SAM Easter School Holiday Programs.
24 March 2016
29 March to 7 April 2016
Join us during the Easter school holidays for inspiring and creative workshops.
Call SAM to make a booking (03) 5832 9861.
Animated Decay Smartphone Animation
Date: Thursday 7 April
Time: 10am to 4pm
Audience: 13 to 16 years
Venue: SAM workshop room
Cost: $25 (Friends $22) Incl. Lunch
Tutor: Mimi Leung
Learn about the basic concepts of animation inspired by the artwork Metaflora by Patricia Piccinini and A Little Death by Sam Taylor-Johnson. With a simple paper cut outs create an animation using your smartphone camera as you explore ideas of decay and revealing.
Please bring along a smartphone or tablet.
Apples and Pears Traditional Still Life Pastel Painting
Date: Tuesday 29 March
Time: 1 to 2.30pm
Audience: 13 to 16 years
Venue: SAM workshop
Cost: $14 (Friends $12)
Tutor: Christine Broersen
Learn about still life painting in pastels from accomplished local artist, Christine Broersen, who has been working with this medium for the past twenty years. Be inspired by the works in Cornucopia and use traditional painting techniques to create your own still life.
A Feast of Clay with Jessilla Rogers
Date: Wednesday 30 March
Time: 10am to 4pm
Audience: 10 to16 years
Venue: SAM workshop room
Cost: $45 (Friends $40), incl. lunch
Tutor: Jessilla Rogers
Make colourful, food related clay sculptures in response to the works in Cornucopia. Learn hand-building skills and apply colour using slips and stains with Melbourne-based, Showcase #9 artist Jessilla Rogers.
Please bring an art smock.
I’m a Little Teapot
Create your own teacup and saucer out of clay
Date: Thursday 31 March
Time: 10.30 to 11.30am
Audience: 6 to 9 years
Venue: SAM workshop
Cost: $15 (Friends $13)
Tutor: Kaye Poulton
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Create your own teapot and teacup set out of clay
Date: Thursday 31 March
Time: 2 to 3.30pm
Audience: 10 to 14 years
Venue: SAM workshop room
Cost: $15 (Friends $13)
Tutor: Kaye Poulton
Teapots and cups are often used in story books and cartoons. Inspired by these images, children will make a small fun teapot and cups from clay.
SAM welcomes new Curatorial Assistant.
16 March 2016
The Shepparton Art Museum is pleased to welcome Belinda Briggs as the new Curatorial Assistant – Indigenous Visual Arts.
This new 12 month position was developed with the assistance of Creative Victoria’s Indigenous Visual Arts Residency program.
Belinda Briggs is a local Yorta Yorta woman and has previously worked in partnership with the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation and as the coordinator for the My Moola program; a pilot program which upskills local indigenous people within the Goulburn Murray region with professional skills and financial literacy.
Belinda Briggs says:
‘I’m excited about the new role of Curatorial Assistant – Indigenous Visual Arts and the opportunities it will give me to engage with the local community. On a personal level, this role will be a great learning experience and it will offer me the opportunity to experience different roles in the museum and be part of the exciting and diverse curatorial program at SAM in 2016.’
The Creative Victoria residency program has supported SAM to further connect with the local Aboriginal community, while providing professional development, curatorial and programming skills to the incumbent.
Shepparton has the highest Aboriginal population of any regional town in Victoria. SAM and the Greater Shepparton City Council worked with Creative Victoria to develop the residency opportunity after both the Museum and the local Aboriginal arts community expressed a need to create deeper connections and exchange skills.
SAM Director, Dr Rebecca Coates says:
“This is an exciting new opportunity for SAM, developed in partnership with Creative Victoria. Belinda brings valuable knowledge and experience to the position, which will enable SAM to further support and work closely with our local Aboriginal communities in Greater Shepparton. I am delighted to welcome Belinda to the SAM team, and we look forward to working with her across many of the Museum’s activities, including the important Indigenous Ceramics Art Award 2016.”
The SAM residency opportunity is jointly supported by Creative Victoria and the Commonwealth Ministry for the Arts through the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program.
Showcase #9. Jessilla Rogers and Tessy M King
4 March 2016
Showcase #9 features the work of Melbourne based artists Jessilla Rogers and Tessy M King opens Saturday 6 February.
Both Jessilla Rogers and Tessy M King integrate bright and bold colours into their ceramic works as they reference past experiences and childhood memories.
Roger’s ceramic pieces are hand built or wheel thrown or a combination of both with a ‘wonky’ and not too serious nature to them. Whereas King’s work uses more formal processes and techniques but also have a ‘wonky’ element to them.
Both artists create functional vessels alongside more sculptural works. When the two bodies of work are curated together, the combination of colour bursts and interesting line is a welcoming sight to see.
Showcase #9 with Jessilla Rogers and Tessy M King will run until April 24 and all works on show can be purchased through the SAM Shop.
Image: Jessilla Rogers, Camellia Parker Bowles, 2015, © the artis
New SAM receives $10 million boost from State Government
3 March 2016
The Victorian Government is making a major investment in Shepparton’s cultural vibrancy, liveability and visitor economy through a funding commitment of $10 million towards the Shepparton Art Museum Redevelopment Project.
In Shepparton today at the existing site of the Shepparton Art Museum, the Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford announced the Regional Development Victoria funding towards the $34.5 million project.
The project will see the Shepparton Art Museum relocated to the more visually prominent and accessible location of the Victoria Lake Park.
The project will activate Shepparton as a cultural destination, create local jobs, increase visitation, attract business investment, and boost consumer spending in the region’s retail, hospitality and accommodation sectors.
The redevelopment will deliver a new art museum with increased capacity to showcase its unique ceramics, indigenous and multi-cultural collections to Victorian, interstate and international visitors.
It will also improve the region’s cultural vibrancy, liveability, community engagement, social cohesion and cultural connectedness within its indigenous and multicultural communities.
Shepparton Council’s business case for the project forecasts it will lead to an increase in visitation to the art museum from 36,869 to over 90,000 in three years’ time and up to 100,000 in five years.
Over the construction phase, the project will inject $34.5 million in the local economy, and create 72 direct and 109 indirect jobs. Once operational, the museum will increase visitor spending in the region by $6.25 million per annum and provide 23 direct jobs by year ten.
This will have a positive impact on the annual visitor spend in the region and is likely to encourage other private investment in new business and tourism infrastructure and services to cater for the increased number of visitors to the region.
The project will deliver:
- A new multi-level and energy efficient building
- Studio space designed to host an ‘artists in residence program’
- Studio spaces for workshops and use by community groups
- A Children’s Gallery to promote exploration and learning through sensory, emotional and intellectual stimulation
- A community piazza
- A Grand Hall, ideal for events and functions
- A permanent home for Shepparton’s Visitor Information Centre and Gallery Kaiela (an not-for-profit Aboriginal art gallery)
- Display space for new art collections and acquisitions
- A theatrette for screenings and performances, particularly in support the Australian National Piano Awards and the Shepparton Arts Festival.
The Victorian Government will allocate the $10 million from its $500 Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund, contingent on Australian Government funding through the National Stronger Regions Fund.
“Redeveloping the Shepparton Art Museum will greatly enhance Shepparton’s key cultural asset. It will boost the region’s liveability, cultural connectedness within its indigenous and multicultural communities, and help to attract new visitors, residents and investors,” said Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford.
“Investing in cultural assets is vital to developing culturally vibrant regional communities and diversifying the economic base. Cultural assets improve the attractiveness and liveability of regional Victoria and provide opportunities for regional and community education, and encourage engagement and community cohesion”.
Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Dinny Adem said the investment will have a significant positive impact on the economy of our region. “A new SAM is a game changer for Greater Shepparton. It will position our region as a strong tourism destination and will attract more visitors, entice more people to live here and investors to the area, as well as diversifying our economy,” said Cr Adem.
“We are extremely grateful for the funding and very excited by the Andrew’s Government’s $10 million investment towards making a new SAM a reality.”
“We congratulate the state government on their vision. As a significant investor they are key to bringing to fruition a unique regional art museum experience, although the new SAM will be much more than an art museum,” said Cr Adem.
“Greater Shepparton is excited to partner with all tiers of Government and we look forward to visiting our Federal counterparts in Canberra soon to talk them through the merits of our proposal.”
Cornucopia to open
25 February 2016
Shepparton Art Museum first major exhibition for 2016 Cornucopia will open this coming Saturday 27 February with the official opening to take place from 6pm.
SAM will be hosting an exhibition media preview on Friday 26 February 10.30am to 11.30am. Media will have an opportunity to talk to Melbourne based artist collective The Hotham Street Ladies who will be creating their installation which is primarily made from royal icing and fondant. Senior Curator Anna Briers and SAM Director Dr Rebecca Coates will be present and available for comment.
Cornucopia (meaning Horn of Plenty), showcases works by established and early career artists that utilise food and/or flora as an artistic medium or point of departure.
Cornucopia showcases works by Australian and international artists and collectives who utilise food and flora as an artistic medium or point of departure. The exhibition explores the production, consumption and distribution of food, as well as its socio-cultural uses and religious significance. Cornucopia complicates the art historic lineage of the still life by interrogating and raising questions around the ethics of food today. Located within the Greater Shepparton region, known as the ‘food bowl of Australia’, the show also celebrates the culinary traditions of regional Victoria.
SAM welcomes the Shepparton icon, the Campbell’s Soup can into the museum, with Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup II – Cheddar Cheese (1969). The exhibition also includes Flooded Macdonals (2009) by SUPERFLEX and a specially designed vending machine, 31 dinner options while waiting for the last train home (2015) by Kenny Pittock.
As part of the exhibition program SAM will also be running a series of diverse food related programs with the community. The first program which is a recipe swap hosted by The Hotham Street Ladies, Flavours of Shepparton, taking place before the opening this Saturday 27 February 2 to 4pm at SAM. Other programs include Some Questions, A Few Stories and an Albanian Dinner, with collaborative duo A Centre for Everything and the program Apples and Pears offers a fresh look at traditional still life drawing. More information including bookings details can be found at the SAM website.
The artists featured in Cornucopia:
Lauren Berkowitz (AU), Julie Crouan (AU), A Centre for Everything (AU), Gabrielle de Vietri (AU), Julia deVille (NZ/AU), Mishka Henner (UK), The Hotham Street Ladies (AU), Georgie Mattingley (AU), Patricia Piccinini (AU), Kenny Pittock (AU), SUPERFLEX (DK), Sam Taylor-Johnson (UK), Kawita Vatanajyankur (THA), Claire Anna Watson (AU) and Andy Warhol (USA).
Exhibition Dates: Saturday 27 February 2016 to Sunday 22 May 2016.
Media Preview: Friday 26 February 2016, 10.30 to 11.30am
Official Opening: Saturday 27 February 2016, 6 to 8pm at SAM
80/80. Eighty Years of SAM. The Collection
4 February 2016
80/80. Eighty Years of SAM. The Collection opens this Saturday 6 February.
In 2016, SAM reaches a milestone, celebrating 80 years since the early beginnings of the Collection in 1936. To mark this significant point, the permanent collection has been rehung in the Museum’s downstairs galleries. This enables us to showcase some of the significant works and delightful treasures in SAM’s now sizeable collection, and reveal some of the trends that have emerged over its 80 year history.
This exhibition has been developed around a number of themes, including place and country, identity and representation. These include colonial images from Shepparton’s own past, such as Eugene von Guerard’s The Goulburn River, Near Shepparton (1862), or senior Yorta Yorta artist Don Briggs’ Sacred Battle Site (1990), a pictorial representation of a battle between two local tribes over tribal boundaries. Richard Lewer explores geographic borders, in I Wish I Was As Lucky As You (2013), a painting on a repurposed classroom map of Australia. Explorations of identity similarly range from traditional academy portraiture by John Longstaff, Rupert Bunny and other notable 19th century artists, to more contemporary explorations of gender and identity such as the uncanny photography of Pat Brassington, Fiona Foley’s Self-depiction Native Blood (1994), or Tony Albert’s portraits of Aboriginal youth, We Can Be Heroes (2012).
Also included are key works from SAM’s significant ceramics collection, which dates from the 1890s to the present day. Works featured include decorated platters and domestic wares by Merric Boyd and others in the Murrumbeena Circle and one of John Perceval’s slightly demonic looking angels. The exhibition also includes vessels by winners of the Indigenous Ceramic Art Awards such as Palm Valley Muster, (2008), by Rona Rubuntja of the Hermannsburg Potters. Winning works from the Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Stephen Benwell rethink ceramics as a contemporary art form, enabling it to engage in broader cultural and artistic dialogues.
Image: Bendigo Pottery, Triangular Lidded Cheese Dish, c. 1895, Shepparton Art Museum Collection
New SAM Director appointed
28 January 2016
Greater Shepparton City Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Rebecca Coates in the role of Director SAM.
Dr Coates has been in the role of Acting Director since August 2015 and replaced Kirsten Paisley who left SAM to work for the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.
Dr Coates is eminently qualified for the role as an established curator, writer and lecturer, with over 20 years professional art museum and gallery experience in both Australia and overseas. She is also a Lecturer at the University of Melbourne in Art History and Art Curatorship and has a PhD in Art History.
Her work history includes her current role as Associate Curator of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art; Curator, Visual Arts Program, Melbourne International Arts Festival; Touring Exhibitions Organiser, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford; Program Coordinator, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and Curatorial Assistant, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.
Dr Coates has curated numerous exhibitions, and edited and contributed to exhibition publications. She speaks and writes regularly on contemporary art and theory, curatorial practice, and art in the public realm, and has contributed to a number of art magazines and journals including Art & Australia, Eyeline, Art World, Art Monthly Australia, un magazine, Broadsheet and refereed academic journals.
She is also a member of several advisory boards and has experience working with philanthropic, business and government sectors and on panels and public forums. Dr Coates was a judge for the 2015 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award and has extensive knowledge of Australia art and in marketing and management within the art sector.
Dr Coates is pleased to continue in the Director position at SAM. “It’s a great institution, with a strong team of staff and supporters. SAM has presented a really interesting and dynamic series of contemporary and historic exhibitions over the last number of years,” said Dr Coates.
“SAM is at an exciting point in its development. It’s known for its collection focus on ceramics, and has exciting plans for a new building. This is a significant opportunity to continue to work with the Greater Shepparton community to ensure SAM’s central place and role in this region. I look forward to continuing to work with the SAM staff and Council at this dynamic point in SAM’s development.”
Greater Shepparton City Council Director Community, Kaye Thomson said SAM and Council are honoured to have Dr Coates take on the role. “To attract someone with Rebecca’s experience and knowledge is a coup for the museum. We look forward to Rebecca’s continued input and guidance for the future as we prepare for a new SAM,” said Ms Thomson.
Cornucopia.
20 January 2016
Shepparton Art Museum is excited to announce its first major exhibition in 2016, Cornucopia.
