gallery Kaiela Artists, Jack Anselmi and Cynthia Hardie, Yorta Yorta (VIC).

The winner of the $20,000 acquisitive prize was announced by Mr Rupert Myer AO during the exhibition official opening event, Saturday 20 August 2016.

The judges tasked to select the winner from the 2016 ICAA finalist were Tom Mosby, CEO, Koorie Heritage Trust Inc; Kimberley Moulton, Senior Curator South Eastern Australian Collections, Melbourne Museum; and Dr Rebecca Coates, Director, Shepparton Art Museum.

The judges were looking for a work that was innovative, challenging, exciting and would intrigue while exploring and extending the medium of ceramics.

Judge’s comments:

“ The 2016 ICAA showcased an outstanding calibre of entrants reflecting the sophistication of Indigenous ceramic art practice around the nation. This made judging difficult, requiring a very considered approach. 

While the award is a ceramic award, it is also an Indigenous ceramic award. This meant that works needed to extend the ceramic medium, and also reflect the artist’s perspective as an Indigenous person and their cultural expression.  The ceramic medium needed to enhance the telling of this story.  Each of the works in this year’s award tells a unique story that is very personal to each of the artists, arts collectives and the community they come from, generously sharing aspects of their lives, identity, country and creation stories.

The winning work was selected for its ambition, extension of the artist’s practice, the way it extends the medium of ceramic and importantly for the cultural story it presents. Yorta Yorta artists Jack Anselmi and Cynthia Hardie’s immersive installation, Midden, reveals the different ways that ceramics can be manipulated and extended. The layering of history and content is exposed through a range of ceramic forms: buff raku and ceramic grog, delicate and intricate porcelain bones and shells, and rough hand-shaped balls made from clay collected from the Kaiela (Goulburn) River banks.  The more you look and reflect on this work, the more it reveals.  It is a statement and testament of knowledge and connection to country that weaves the past into the present, gathering communities, families and culture, and leaving a legacy for the future.”

The ICAA is an acquisitive Award that celebrates and supports the rich and diverse use of the ceramic medium by Indigenous artists and acknowledges the special industry of ceramic art. Each shortlisted artist has presented a substantial body of new work for display. To assist the artists to create their dynamic body of work, the seven shortlisted applicants received a development fee to help support the production.

The 2016 ICAA shortlisted artists were:

  • Janet Fieldhouse, Torres Strait (QLD)
  • Deanne Gilson, Wadawurrung/ Wathaurung (VIC)
  • Sean Miller, Kamilaroi (NSW)
  • Raymond Young, Gunnai / Yorta Yorta/ Gunditjmara (VIC)
  • Alison Murray, Girramay (QLD)

    Gallery Kaiela Artists, Yorta Yorta (VIC)

  • Jack Anselmi
  • Cynthia Hardie

    Ernabella Potters, Pukatja Community – Pitjantjatjara Language (SA)

  • Alison Milyika Carroll
  • Elizabeth Dunn
  • Rupert Jack
  • Lynette Lewis
  • Rachael Mipantjiti Lionel
  • Janelle Muwitja Nakamarra Thompson
  • Fiona Wells
  • Tjimpuna Williams

The ICAA is developed in partnership with the Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation, Margaret Lawrence Bequest and Mr Allan Myers AC QC and is generously supported by Fairer Futures Fund / Australian Communities Foundation.

Exhibition Dates:

Exhibition dates

Sunday 6 August to Sunday 25 September

For further information, print quality images of Award winners, or to arrange interviews with SAM staff, or ICAA artists please contact SAM Marketing Coordinator Gabriella Calandro on phone (03) 5832 9522 or email gabriella.calandro@shepparton.vic.gov.au.

IMAGE: Jack Anselmi and Cynthia Hardi (Gallery Kaiela), Midden, 2016, buff raku, porcelain, ceramic grog, Goulburn river (Kaiela) terracotta, Red River Gum leaves and grasses, campfire charcoal, bark, 250 x 150 x 65cm approx. irreg. courtesy and © the artists. Photo: Christian Capurro.

2016 Indigenous Ceramic Art Award (ICAA) Cultural Events

5 August 2016

Join SAM for a series of cultural events over August and September

To support 2016 Indigenous Ceramic Art Award (ICAA) exhibition SAM is running a series of cultural events over August and September. These events allow the community to create a deeper understanding of the exhibition and its themes while also having the opportunity to learn new creative skills and in many cases meet and work with finalist artists. Many programs have limited places so be sure to book as soon as possible to secure a spot. For more information on the cultural series or to book your spot today visit the SAM website or call SAM directly.

Adult Programs

ICAA Panel Discussion Are Art Prizes and Awards the way to go? What model best supports contemporary Indigenous art and artists?
Date: Saturday 20 August
Time: 2 to 3.30pm
Venue: Eastbank, function room 2
Panel: Kimberley Moulton and Tiriki Onus. Chair – Rebecca Coates.
Cost: Free
Bookings: Click here

Ceramics Masterclass with ICAA finalist Janet Fieldhouse
Date: Sunday 21 August
Time: 10am to 12noon
Venue: SAM workshop room
Cost: $20 (Friends $18)
Bookings: Click here

Ceramics Masterclass with ICAA finalists Auntie Cynthia Hardie and Jack Anselmi
Date: Sunday 21 August
Time: 1.30 to 3.30pm
Venue: SAM workshop room
Cost: $20 (Friends $18)
Bookings: Click here

