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Open 6 days (closed Tuesdays). Weekdays: 10am to 4pm. Weekends: 10am to 5pm. Elsewhere at SAM café: 8am to 4pm.

Community art project for the new Shepparton Art Museum

Greater Shepparton City Council and the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) are inviting the community to contribute to a community art mural project that will be displayed at the new SAM construction site.

The art mural will be displayed on panels around the new SAM building site facing Victoria Park Lake for several months. The project will build strong ties within the diverse landscape of Shepparton through collaboration and art-making.

Shepparton Art Museum Public Programs Officer, Lisa Linton, said every member of the community is invited to book into a painting session. “The new SAM will be a space for our whole community to be inspired and get creative.”

“Each group will have one panel to paint, which will make up a large series of panels. We will have a planning workshop first where a design for the panel will be discussed and created. The group will then receive a selection of four colours chosen from the SAM colour palette, to paint the design onto the panel, with the assistance from the SAM team.”

“It is an exciting opportunity to get creative with some friends and other members of our community,” said Ms Linton. “No painting experience necessary, it is a great opportunity for people of all skill levels, ages and interests to participate in creating art and to have some fun.”

To express your interest and be involved in this project, please register via Eventbrite, or email lisa.linton@shepparton.vic.gov.au or alternatively call 5832 9522 to book in. The workshop dates are:

Thursday 16 January 9-3pm
Friday 17 January 9-3pm
Thursday 30 January 9-3pm
Tuesday 4 February 9-3pm
Thursday 13 February 9-3pm
Wednesday 19 February 9-3pm

A light lunch will be provided for participants.

Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/community-mural-project-tickets-85744402817

SAM Local Spotlight artist announced.

SAM is delighted to announce Shepparton born and Arcadia raised Madeline Wright as the selected artist for SAM Local: Spotlight 2020.

Following on from the success of previous years, SAM will again go local in March 2020, with five exhibition spaces dedicated to showcasing creative talent from across our region. The SAM Local: Spotlight exhibition is an opportunity for an artist with local connections to hold a solo exhibition at SAM.  

After an overwhelming response to the artist callout in November, Madeline was selected to present a solo exhibition at SAM.

Director of SAM, Dr Rebecca Coates says, “The SAM Local exhibition is a highlight on the museum’s calendar as it provides incredible insight into the creative practices of artists that have a strong connection to our area. It is a joy to work with our local community in supporting, inspiring and engaging talent in a regional context.”

When it came to selecting the SAM Local: Spotlight artist, SAM Curator Lara Merrington says the decision is always challenging. “The calibre of applications received this year was high and extremely diverse from emerging to established artists, and artists working in a range of mediums and concepts. We were looking particularly for artists and works which connect to the local and will form an engaging and stimulating part of SAM’s annual program. We look forward to working closely with Madeline, enabling her to gain professional experience working in a museum context.”

Madeline Wright’s application was selected because of her clear vision for her body of work, which had a strong connection to belonging and place. The work will extend on a series of previous works looking at mapping, through intuitive methods.

The exhibition for SAM Local: Spotlight will see Madeline make multiple trips back to her home town of Arcadia to make the work, which she describes as ‘assemblages of Arcadia’ and will include object based works in metal, ceramics, glass and the materials of Arcadia and the Goulburn River in its found objects, dusts and colours. The resulting still life composition of objects, memories and moments will be titled A Field Guide to Utopia.

Artist Madeline Wright is excited by the opportunity of creating a solo exhibition. “It’s really special to be chosen for SAM Local: Spotlight and to be given the opportunity to share what I see, and love, about Arcadia and its surrounds, and hopefully inspire SAM visitors to slow down in reverie and notice all of the special and unique details that connects them to this region,” Madeline says.

SAM Local: Spotlight will be presented as a part of the SAM Local exhibitions in March 2020.

Image: SAM Local Spotlight 2020 artist, Madeline Wright. Photo Amina Barolli.