Shepparton Art Museum debuts Art in Conflict alongside solo exhibition by acclaimed Pakistani-born, Melbourne-based artist, Nusra Latif Qureshi and a celebration of local art in SAM Open 2022.
11 March 2022
Shepparton Art Museum debuts Art in Conflict alongside solo exhibition by acclaimed Pakistani-born, Melbourne-based artist, Nusra Latif Qureshi and a celebration of local art in SAM Open 2022.
Three unique and timely exhibitions are opening at Shepparton Art Museum this March.
SAM is the first venue for a new exhibition by the Australian War Memorial, Art in Conflict (26 March – 31 July), which will tour around Australia in coming years. Showcasing the works of official war artists and contemporary artists who respond to conflict, the timely exhibition explores the unique ways in which art can deepen our understanding of Australia’s experience of conflict, prompting us to think through global issues from a local lens.
SAM’s Acting Artistic Director and Senior Curator, Dr Shelley McSpedden says:
“The Shepparton Art Museum is proud to be the first venue for the Australian War Memorial’s national tour of Art in Conflict and the only Victorian location to host the exhibition. This incredible exhibition brings together new works by some of Australia’s most innovative and celebrated contemporary artists, and its themes are enormously relevant to our local community. The Goulburn Valley has a rich military history, with WWII internment and POW camps in Murchison and the Mooroopna War Memorial acknowledging the service of Aboriginal soldiers in global conflicts. Shepparton and surrounding areas are home to many families fleeing war-torn counties both now and post WWII. Art in Conflict is an opportunity for the Shepparton Art Museum to connect with local histories that make this region unique, and for the community to gather and reflect on these histories.”
The exhibition sees three recently-commissioned bodies of work by the Australian War Memorial, two by official war artists Megan Cope and Susan Norrie , and one by renowned video artist, Angelica Mesiti.
Stationed across the Middle East as part of peacekeeping operations in 2017, Quandamooka woman Megan Cope was the first female Indigenous official war artist. Known for her work in reinterpreting topographies of contested lands, her body of work in the exhibition overlays maps with symbols and patterns to explore natural resources, battle lines and geographical markers that impact on the ways in which conflicts unfold.
Susan Norrie was deployed to Iraq in 2016. Stationed at Camp Taji to the north of Baghdad, the artist was there at a time of heightened Iraqi/Daesh conflict. In the resulting video work, Spheres of Influence (2016-19), the artist flits between footage taken during her time at Camp Taji and later at the Palace of Versailles in France. She depicts everyday life of the soldiers at the Camp, and uses the voice of Iraqi poet, dissident and former Iraqi Army veteran, Salah Al-Hamdani, who details his personal experience at Camp Taji in the 1960s and his interpretation of the contested histories of the Middle East.
Angelica Mesiti is known for her dynamic video works, often using visuals and sound rather than dialogue to create new narratives. Her work A Hundred Years (2019-20) was commissioned by the Memorial to interpret the legacy of the Western Front; in it, the artist makes a correlation between the bodies lost at war and the impact on our natural environment.
Of this exhibition, Laura Webster, Head of Art, Australian War Memorial says:
This is a landmark exhibition for the Memorial as it showcases almost 15 years of contemporary Australian art and artists’ diverse responses to conflict. This is the first time that even staff have had an opportunity to view these works on display together and we’re especially excited to partner with SAM and debut these important new commissions in Shepparton’s beautiful new galleries. Megan Cope, Susan Norrie and Angelica Mesiti each continue the tradition of art at the Memorial - to record and interpret the Australian experience of conflict – but they bring to it a conceptual rigour and breadth of understanding. They go beyond documentary to interpret globalised conflicts and invite us to understand different perspectives on these complex histories.
Also featured in Art in Conflict are leading Australian artists Khadim Ali, Rushdi Anwar, eX de Medici, Denise Green, Richard Lewer, Mike Parr and Ben Quilty, alongside works by renowned Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists—a collection priority for the Memorial in recent years—including Tony Albert, Paddy Bedford, Robert Campbell Jr, Michael Cook, Shirley Macnamara and Betty Muffler.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of public programs, including a community forum, artist talks and curatorial floor talks. Art in Conflict brings light to the untold stories and neglected histories tied to conflict from an Australian perspective. Art in Conflict is an Australian War Memorial exhibition supported by research from an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project.
Art in Conflict officially opens Saturday 26 March with a Yorta Yorta Welcome to Country, and a talk between artists Megan Cope and Susan Norrie and Head of Art, Australian War Memorial – Laura Webster.
Also opening on Saturday 26 March will be SAM’s next Window commission by Melbourne-based artist Nusra Latif Qureshi, who is presenting a new installation, The Land I See Is Not Elsewhere (26 March – 31 July). Trained in Mughal miniature painting in Lahore, Pakistan, the artist has a rich and contemporary visual language that encompasses mediums from delicate paintings to large-scale digital prints. Her practice often references the female body, South Asian histories and Australian cultures. Qureshi is influenced by imagery including colonial photography, botanical paintings and patterns from textiles, often adapting these and overlapping them in her complex yet delicate works.