Cornucopia will open at SAM on Saturday 27 February 2016 and run until Sunday 22 May 2016.
Cornucopia (meaning Horn of Plenty), showcases works by established and early career artists that utilise food and/or flora as an artistic medium or point of departure.
A multidisciplinary and trans-historical show, the exhibition teases out various strands of investigation around the production, consumption and distribution of food, as well as its metaphoric potential, socio-cultural uses and representation within art history.
The artists featured in Cornucopia include:
Lauren Berkowitz (AU), Julie Crouan (AU), A Centre for Everything (AU), Gabrielle de Vietri (AU), Julia deVille (NZ/AU), Mishka Henner (UK), The Hotham Street Ladies (AU), Georgie Mattingley (AU), Patricia Piccinini (AU), Kenny Pittock (AU), SUPERFLEX (DK), Sam Taylor-Johnson (UK), Kawita Vatanajyankur (THA), Claire Anna Watson (AU) and Andy Warhol (USA).
SAM’s Acting Director, Dr Rebecca Coates notes:
‘Food, and its ethics, are very much topics of our times. What we consume, how it’s produced, and how it arrives at our table are realities of our every-day lives. Cornucopia touches on many of these themes: from food miles and sustainability to famine and lack, or genetic modification and the consequences of globalised production. The exhibition also explores cultural and religious food traditions and the significance of certain ingredients such as olive oil and salt. Located in country Victoria, SAM also celebrates those marvellous Australian institutions such as the CWA and their pursuit of the perfect asparagus roll and cup of tea.’
Exhibition Dates: Saturday 27 February 2016 to Sunday 22 May 2016.
Official Opening: Saturday 27 February 2016
For further information, print quality images, or to arrange interviews with SAM staff, please contact SAM Marketing Coordinator Gabriella Calandro via phone (03) 5832 9522 or by email gabriella.calandro@shepparton.vic.gov.au.
Image: Kawita Vatanajyankur, The Squeezers [still], 2015. Single channel HD video, 2min 35sec, courtesy of the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney © the artist.
2016 Australian Indigenous Ceramic Art Award Applications Are Now Open.
18 January 2016
From Monday 4 January, 2016 Shepparton Art Museum will be accepting applications for the Australian Indigenous Ceramic Art Award (ICAA) 2016.
This $20,000 acquisitive prize is open to Indigenous groups and individual artists to propose an exhibition concept to realise at SAM in August 2016. Application can be downloaded from the SAM website www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/. Applications close Tuesday 15 March 2016.
In order to work more closely with the Indigenous community and provide better career development opportunities for Australian artists, the 2016 ICAA will follow the format of other significant Awards such as the Sidney Myer Fund Australia Ceramic Award. To assist artists and arts groups to create a new and dynamic body of proposed work, the five shortlisted applicants will receive $2,600 development fee to help support their new body of work. The exhibition opening and award announcement is due to take place on Saturday 6 August. Accompanying this event, SAM, in partnership with Gallery Kaiela, will host a Cultural Programs weekend on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 August 2016. This program will provide a skills and knowledge exchange opportunity for Indigenous artists from around Australia and regional Victoria.
SAM’s Acting Director, Dr Rebecca Coates, notes:
“The success of this important Award is in part based on the mutual exchange of ideas, stories, expertise and understanding. The other major ingredient of course is outstanding works of art. At SAM, we remain committed to supporting Indigenous artists to create ambitious and exciting new works and projects, either individually or as a group. We are excited to see what this edition of the ICAA 2016 brings forth.’
Image: 2014 ICAA 2nd Prize, Alison Milyika Carroll, Ngayuku Walka 2014 © the artist, photo by Jamie Durrant.
SAM is also committed to supporting professional development opportunities. The curatorial team for the ICAA Award 2016 will include SAM’s Curatorial Assistant: Indigenous Visual Arts Residency as part of the curatorial team for the ICAA Award 2016. This is a 12 month partnership position with Indigenous Partnerships, Creative Victoria.
Established under the patronage of acclaimed artist Dr Gloria Thanakupi Fletcher, this Award celebrates and supports the rich and diverse use of the ceramic medium by Indigenous artists and acknowledges the special industry of ceramic art. As an acquisitive award it contributes to the Art Museum’s significant holdings of Australian and International ceramic art.
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:
|
Applications open |
Monday 4 January 2016 |
|
Applications close |
Tuesday 15 March 2016 |
|
Artists advised of selection |
Monday 21 March 2016 |
|
Exhibition opens to the public |
Saturday 6 August 2016 |
|
Award Announcement and official opening |
Saturday 20 August, 4 to 6pm |
|
Cultural program weekend |
Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 August 2016 |
|
Exhibition dates |
Sunday 6 August to Sunday 25 September |
For further information on how to apply, full terms and conditions and a history of the Award, please visit www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au. All applications for the ICAA 2016 are to be sent via post and arrive no later than 15 March 2016.
For further information, print quality images of past Award winners, or to arrange interviews with SAM staff, please contact SAM Marketing Coordinator Gabriella Calandro on phone (03) 5832 9522 or email gabriella.calandro@shepparton.vic.gov.au.
Showcase #8 with Janet DeBoos
6 November 2015
SAM final Showcase for 2015 opens Saturday 7 November
In the second year of Showcase exhibitions curator Anna Mass has focused on the work of four extremely accomplished ceramic artists who are each represent within the SAM collection.
Janet De Boos is an educator, author and ceramic practitioner. She employs a range of imagery and artistic approaches, from the pinnacle of Chinese porcelain decoration (Qing overglaze) through to colour and line from the deserts of Australia (Ernabella terra sigillata, Australian flora) and techniques from antiquity such as sgraffito or ‘scratching’. De Boos states her “interest in the history of ceramic decoration and the way in which it both absorbs and expresses cultures, has continued to be the focus of my work.”
Janet De Boos Showcase #8 displays a selection of wheel thrown pieces which display her hybrid pottery which incorporates ancient technique creating timeless pieces with a contemporary flare.
De Boos is an elected Member for the International Academy of Ceramics, Geneva, representing Australasia and South Africa. Collections include: National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of China, Beijing, plus private collections in Australia and overseas.
Showcase #8: Janet De Boos will be on display until Sunday 1 February, 2016 with all works for sale through the SAM Shop.
Media enquires contact Gabriella Calandro, Marketing Coordinator, Shepparton Art Museum (03) 5832 9522 gabriella.calandro@Shepparton.vic.gov.au
Image: Showcase #8 artist, Janet DeBoos with her ceramic works currently on display at SAM.
New SAM project board progressing development
23 October 2015
A SAM Project Board was established after the May 2015 Council meeting and is investigating the next stages to progress the development of the new Shepparton Art Museum.
The Project Board has 12 members representing Regional Development Victoria, the SAM Foundation, Gallery Kaiela and Yorta Yorta Nation. There are also representatives of Greater Shepparton City Council, from SAM, Planning, Economic Development, Marketing and Communications, Visitor Information and Project Management.
To date the Project Board has developed a Terms of Reference and a Communication Plan and has started work on four task areas including a building design/architecture competition; the Governance process; funding applications; and project planning.
Project Board Chairperson and Council Director Community, Kaye Thomson said the Project Board has a lot of work to do over the next few years to bring the concept to fruition. “Council committed to the development of the new art museum and our work now is to guide that process and ensure Shepparton receives a building and community meeting space that meets the needs of our community.”
