Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is thrilled to present Big Ceramic Energy, a new SAM Collection exhibition featuring a selection of Australian, First Nations, and international contemporary artists whose creative practices push the boundaries of the ceramic medium through experimentation, innovation, and imagination.

The artworks featured in this exhibition are drawn from the museum's dynamic collection, which has expanded and developed through donations, bequests, select acquisitions and curatorial commissions, as well as special acquisitions from past editions of the museum’s Sidney Myer Ceramic Award and Indigenous Ceramic Award.

Recent acquisitions from artists Isadora Vaughan and Karen Black will make their SAM debut, whilst beloved works from Deborah Halpern, Kaye Poulton and Bankstown Koori Elders will emerge after years in storage. Through eccentric forms to experimental glazes, the grouping of highly individual artworks in Big Ceramic Energy exude a shared boldness of character, with each work expressing the artists’ unique techniques and approaches to the medium.

Danny Lacy, SAM Acting Artistic Director, says of the exhibition:

“Big Ceramic Energy is a show dedicated to celebrating artists in the SAM Collection who challenge audience preconceptions of what ceramics can or should be, investigating complex stories and histories that find new depth through their use of material and technique. SAM has a rich legacy of supporting artists as they innovate in the field of ceramics and has built up an impressive holding of artworks that reveal the journey that the ceramic medium has taken through the experimentations of these artists. Longtime visitors to SAM will be glad to see the return of some familiar artworks from the collection in Big Ceramic Energy, whilst discovering artworks that we hope go on to become new favourites.”

Big Ceramic Energy opens at SAM on Saturday 3 August 2024 with free entry.

ENDS

Full list of exhibiting artists:

Bankstown Koori Elders Group, Karen Black, Stephen Bowers, Penny Byrne, Greg Daly, Lynda Draper, Deborah Halpern, Steve Hilton, Jenny Orchard, Kaye Poulton, Isadora Vaughan, Graeme Wilkie.

About SAM:

Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.

As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive, and engaging space for all visitors.

Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.

Image: Jenny Orchard, Durian Head and Choko Nose (c. 2007), Shepparton Art Museum Collection, acquired as the winner of the 2017 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award, 2017 © Jenny Orchard. Photo: Christian Capurro.