SAM Studios, our art extension workshop series for senior high school students, returns for Term 4 with local artist Rachel Doller at the helm.

Shepparton Art Museum’s popular after-school educational workshop series will be back for Term 4, running every Tuesday from 4 October to 15 November. This term, Tatura-based award winning artist Rachel Doller, whose work was featured in Shepparton’s inaugural White Night program, will lead students through the series of workshops. SAM Studios (previously known as SAM Scholars) offers art-focused mentoring and assists senior students in developing and gaining new practical art skills under the instruction of practising artists and experienced SAM staff.

Gabriella Calandro, SAM Engagement Manager, says of the program:

“SAM Studios builds on the school curriculum and creates a space where VCE students can access materials and can continue to hone their technique and skill to enhance their abilities, allowing them to grow their folio for final assessment at the end of the year.  Mimi’s work has a vibrant, animated style, and she will be an incredible mentor for young people with aspirations in the creative fields. Students will benefit immensely from weekly face-to-face sessions with a practising artist.”

The six-week course, titled How to Draw Badly, will draw from Mimi’s colourful practice to encourage participants to explore their own artistic style and language, enrich their own portfolios and gain industry insight to inform their future pathways. Previous participants in the workshop have gone on to have their works selected in SAM’s annual GV Top Arts exhibition Fresh, which showcases the talent of young artists in the region and provides their first experience in exhibiting in a significant arts institution, creating exposure and recognition. Students who have their works featured in the exhibition are also in contention for a number of prizes; artworks are judged by a selection panel, and by visitors for the People’s Choice Award.

The SAM Studios sessions are free, with registrations open to all senior students in the Goulburn Valley region who are currently studying Art, Studio Art or Visual Communication. Bookings can be made via the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/event/sam-studio-term-3/

SAM Studios is generously supported by the Victorian Government Department of Education and Training.

ENDS

About the artist:

Rachel Doller’s work echoes personal musings which are reflected in a variety of styles from eye-catching abstract landscapes, expressive still life compositions and geometric assemblages. Using a variety of media including acrylic, cut paper, oil pastel and recycled/found objects, Doller creates pieces that are bold and graphic with colour combinations that are dynamic and engaging. 

Inspired by the fact that art is a cultivar of ideas and feelings, Doller’s distinctive visual language is reflective of her everyday; the joy, the fear and the need for change.

Doller has exhibited in numerous group and 3 solo shows over the past 7 years and her work has been collected in Australia and Europe. She exhibited alongside her mum and sister for Shepparton Festival 2022 in their group exhibition 'Pieced together,' and was commissioned to design a light installation for White Night Shepparton 2022. Currently she is working on abstract landscapes and recycled/found object assemblages.

About SAM:

Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), located on Yorta Yorta Country, is one of Australia's outstanding regional art museums, showcasing our exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways and creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging space for all audiences. Artists are central to our work. Our programming is designed to be locally relevant and engage with global contemporary ideas. SAM is recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection, and our nationally significant collection of Indigenous art. As the only public art museum in Greater Shepparton and north central Victoria, our mission is to present great art in Shepparton, and to contribute to the cultural enrichment, community engagement and economic prosperity of the region. 

Media enquiries, please contact: Louise Tremper, Marketing Coordinator, SAM

p: (03) 4804 5026 e: ltremper@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au

Image: Rachel Doller in her studio. Photo by Cam Matheson.