Education: Life on the River Clay building workshop
Drawing on the concept of a midden, and local knowledge about life on the Goulburn River pre-settlement, these teachers will learn a number of hand-building techniques and how to make a pressed mould using found objects and clay.
Date: Saturday 3 September
Time: 10.00 to 11.30am Mooroopna and 12.15pm to 4pm SAM
Audience: All teachers
Venue: Mooroopna river bank and SAM
Cost:  $60 (incl. lunch)
Tutors: Jack Anselmi and Aunty Cynthia Hardie
Bookings: Click here to book

Kids and Family Programs

Middens and Memories
Children will gain insight into the local traditions of the Yorta Yorta people through this clay workshop.
Date: Wednesday 21 September
Audience: 10.30am to 12.30pm for 5 – 9 years – Bookings: Click here                  
                 1.30 to 3.30pm for 10 – 14 years – Bookngs: Click here
Venue: SAM workshop room
Cost: $20 (Friends $18)
Artists: Jack Anselmi and Auntie Cynthia Hardie

Family Walking Tour
Join SAM and Gallery Kaiela staff for a guided tour of exhibitions at both venues and discuss the artwork over morning tea.
Date: Thursday 22 September
Time: 10 to 12noon
Audience: Families
Venue: SAM and Gallery Kaiela
Cost:  Free
Bookings: Click here

Painting Stories: Aboriginal Signs and Symbols
Through this painting workshop children will learn the different meanings of signs and symbol in Aboriginal paintings.
Date: Friday 23 September
Time: 10.30am to 12.30pm
Audience: 9 to 13 years
Venue: SAM workshop room
Cost: $15 (Friends $13)
Tutor:  Tammy-Lee Atkinson
Bookings: Click here

2016 Indigenous Ceramic Art Award (ICAA) to open at SAM.

2 August 2016

2016 ICAA to open on Saturday 6 August.

In August Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) welcomes seven indigenous artists / arts collectives shortlisted for the 2016 Indigenous Ceramic Art Award (ICAA). This acquisitive Award celebrates and supports the rich and diverse use of the ceramic medium by Indigenous artists and acknowledges the special industry of ceramic art. Each shortlisted artist will present a substantial body of new work for display. The winner of the $20,000 acquisitive prize will be announced by Mr Rupert Myer AO during the exhibition official opening event, Saturday 20 August 2016.

The 2016 shortlisted artists are:

  • Janet Fieldhouse, Torres Strait (QLD)
  • Deanne Gilson, Wadawurrung/ Wathaurung (VIC)
  • Sean Miller, Kamilaroi (NSW)
  • Raymond Young, Gunnai / Yorta Yorta/ Gunditjmara (VIC)
  • Alison Murray, Girramay (QLD)

Gallery Kaiela Artists, Yorta Yorta (VIC)

  • Jack Anselmi
  • Cynthia Hardie

Ernabella Potters, Pukatja Community – Pitjantjatjara Language (SA)

  • Alison Milyika Carroll
  • Elizabeth Dunn
  • Rupert Jack
  • Lynette Lewis
  • Rachael Mipantjiti Lionel
  • Janelle Muwitja Nakamarra Thompson
  • Fiona Wells

Project Curator, Joanna Bosse says:

“Clay is a medium that sets its own rules and defines its own working practise. The great contribution of the ICAA therefore is to create a platform for Indigenous artists who accept these rules of engagement and test, refine, or push them in experimental directions. The Award creates the opportunity for viewers to focus on the particularities of the medium – the compensation to scale, its fragility, its transformational processes – which opens our eyes to the truly spectacular achievements made by artists in the field.”

Judging the finalist in the 2016 ICAA are: Tom Mosby, CEO, Koorie Heritage Trust Inc; Kimberley Moulton, Senior Curator South Eastern Australian Collections, Melbourne Museum; and Dr Rebecca Coates, Director, Shepparton Art Museum.

During the official opening weekend, 20 and 21 August, SAM will be hosting a number of cultural events:

Panel Discussion held prior to the exhibition opening and Award announcement
Date: Saturday 20 August
Time: 2 to 3.30pm
Discussion topic: Are Art Prizes and Awards the way to go? What model best supports contemporary Indigenous art and artists?
Panellists: Kimberly Moulton and Tiriki Onus to be chaired by Dr Rebecca Coates
Cost: Free
Bookings: Online here.

Ceramics Masterclasses with 2016 ICAA Finalists (1)
Date: Sunday 21 August
Time: 10am to 12noon
Tutor: Janet Fieldhouse
Cost: $20
Bookings: Online here.

Ceramics Masterclasses with 2016 ICAA Finalists (2 )
Date: Sunday 21 August
Time: 1.30pm to 3.30pm
Tutor: Auntie Cynthia Hardie and Jack Anselmi
Cost: $20
Bookings: Online here.

In addition throughout the month of September SAM will be running a series of events, programs and education workshops which will support the community to engage and build knowledge around local Aboriginal culture and art making processes. See SAM website for further details and bookings here.

The 2016 ICAA is organised by Project Curator Joanna Bosse and Indigenous Curatorial Assistant Belinda Briggs.

The ICAA is developed in partnership with the Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation, Margaret Lawrence Bequest and Mr Allan Myers AO QC and is generously supported by Fairer Futures Fund / Australian Communities Foundation.

Important Dates:

Media Preview

Thursday 4 August, 10.30 to 11.30am

Exhibition opens to the public

Saturday 6 August

Exhibition official opening and award announcement

Saturday 20 August, 4 to 6pm

Cultural program

Commencing 6 August to 25 September

ICAA Panel Discussion

Saturday 20 August, 2 to 3.30pm

Ceramic Masterclasses

Sunday 21 August 10am to 12noon and 1.30 to 3.30pm

Exhibition dates

Sunday 6 August to Sunday 25 September