“At the moment the Board is investigating an architectural design competition which is very exciting. We need to have some concrete ideas to present to government in our applications for funding so this will be an important task we need to complete,” said Ms Thomson.
“A design competition will open the concept for a new SAM to top architectural firms with experience in developing other museums. We need a building that is a drawcard for locals as well as visitors. We want people to visit Shepparton with SAM as a must-see item on their list. A building sited on the lake’s edge with a view over our wetlands and natural bushlands will have an outstanding outlook, there is nothing in Shepparton that’s connects so well with its environment,” said Ms Thomson.
“At the moment we don’t know what the building will look like except that it needs to be multilevel and multifunctional. Once we have a design with tangible details we can take that to State and Federal governments to support our funding bids.”
“At the same time we are exploring the governance model for the new SAM,” said Ms Thomson. “Setting up the governance structure is a complex task and we have experts in the field guiding this investigation.”
“Ultimately, the new SAM concept has a brief to be a museum with the artist at its centre, a meeting place for the region’s people, providing captivating art experiences and connection to the Aboriginality and multi-cultural origins of the region’s heritage.”
“The museum will also provide a permanent home for the Visitor Information Centre and a home for Gallery Kaiela,” said Ms Thomson.
The new SAM will be a multi-level building overlooking the Victoria Park Lake with an establishment cost of $34.5m. Greater Shepparton City Council will fund $10m of this amount with the remainder expected to come from the SAM Foundation, State Government and Federal Government.
Media enquiries Sonja King (03) 5832 9701 or 0407 523 945
2015 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award. Winner Announced by Shepparton Art Museum
24 August 2015
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is delighted to announce the winner of the biennial Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Art Award (SMFACA), the premier national award for artists working in ceramics.
The $50,000 acquisition prize has been awarded to Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran.
Deputy Director, National Gallery Australia and former Director of SAM Kirsten Paisley described the work of Ramesh as “an extraordinary body of major sculptural works that are exceptionally exciting.” Ramesh focuses “on diverse sources from pre-colonial Hindu devotional sculpture to Christianity and sexualized bodies he explores fertility and creation, religion and gender. His work evokes the energy and reverence of `the deity’ while embodying the playfulness of a story-book action hero.”
This year’s Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Art Award exhibition supports the rich, vibrant and diverse use of the ceramic medium, and includes the work by five contemporary artists Adam John Cullen, Penny Byrne, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Ruth Hutchinson and Sanné Mestrom. SAM Acting Director Rebecca Coates explains that “each of the five artists shortlisted has created an outstanding new body of work that not only extends their own artistic practice, but also challenges our understanding of ceramics within a contemporary context.“
All five finalists were judged on the following criteria detailed by Ms Coates “the conceptual premise of the work and approach to the opportunity; technical ability and engagement with materiality; and spatial considerations – how the work inhabited the space. The work also needed to be innovative, to challenge, excite and intrigue.”
All five artists’ works will be on display at the Shepparton Arts Museum until November.
Shepparton Art Museum is proudly provided by Greater Shepparton City Council, located at 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton. For general enquiries and bookings please contact: (03) 5832 9861, email art.museum@shepparton.vic.gov.au, or visit www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au. Open 7 days, 10am to 4pm, public holidays 1pm to 4pm. SAM is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @SAM_Shepparton
Image: Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Archipelago, 2015, mixed media, dimensions variable, Shepparton Art Museum
For further information on this media release please contact:
Gabriella Calandro, Marketing Coordinator Shepparton Art Museum
P: (03) 5832 9522
E: gabriella.calandro@shepparton.vic.gov.au
New SAM Acting Director appointed
13 August 2015
Greater Shepparton City Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Rebecca Coates in the role of Acting Director SAM commencing Monday 17 August.
Dr Coates is eminently qualified for the role as an established curator, writer and lecturer, with over 20 years professional art museum and gallery experience in both Australia and overseas. She is currently a Lecturer at the University of Melbourne in Art History and Art Curatorship and has a PhD in Art History.
Her work history includes her current role as Associate Curator of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art; Curator, Visual Arts Program, Melbourne International Arts Festival; Touring Exhibitions Organiser, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford; Program Coordinator, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and Curatorial Assistant, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.
Dr Coates has curated numerous exhibitions, and edited and contributed to exhibition publications. She speaks and writes regularly on contemporary art and theory, curatorial practice, and art in the public realm, and has contributed to a number of art magazines and journals including Art & Australia, Eyeline, Art World, Art Monthly Australia, un magazine, Broadsheet and refereed academic journals.
She is also a member of several advisory boards and has experience working with philanthropic, business and government sectors and on panels and public forums. Dr Coates is also a judge for the 2015 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award, the winner of which will be announced on 24 August at SAM. Dr Coates also has extensive knowledge of Australia art and in marketing and management within the art sector.
Rebecca Coates is excited about taking up the Acting Director position at SAM. “It’s a great institution, with a strong team of staff and supporters. SAM has presented a really interesting and dynamic series of contemporary and historic exhibitions over the last number of years,” said Dr Coates.
“SAM is at an exciting point in its development. It’s known for its collection focus on ceramics, and has exciting plans for a new building. This is a significant opportunity to continue to work with the Greater Shepparton community to ensure SAM’s central place and role in this region. I look forward to working with the SAM staff and wider team at this dynamic point in SAM’s development.”
Greater Shepparton City Council Director Community, Kaye Thomson said SAM and Council are honoured to have Dr Coates take on the role.
“To attract someone with Rebecca’s experience and knowledge is a coup for the museum. We look forward to Rebecca’s input and guidance whilst we commence the recruitment process for a permanent SAM Director,” said Ms Thomson.
50K ceramic prize to be announced 22 August
28 July 2015
Five exciting artists will present exhibitions as part of the 2015 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award (SMFACA) at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) this August. This year’s exhibition supports the rich, vibrant and diverse use of the ceramic medium, and will include the work by five contemporary artists Adam John Cullen, Penny Byrne, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Ruth Hutchinson and Sanné Mestrom.
SIDNEY MYER FUND AUSTRALIAN CERAMIC AWARD
Exhibition dates: Saturday 22 August – Saturday 22 November 2015
$50,000 award announcement: Saturday 22 August, 6pm
Artist Presentations, key note address by Dr Rebecca Coates and panel discussion: Saturday 22 August, 10am to 3.30pm, cost: $45 (includes lunch). Bookings are essential, phone (03) 5832 9861.
Artist presentations and floor talks, 10am to 12.45pm
Presentations by shortlisted artists: Penny Byrne, Adam John Cullen, Ruth Hutchinson, Sanné Mestrom and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran.
Keynote Address and Panel Discussion, 2 to 3.30pm
In her keynote address, Dr Rebecca Coates, associate curator at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and co-judge of the 2015 SMFACA, will draw upon the work of a range of artists to illicit discussion on the usefulness and rise of craft traditions within contemporary art practice. This will be followed by a panel discussion on emergent themes and approaches in Australian contemporary ceramics with shortlisted artists lead by Anna Briers, SAM senior curator.
(see www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/programs-and-events for full details)
SAM’s SMFACA is the premier national award for Australian artists working in ceramics with a $50,000 prize acquisition to be awarded to one of the artists on the opening night of Saturday 22 August 2015.
The 2015 SMFACA attracted over 100 Australian artists from exemplary master potters through to contemporary artists exploring ceramic traditions and the medium’s potential for intervention in a range of aesthetic and political endeavours. It was a fantastic field of applicants and proposed exhibitions.
Each of the winning artists have been commissioned to produce an exhibition of new work for display at SAM from 22 August to 22 November 2015. The artists will also travel to Shepparton for the celebratory opening and announcement day of Saturday 22 August.