The Land I See Is Not Elsewhere questions the histories and legacies of painting and representation of land in Australia, as much as it pays tribute to the local landscape. The multifaceted installation reflects on the environmental surrounds of Shepparton and references the history of Australian landscape painting, with a specific nod to SAM’s large holdings of watercolour landscapes by Albert Namatjira and the extended Hermannsburg School.
As part of Shepparton Art Museum’s commitment to its local communities, SAM Open 2022 (19 March – 12 June) brings together the works of artists from Greater Shepparton, the Goulburn Valley and the Hume Region. This annual all-ages exhibition celebrates and showcases the creativity of the region and includes works across many mediums and by artists of different skill levels and career stages. Curated from an open call, the theme for this year’s exhibition is ‘New Horizons’ – a beacon of hope after the challenges of the past two years.
Curated by SAM Exhibitions Curator, Jessica O’Farrell, SAM Open 2022 brings to light artistic work from northern Victoria for audiences from across the country. The exhibition supports artists to create connections not only locally, but nationally, and advances the skills of the artists and the creative reputation of Greater Shepparton, the Goulburn Valley and the Hume. Jessica O’Farrell says that:
“SAM Open 2022 is the first exhibition of our new SAM SQUARED program, which celebrates local creativity all year round. Having a new dedicated community gallery space at SAM reflects our commitment to giving our wonderful and talented local creatives a place to continually share their work locally and to connect with audiences nationally. By setting the theme of New Horizons, we wanted to mark this moment of opportunity for local artists to present their work in this fantastic new museum.”
Artists include Robbie Bechaz, Gregory Beckenham, Christine Broersen, Rick Brun, Ann Cremean, Wendy D’Amore, Rachel Doller, Beverley Dowd, Jayden Doyle, Brittany Drysdale, Rebecca Fortin, Abby Fortin, Lorinda Freeman, Jeanette Fry, Kerry Handwerk, Amanda Hocking, Marion Langford, John Lawler, Jodi Lewis, Glenda Mackay, Phyllis Mactier, Anne Mawson, Ari Mazurczuk, Lesley McLellan, Julie Mercer, Jan Molluso, Joan Mullarvey, Sharon O’Keeffe, Julie Oldfield, Kat Parker, Ivy Patone, Lyn Patone, Kaio Portsmouth, Judith Roberts, Carmel Robertson, Valerie Rokahr, Garry Salau, Megan Walker and Nikki Young.
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Upcoming Public Programs:
Tuesday 15 March
12.30pm- Community Forum: Art in Conflict
Online via Zoom
Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March – Opening weekend Celebrations at SAM
Saturday 26 March
11am- SAM Talks: with Megan Cope and Susan Norrie
1pm- Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country
1.30pm- Official Opening – Art in Conflict, SAM Open and The Land I See Is Not Elsewhere
2.30pm- Viewing of the artwork “Heroes” by Köken Ergun
4pm: SAM Talks- SAM Open with Exhibitions Curator Jessica O’Farrell
Sunday 27 March
11am: SAM Talks- Curatorial floor talk with curators from the Australian War Memorial
12pm – 2pm- SAM Talks: A hundred years with Angelica Mesiti, recorded in conversation with SAM
Media enquiries, please contact: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5020
e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Applications for the Indigenous Ceramic Award 2022 open Wednesday 9 March
7 March 2022
Applications for Shepparton Art Museum’s 2022 Indigenous Ceramic Award (ICA) will open on Wednesday 9 March.
Established in 2007 under the patronage of renowned ceramicist, Dr Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher, the ICA is now Australia’s most prestigious national acquisitive award for ceramics made by Indigenous artists from around the country.
Now in its seventh iteration, the ICA has increasingly attracted interest and participation from solo artists and collectives in both remote communities and urban centres. The award highlights new and exciting developments in ceramic practice and is renowned for advancing the recognition of Indigenous ceramics as a medium and showcasing the diverse contemporary ceramic practices of Indigenous artists from around Australia.
The major $20,000 acquisitive prize celebrates innovation in ceramic practice, much like its partner-award, the Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award, also hosted biennially at SAM. The ICA also includes a $5,000 South-East Australian Aboriginal Artist Prize, dedicated to local practice, and a $1,500 People’s Choice Award.
Applicants do not need to be primarily practising in the ceramic medium, though it is required that works being entered predominantly use materials associated with ceramic practice. Previous shortlisted artists have worked in traditional ceramic mediums, pushing the conceptual boundaries of the material, while others have expanded their practices by incorporating ceramics and associated materials.
Shepparton Art Museum’s Acting Artistic Director and Senior Curator, Shelley McSpedden is pleased to open the award once again to applicants around Australia. She says:
“This acquisitive award allows the Shepparton Art Museum the opportunity to celebrate contemporary Indigenous ceramics practice. Having skipped an iteration due to COVID-19, we are excited to finally be able to present the seventh edition of this significant award and bring ceramic works from across Australia to Shepparton.”