The 2015 award was judged by SAM Director Kirsten Paisley (now National Gallery of Australia Deputy Director) and Dr Rebecca Frances Coates. Rebecca is an independent curator and writer. She lectures in Art History and Art Curatorship, School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne and was awarded a PhD in Art History from the University of Melbourne in 2013. She is Associate Curator at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, where she has curated over forty exhibitions, and worked extensively as a curator in Australia and overseas.
Dr Rebecca Coates said:
This year’s entrants provided rich and varied work. Within a contemporary context, each of the five artists selected encourages us to rethink ceramics as a form. Their themes include creative genius and identity, kitsch and global warfare. They repurpose technical materials such as dental porcelain, and revise Modernist art histories. Each of the artists extends our understanding of what ceramics can be, and in turn, how we live and work.
For further information on this media release please contact:
Stephanie Pirrie, Miranda Brown Publicity stephanie@mbpublicity.com.au / 03 9419 0931
20th Drawing Wall Artist to Begin Art
14 July 2015
Next Monday 20 through to Thursday 23 July will see the creation of Shepparton Art Museum’s 20th drawing wall by Melbourne-based artist Jordan Marani.
Marani's practise uses vibrant geometries and intersecting planes that entice through their formal relationships and delectable hues. Closer inspection reveals ‘colourful language' in the form of four letter expletives within the compositional structure. Over the last 25 years Marani has explored profanity drawn from the ugly vernacular of Australian politics and the pub. Employing a liberal serving of cheek, silliness, and a devil may care attitude, Marani reminds us not to take art and life too seriously.
Jordan said:
‘My work is dark but humorous, blends lowbrow culture with high art and involves personal narratives and cynical observations of the human condition. Through painting and sculpture employing bright colour, humour and word play, I aim to explore the funny side of the dark side.'
From 2008-2011 Jordan was co-founder and director of Hell Gallery. His work has been exhibited at Tate Modern, the National Gallery of Victoria, Static Gallery Liverpool, Switchback Gallery, 200 Gertrude Street, Daine Singer, Neon Parc, Utopian Slumps, Ryan Renshaw, Ray Hughes Gallery, Powell Street Gallery and at ARIs including Death Be Kind, Inflight, Seventh, and West Space. He is represented by Daine Singer.
Jordan will begin working on the Drawing Wall #20 this Monday 20 July at 11am. You're welcome to visit SAM and watch him at work throughout the week while enjoying a coffee and great art.
MEDIA Amina Barolli, Shepparton Art Museum
p (+61 3) 5832 9522 amina.barolli@shepparton.vic.gov.au
140 Student Teachers to Learn About Art and Museums at SAM
9 July 2015
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is partnering with La Trobe University’s School of Education to deliver an intensive arts in education program to 140 pre-service teachers next week on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 July 2015.
140 student teachers from around the state and beyond currently enrolled in Shepparton's Middle Years teaching program known as the Graduate Diploma in Education (Middle Years) will be introduced to new learning contexts that highlight the importance of introducing and engaging students in the visual arts and museum education to support both single discipline and multidisciplinary approaches to learning in Years 5 to 10.
SAM visual arts educator Rhonda Chrisanthou and Guthrie Street Primary School teacher Suzy Turton have designed presentations and activities that aim to clarify the role of informal learning in settings like SAM and to demonstrate the importance of partnerships in providing access to the arts as well as opportunities in experiential and applied learning.
Ms Chrisanthou said:
SAM's education programs have long provided a range of opportunities and resources to local and regional schools to participate in learning about Australian art and ceramics. In more recent years, exhibition and public programs featuring contemporary art have provided a range of challenges and opportunities to re-think the nature and purpose of the visual arts in our everyday lives. In particular, the role of the arts in enabling creative and critical thinking as well as aesthetic knowledge and skills based learning.
SAM is delivering three, two hour sessions to teachers on Monday 13 July at 10am, 1pm and on Tuesday 14 July at 10am. Presentations will include a workshop activity and museum tours through SAM's permanent collection and current major exhibition Greg Creek: The Desktop Drawings.
Shepparton Art Museum is proudly provided by Greater Shepparton City Council, located at 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton. For general SAM enquiries and bookings please contact: (03) 5832 9861, email art.museum@shepparton.vic.gov.au, or visit www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au for more information.
Council says yes to new SAM business case findings
19 May 2015
Greater Shepparton City Council voted tonight to accept the findings of the Feasibility Study and Business Case for a new Art Museum in Shepparton and endorsed the location at the southern end of Victoria Park Lake.
At the Council meeting held in Mooroopna, the councillors endorsed the recommendations of the report on the progression of a new Shepparton Art Museum with the project to be included in council's long term financial plan and strategic resource plan.
Funding for the new art museum will be sourced from Greater Shepparton City Council ($10m), the State Government and Federal Government ($10m each), and $4.5m from the SAM Foundation. The Foundation will also fund an additional $8m to support future operational costs.
The recommendation also included preparation of documentation to progress the proposal with architectural design, construction plans, planning and building permits and an update of the Victoria Park Lake master plan. The documentation will also include modelling for governance and transition from the current SAM to the new SAM, and project timelines and milestones.
Council conducted a public feedback process with 76 per cent of respondents in favour of supporting the business case for a new Shepparton Art Museum. Nineteen per cent opposed the business case and 5 per cent partially supported the business case.
Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Cr Dennis Patterson said it was a very important project for Council to look at the possibilities for growing art and culture in the region. "We need to commit as a Council to the next step in the process," said Cr Patterson.
"I am very conscious of the funding requirements but we have the opportunity to move forward on this project now," he said.
Greater Shepparton City Council CEO, Gavin Cator, said a new art museum will bring more than an economic boost to Shepparton. "We will also see a unique cultural facility for our diverse community where social equality, citizenship, civic pride and reconciliation will develop," he said. "A new art museum will create a lot of excitement and optimism for the future."
"It was really encouraging to see such overwhelming support from individuals and organisations in our community and I look forward to seeing the progression from here," said Mr Cator.
Media enquiries Sonja King (03) 5832 9701 or 0407 523 945
Hurry, Unique Car Drawings to Zoom Back to Boston, 17 May
27 April 2015
With less than three weeks remaining to see the Australian exclusive Dream Machines exhibitions at SAM and the Shepparton Motor Museum, a special 2 for the price of 1 deal will be offered to Greater Shepparton residents to encourage local visitation before the show ends.
From Friday May 1, SAM and the Motor Museum are offering discounted tickets with two for the price of one offers for all full adult, concession and student combined entry tickets until Sunday 17 May for Greater Shepparton residents only.
To see both the exclusive and original drawings at SAM as well as over 25 of the real cars created from these designs at the Shepparton Motor Museum, as a Greater Shepparton resident you'll pay:
* 2x Adults: $17
* 2x Concession holders or Friends of SAM: $12
* 2x Students under 16: $12
* Children under 5 years may enter free of charge, and school group bookings are welcome at no cost.
SAM Visual Arts Educator Rhonda Chrisanthou said: ‘This is a not to be missed opportunity for both residents and car enthusiasts of all ages. The drawings by leading car stylists from GM, Ford and Chrysler in the 1950's and 1960's feature original concept cars drawings that are simply superb.
‘Their influence and significance in history of auto design right up to the present time cannot be underestimated.'
For those who work 9 to 5pm, SAM has extended its opening hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays to 6pm until the Dream Machines exhibition closes.
If you'd like to know more about Dream Machines, free guided tours of the exhibition will be presented by SAM staff on Friday 8 May, 2pm and Thursday 14 May, 5pm.
An exhibition catalogue is also available for purchase as well as specially designed car merchandise from the SAM shop.
‘Make sure you take the opportunity to see this exhibition before the 130 original drawings are carefully flown back to Boston, USA.' Ms Chrisanthou said.
For more information on Dream Machines: Drawings of the Great American Automobile, visit https://www.dreammachinesshepparton.com.au/.
Shepparton Art Museum is proudly provided by Greater Shepparton City Council, located at 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton. For general SAM enquiries and bookings please contact: (03) 5832 9861, email art.museum@shepparton.vic.gov.au, or visit https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/ for more information.
Shepparton Presents Solo Exhibition of Greg Creek
20 April 2015
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) will present both new and major existing works by highly regarded Melbourne-based artist Greg Creek in its leading winter exhibition The Desktop Drawings from 30 May to 9 August.
The catalyst for this exhibition was SAM's acquisition in 2014 of The Melbourne Desktop Drawing, originally commissioned by the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in 2003.
Shepparton Art Museum Director Kirsten Paisley said:
‘Securing The Melbourne Desktop Drawing for SAM has been very exciting due to the scale and importance of this extraordinary work.
‘This exhibition provides the first opportunity to really understand a major part of Creek's practice, in the desktop drawings. Initially beginning as the throw away blotting sheets for Creek's large allegorical oil paintings, the desktop works have since become a focus of his practice, significant in their own right. The exhibition will also present ChatterShapes, a 52m wall-based work previously shown only in Scotland, and a body of approximately 40 new drawings Greg is making specifically for SAM's show, that explore Love, Death and Politics.
‘Greg Creek: The Desktop Drawings will map associations with a life-time of remembrances, knowing, observances and longing. The exhibition works like a junk shop of ideological symbolism whereby the act of collectivism, architecture, language, consumerism, national politics and daily life all become the one subject, a poetics of life.'
Created on modest scaled desks and yet sometimes beguiling by their incredible length, Greg Creek's drawings focus upon the richness of a studio process that captures the interaction between the incidentals of everyday events and universal contexts.
Greg Creek: The Desktop Drawings brings together a selection from Creek's extraordinary drawing practice now spanning 20 years – ranging from Melbourne via Europe to Shepparton with a highlight the growing body of new drawings commissioned specifically by SAM for The Drawing Wall #19, showing from 30 May to 30 August 2015.
Greg Creek said:
'The exhibition at SAM is a terrific opportunity to see a group of the works together – it sort of shows how they developed and gives a glimpse of what they have led to.'
‘There is an intimacy about the drawings that links the viewer looking at the work to where I was when I made it. I imagine viewers looking at the drawings and scribbles and reading the words mixed in at the same time with their own thoughts'.
'Experiences associated with a particular place might only be a small distance apart but they might be separated by years in time.'
'The new work for Shepparton will accumulate over time, with new drawings displayed each week – offering a different sort of narrative to each visit – like the Melbourne Desktop Drawing that will be unfurled several meters at a time.'
Events
The official opening of Greg Creek: The Desktop Drawings will be held on Saturday 30 May, following an artist talk at 3pm. Entry is free, please phone SAM on (03) 5832 9861 to RSVP.
On Thursday 25 June, SAM Director Kirsten Paisley will present a floor talk on the exhibition at 6pm. Entry is free, please phone SAM on (03) 5832 9861 to RSVP.
Shepparton Art Museum is proudly provided by Greater Shepparton City Council, located at 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton. For general SAM enquiries and bookings please contact: (03) 5832 9861, email art.museum@shepparton.vic.gov.au, or visit https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/ for more information.
Image: Greg Creek ChatterShapes (Mechanisms of Gardens) 2009, mixed media, text on cut paper, pins 100 x 345 cm, originally commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival for the 2009 Visual Arts project ‘The Enlightenments', courtesy the artist and Sarah Scout Presents, Melbourne © the artist
Creative Art and Design at SAM this Easter
25 March 2015
Over the Easter school holidays, a variety of drawing and applied design art workshops for all ages are taking place at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM). Inspired by the current major exhibition, Dream Machines: Drawings of the Great American Automobile from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, workshops aim to generate new ideas and approaches to art-making.
‘We encourage children and adults who might have a special interest in drawing or graphics to learn from professional artists and tutors,’ SAM’s Visual Arts Educator Rhonda Chrisanthou said. ‘Several workshops are planned for young teens and adults who might be thinking about a career in art or design. SAM is also working in partnership with Monash University’s Design and Architecture Studio to provide some exceptional workshops in drawing and clay modelling. As a bonus, workshop participants will view SAM’s Dream Machines exhibition for free. Book in early to avoid disappointment!’
Dream Design: Draw Your ‘Dream Car’ with an Expert
When: Tuesday 7 April, 10.30am to 12.30pm & 2 to 4pm (two separate workshops)
Age: Year 9 to 12 students and adults
Cost: $15 (Friends of SAM $13)
Design and draw your dream car with the help of the team from Monash University Automotive Clay Studio in the SAM workshop room. Paper, markers, and other materials will be used to show form, shading, texture, colour and how to make a convincing “concept proposal” page layout.
Exquisite Machine: Collage Workshop for Kids
When: Wednesday 8 April, 10 to 11.30am
Age: 6 to 10 year-olds
Cost: $12 (Friends of SAM $10)
What type of vehicle would you like to drive in the future? Participants will design their own futuristic car using different collage images and textures mounted on paper.
Clean Machine: Mixed Media Workshop for Kids
When: Wednesday 8 April, 1.30 to 3pm
Age: 6 to 10 year-olds
Cost: $12 (Friends of SAM $10)
Create your own original model of a Dream Machine using recyclable and everyday materials while learning about green energy vehicles.
Drawing 3D Objects: Drawing and Applied Learning
When: Thursday 9 April, 10 to 11.30am
Age: 10 to 14 year-olds
Cost: $16 (Friends of SAM $13)
Learn skills in drawing the illusion of 3D objects by using tone and textural effects in pencil and water-colour.
Design Concept drawing: Advanced Perspective Drawing and Rendering
When: Thursday 9 April, 1 to 4pm
Age: 14 to 18 year-olds
Cost: $35 (Friends of SAM $30)
Participants will design their own ‘dream machine’ using rendering techniques to produce artwork in one or two point perspective. This workshop is an excellent opportunity for boosting drawing skills for compiling visual art and design diaries and folios.
Retro Dream Machine: Lino-Printmaking Workshop
When: Friday 10 & Saturday 11 April, 10am to 3.30pm
Age: Adults
Cost: $100 (Friends of SAM $90)
Inspired by concept drawings of artworks from the Dream Machines exhibition, well-known local printmaker Fleur Rendell will instruct participants in methods and techniques used to produce successful retro, multi-colour, linocut prints. Bring a favourite object for drawing or photo to draw upon and an art apron or smock. All printmaking materials and equipment will be supplied.
Dream Machines in 3D: Design and Make Your Own Clay Car
When: Friday 10 April, time to be confirmed on booking
Where: Monash University, Caulfield
Age: Year 9 to 12 students and adults
Cost: $25 (Friends of SAM $20)
Get on a bus for a trip to the Monash University Art Design & Architecture Clay Studio! This is a great opportunity to experience hands-on clay modelling as used in the automotive industry. Participants will enjoy working in a specialised design clay studio to experience and learn about armature preparation, roughing in of surfaces, fine tuning, and adding tape-lines for form detail visualisation. Bus fare included in cost.
Rainbow Kids: Art for Small Hands
When: Tuesday 14 April to Tuesday 19 May (six-week program), 10.30am to noon
Age: 3 to 5 year-olds and one parent/guardian
Cost: $35 (Friends of SAM $30)
Designed to enhance and build relationships between one adult and one child, this program shows parents how to provide low-cost, accessible art-making experiences which can be repeated at home with their children. Morning tea is provided at each session and children are given a bag of goodies to take home at the end of the program.
To book into any of the above workshops, phone SAM on (03) 5832 9861 or visit the SAM shop. For further information and to see what else is coming up at SAM, visit https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/programs-and-events
Alongside this popular holiday program, the exhibition design of Dream Machines: Drawings of the Great American Automobile integrates SAM Play. SAM Play provides two thematic spaces that revolve around drawing activities developed by Drawing Wall artist Lee Ward. Space City and Mid-century Americana are inspired by the design, social and technological influences of the 1950s, 60s and early 70s. The activities will fuel your child’s imagination, enabling them to learn, play and respond to the artworks.
Shepparton Art Museum is proudly provided by Greater Shepparton City Council, located at 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton. For general SAM enquiries and bookings please contact: (03) 5832 9861, email art.museum@shepparton.vic.gov.au, or visit https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/ for more information.
Applications for SAM’s 2015 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award Open 30 January
26 January 2015
Entries for Shepparton Art Museum’s 2015 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award (ACA) will open online at www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au this Friday 30 January 2015, with a $50,000 prize awarded to one of five shortlisted Australian artists.
Entries for Shepparton Art Museum's 2015 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award (ACA) will open online at https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/ this Friday 30 January 2015, with a $50,000 prize awarded to one of five shortlisted Australian artists.
Director Kirsten Paisley stated:
"We are grateful to the Sidney Myer Fund who have significantly increased their support for the Award, and enabled the SMFACA to develop into an incredible opportunity for Australian artists. With $50,000 in prize money, the SMFACA cements its place as the premier Australian acquisitive ceramic art award. Following on from the successful 2012 Award which featured outstanding exhibitions by Kirsten Coelho, Alexandra Standen and Michal Fargo, the SMFACA continues to be at the leading edge of presenting contemporary ceramic practice."
With the hindsight of hosting ten international awards in its previous guise, the Art Museum has made a number of significant changes. These changes are intended to provide better career development opportunities for Australian artists, more strategic collecting for the Art Museum, and a greater depth to the exhibition for visitors and associated publishing.
There will be five recipients of the Award, each of whom will receive a $2,000 stipend to produce a body of work for exhibition. Costs associated with the exhibition will be borne by the Art Museum, including freight and the production of a fully illustrated catalogue. The Art Museum will also pay airfares and accommodation for recipient artists to attend the opening event and present at the associated seminar weekend on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August 2015. Moreover artists will work with the support of curatorial staff at SAM throughout the planning of their exhibitions.
There will be four months between the announcement of award recipients and the delivery of works to SAM. One of the five shortlisted artists will be awarded a $50,000 acquisitive cash prize, and their work will enter the SAM collection. The prize winning work, and any other special acquisitions to the SAM collection, will be announced at the official opening on Saturday 22 August 2015.
The Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award has offered Australian audiences the opportunity to view the best contemporary ceramic art for over 10 years. The supporting seminar and master-class workshops provide a unique platform for cross-cultural learning and exchange.
IMPORTANT DATES
Applications open Friday 30 January 2015
Applications close Friday 20 March 2015, 4pm EST
Artists advised of selection Friday 3 April 2015 (4 months to installation)
Exhibition Opening, prize announcement Saturday 22 August 2015
Seminar and workshops Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 August 2015
Exhibition Dates Saturday 22 August to Sunday 22 November 2015
Artworks dispatched for return to artists December 2015
For further information on how to apply, full terms and conditions and a history of the Award, please click here. All applications for the Award are to be completed online by Friday 20 March 2015, 4pm EST.
Shepparton Art Museum is a Greater Shepparton City Council facility. The 2015 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award is presented with thanks to the following sponsors:
Sidney Myer Fund, Arts Victoria and Greater Shepparton City Council.
SAM’s Year of Art Unveiled
26 January 2015
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is proud to launch its 2015 Annual Exhibition Program and February–June SAM Program Newspaper this week. Showcasing the sensational year ahead, the 2015 Annual Exhibition Program outlines the temporary exhibitions, Drawing Wall projects, collection displays and touring exhibitions showing at SAM in 2015. The February–June SAM Program Newspaper outlines the workshops, events and education initiatives happening at SAM during the first half of the year.
SAM Director Kirsten Paisley stated:
"The 2015 year at SAM is shaping up to be great fun, with wide-ranging appeal and plenty to get excited about. It is a year of new art, new commissions, new exhibitions and loads of opportunities to run, ride, or drive to SAM."
Following a summer holiday program of art-making, SAM will commence 2015 with the annual school exhibitions for the Goulburn Valley region, The Art Room (for primary schools) and Self/Expression (for secondary schools).
In its fifth year and 18th layer of paint, the Drawing Wall #18 in February will feature a new work by Melbourne-based artist Lee Ward on the 4 x 12 metre wall in the Eastbank Centre, next door to the Art Museum.
SAM's major touring exhibition of the year, Dream Machines: Drawings of the Great American Automobile will see 130 concept drawings from the great age of American car design from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, shown for the first time in Australia. Fittingly, the Shepparton Motor Museum will present a coinciding exhibition of the actual American vehicles depicted in the drawings over the same period.
Benwell/Halpern will showcase just over a dozen works from SAM's collection by Stephen Benwell and Deborah Halpern, and excitingly, an exhibition design response by Melbourne-based fashion designer / artist Rafaella McDonald.
Also drawn from the SAM collection, Swamp and Drift will be shown from April, featuring two suites of intaglio prints produced by Brent Harris in 2000 and 1998, generously gifted by the artist in 2013.
Greg Creek: The Desktop Drawings will showcase a life-time of remembrances, knowing, observances and longing in Creek's modest scale desktop drawings that will fill the downstairs galleries from late May to early August. Creek will also create a body of new political portraits and drawings specifically for the Drawing Wall #19.
The successful first of SAM's Showcase cabinet was held in 2014, and this initiative continues into 2015 with ceramic masters' works presented as a series of four mini exhibitions in the entrance to the SAM Shop. Beginning with artist Greg Daly, and followed by Owen Rye, Vipoo Srivilsa and Janet De Boos, the series of exhibitions provides visitors and collectors with a unique opportunity to acquire their own master work by four extremely accomplished ceramic artists represented in the SAM collection. Each work will be available for sale through the SAM gift shop.
The ninth Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award (ACA) will be presented in August 2015, and is set to be the strongest exhibition to date. This year, the ACA will see a $50,000 prize awarded to one of five shortlisted artists presenting in the space. Applications for the 2015 Sidney Myer Fund ACA will open on 30 January 2015.
Jordan Marani will cover The Drawing Wall #20. It will be a cheeky but colourful painting in September.
Concluding the 2015 year of great art at SAM is The Drawing Wall #21 by a remarkable local artist, originally from the UK, Mimi Leung, who will present a ‘colour-me-in' pop mural. This work will coincide with the opening of Best of Friends 2015, the Friends of SAM annual exhibition in December, extending SAM's celebration of local talent with works by members of the Friends of SAM. Alongside Best of Friends, SAM will present the outcome of a partnership project with Gallery Kaiela, Collisions: Cross-Cultural Artist Collaborations which will see a number of local Aboriginal artists partnering with established contemporary artists from outside the region, collaborating side by side, or in response to each other's practice.
In accordance with these many exhibitions and projects, 2015 brings a continuous abundance of considered public programming and educational links, for means to engage with the artists, the artworks and the artistic culture of the region, our country and the world. Re-occurring popular programs include Rainbow Kids: Art for Small Hands, SAM's four School Holiday Programs, the SAM Art Passport, designed to encourage children and families to learn about the artworks through self-guided tours, professional development workshops and talks for teachers and students, artist/staff talks for adults, and more. For Feb-June in particular, the Dream Machines exhibition and public program inspired by these works will allow for a wider discovery of design and enthuse many participants to become draftsmen.
To view SAM's 2015 Annual Exhibition Program: https://issuu.com/sheppartonartmuseum/docs/sam_2015_annual_exhibition_program
Hard copies are available at the SAM Shop (70 Welsford Street, Shepparton).
Regional Victorian Schools Show at SAM
19 January 2015
Shepparton Art Museum’s end-of-year school art exhibitions for 2014, Self/Expression and The Art Room, will open this Friday 23 January. The official launch and celebratory evening event is scheduled for Friday 30 January when students and teachers are back for the new school year.
Shepparton Art Museum's end-of-year school art exhibitions for 2014, Self/Expression and The Art Room, will open this Friday 23 January. The official launch and celebratory evening event is scheduled for Friday 30 January when students and teachers are back for the new school year.
The exhibitions highlight the achievements of students who participate in visual art courses in both primary and secondary schools from across the Goulburn Valley region. Both exhibitions highlight skill and creativity in approaches to art-making as well as confidence and sensitivity with regards to subject matter and in communicating ideas about the world and experiences of it.
‘Shortlisted artworks for Self/Expression present the best Year 11 and Year 12 artwork by students completing VCE Studio Arts and VCE Art in this region,' SAM Visual Arts Educator Rhonda Chrisanthou said. ‘There were 36 students from both Year 11 and 12 who submitted applications for Self/Expression. Fourteen students were shortlisted from a very large field. Selected artwork includes a number of photographic images and installation works that range in themes, approaches and reflect social and personal concerns.' Artwork by senior students will be displayed in SAM's Crawford Stewart Gallery.
Secondary schools represented in Self/Expression include: Cobram Secondary College, Dookie College, Goulburn Valley Grammar School, McGuire College, Mooroopna Secondary College, Notre Dame College, Rushworth P-12 College, Shepparton Christian College, Shepparton High School, St Augustine's College Kyabram and Wanganui Park Secondary College.
Eight primary schools submitted expressions of interest for The Art Room. Teachers were invited to select their own shortlist and have assisted in the presenting artwork for display in the Eastbank Centre Foyer. The display features artworks by students from Year 1 through to Year 10. Classwork is highly varied and includes mixed media, drawing and painting and presents an array of subjects, themes and approaches to art-making.
Schools represented in The Art Room include: Cobram Secondary College, Euroa Primary School Goulburn Valley Grammar School, Guthrie Street Primary School, Kialla West Primary school, McGuire College, Notre Dame College, Numurkah Secondary College and Numurkah Primary School.
Self/Expression and The Art Room will be on display from Friday 23 January to Sunday 22 February and will be accompanied by The Rennie Ellis Show, currently showing. Entry is free. SAM is open 7 days from 10am to 4pm (public holidays 1pm to 4pm).
The exhibition will be officially opened by Drew Pettifer, lecturer in Art History RMIT, contemporary artist and freelance curator, on Friday 30 January 2015 at 6pm. To RSVP, please phone (03) 5832 9861 by Thursday 29 January.
Shepparton Art Museum is proudly provided by Greater Shepparton City Council, located at 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton. For general SAM enquiries and bookings please contact: (03) 5832 9861, email art.museum@shepparton.vic.gov.au, or visit www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au for more information.
Image: Jayden Scrivens (McGuire College / Mooroopna Secondary College) Mankind Versus Mother Nature (detail) 2014
digital inkjet print on canvas, 150 x 30 cm © the artist
Dream Machines Come to Shepparton
12 January 2015
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is delighted to announce its major exhibition and Australian exclusive for March 2015, Dream Machines: Drawings of the Great American Automobile.
Dream Machines: Drawings of the Great American Automobile presents 130 drawings from the great age of American car design from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This will be the first major exhibition of original American car designs from the 1950's, 60's, and early 70's and one of the largest ever held. None of the works in Dream Machines have previously been seen in Australia.
Not only will visitors to Shepparton be able to see the original design sketches of post war American cars, but they will also be able to see up to 25 of the actual concept cars represented in the exhibition. To coincide with the exhibition at SAM, the Shepparton Motor Museum will present an exhibition of superb examples of vehicles depicted in the drawings, titled Dream Machines: The Cars. Both exhibitions will run con-currently and be co-ticketed, with an opening party and Show ‘n' Shine parade between the two venues on Saturday 14 March.
Car design of the post-war era was characterised by a futuristic zeal that reflected the economic optimism of the period. Space exploration, developments in aviation and an appetite for science fiction informed the popular imagination, fuelling the work of visual artists employed to design the cars of the future.
In 1945, as World War II was coming to an end, car production resumed and automotive companies sought to capture this enthusiasm, encouraging their designers to produce drawings known as ‘dream cars,' in order to explore new technical features and aesthetic possibilities. The sleek, aerodynamic vehicles conveyed in this exhibition capture the spirit of the age; pivoting around the nuclear family unit and the ownership of a house and car – the American Dream.
SAM Director, Kirsten Paisley said:
‘This exhibition is an opportunity for visitors to see (for the first time) the original drawings from which American cars were first imagined, and through SAM's exciting partnership with the Shepparton Motor Museum view the vehicles themselves. Working with the Shepparton Motor Museum has been a wonderful collision of two worlds, with the Art Museum and the Car Museum celebrating the incredible draftmanship and creativity of the designers and an era of extreme optimism and excitement for the future.'
Greater Shepparton Mayor, Dennis Patterson said:
‘I think it's great that SAM is doing this exhibition in combining two very detached worlds of cars and art. These drawings remind you of what life was like in the 50s… The optimism that followed World War II and influence of American culture on Australians was huge. People in regional towns like Shepparton took up the passenger vehicle with great enjoyment due to our geographical location – our desire for road trips and liking for being rev heads certainly increased! I remember distinctly pulling up on the side of a road to listen to the 1962 AFL grand final, being in a friends family Dodge, and it was all about the car, the footy and the country road.'
The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive public program of themed artistic workshops, tutorials, talks, tours and special events, including an opening launch party at SAM and Show ‘n' Shine at the Shepparton Motor Museum along with other festivities, on Saturday 14 March 2015.
Dream Machines: Drawings of the Great American Automobile and Dream Machines: The Cars will both be on display from 7 March until 17 May 2015. The exhibitions will be ticketed, with dual-ticketing available.
Shepparton Art Museum is proudly provided by Greater Shepparton City Council, located at 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton. For general SAM enquiries and bookings please contact: (03) 5832 9861, email art.museum@shepparton.vic.gov.au, or visit https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/ for more information.
Image: Robert S. Ackerman, Chrysler Front End Design Proposal – Red Sedan, June 22, 1971. Paper with magic marker, ink, 53.3 x 68.6 cm, Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Collection, image courtesy and © 2015 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.