The selection panel and the judges for the award will be comprised of SAM’s Curator - Indigenous, and curator of the 2022 ICA, Belinda Briggs (Yorta Yorta) and senior Indigenous artists and arts industry representatives, ensuring artists know that their works will be assessed in a manner that is culturally safe. Briggs says that:
“The ICA celebrates the strong history of ceramics and relationship to clay in Indigenous cultural and artistic practice. In this seventh iteration we will be asking artists to submit completed works for consideration, in addition to supporting one artist to create a new body of work specifically for the exhibition. This new format allows us to showcase more artists’ work and to shine a light on how Indigenous artists from across Australia are working in the medium.”
Shortlisted finalists will be invited to present a body of new work as part of the ICA exhibition running 13 August – 04 December 2022. For the first time, SAM is commissioning an established artist working in the field to develop and present new work alongside the successful applicants.
Accompanying the exhibition will be a series of public programs that will allow audiences deeper engagement with the works and the medium, through skill sharing and knowledge exchange. A full-colour exhibition catalogue will be produced and be available for purchase from the SAM Shop.
Previous winners of the award include Janet Fieldhouse (2007, 2011), Danie Mellor (2009), Bankstown Koori Elders Group (2014), Gallery Kaiela Artists, Jack Anselmi and Aunty Cynthia Hardie (2016) and Yhonnie Scarce (2018).
Applications close on Friday 3 June.
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Important Dates
Wednesday 9 March 2022 Applications open
Friday 3 June 2022 Applications close
Friday 10 June 2022 Shortlisted artists advised
Saturday 13 August 2022 Exhibition opens
Saturday 1 October 2022 Saturday 1 2022 Awards ceremony – announcement of prize winners
Saturday 1 – Sunday 2 October 2022 Community cultural showcase events
Previous winners
More information about previous winners, can be viewed here:
https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/whats-on/ceramic-awards/ica/previous-ica-winners/
The 2022 ICA is generously supported by the Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation and Mr Allan Myers AC QC. The 2022 ICA publication is proudly supported by Philip Cornish AM and Caroline Cornish.
For media enquiries email Gabriella Calandro - gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au.
For questions around eligibility or to discuss an application before submission, please email ica@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au or call Belinda Briggs, SAM Curator – Indigenous on: 03 4804 5000
Weekend celebration at SAM for Lin Onus: The Land within.
2 March 2022
Weekend celebration at SAM for Lin Onus: The Land within.
The Shepparton Art Museum’s first major exhibition, Lin Onus: The Land Within, is set to close on Sunday 13 March. To celebrate this exhibition and the legacy of Lin Onus, SAM will be hosting closing weekend celebrations on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 March and community focused events for emerging Aboriginal and First Nation’s leaders on Friday 4 March.
Belinda Briggs, SAM Curator – Indigenous and co-curator of the exhibition says, “SAM’s weekend events commemorate the legacy of Lin Onus and bring together Aboriginal voices to explore, discuss and celebrate. Tiriki Onus, Lin’s son, will be joining us on Sunday 6 for a special Possum Skin Cloak burning demonstration. This form of storytelling is of significant cultural expression in South-Eastern Aboriginal culture and it’s an honour to have Tiriki present this at SAM.”
The weekend will also mark the closing of Maree Clarke’s window commission I Remember When…: Stories From Elders About Their Connection to Country, Culture and Place. Maree will be at SAM on Friday to run a workshop with young leaders from ASHE and on Saturday morning in conversation with Belinda Briggs. Together Maree and Belinda will explore the making and significance of her SAM commission, which will now be part of the SAM Collection.
A highlight of the program is a panel discussion between leading First Nations curators and artists on Indigenous curatorial practices, with a focus on the South-East Australian context. This panel will be chaired by Kimberly Moulton, Senior Curator South Eastern Aboriginal Collection at Museums Victoria and Deputy Chair of SAM Ltd Board, and will include Belinda Briggs, Dr Paola Balla, as well as Moorina Bonini and Kate ten Buuren from the This Mob collective.
Dr Shelley McSpedden, Acting Artistic Director and co-curator of the Lin Onus exhibition says:
“We are delighted to be presenting this suite of events to mark the conclusion of Lin Onus: The Land Within, an exhibition which not only celebrates the immense artistic talent of Lin but also his connection to Yorta Yorta Country and the incredible Aboriginal community he was part of. This exhibition and associated events reflect SAM’s commitment to championing the stories and talent of our local Yorta Yorta community and their contribution to the wider world.”
All events are free and open to the public.
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Program: All Programs are free and take place at the Shepparton Art Museum:
SATURDAY 5 MARCH
11am SAM Talks: Connection to Country with Maree Clarke and Belinda Briggs, SAM Curator – Indigenous
12.30pm SAM Talks: Moorina Bonini on This Is Our Story
SUNDAY 6 MARCH
11am SAM Talks: Beyond Curating - A discussion on First Nation’s curatorial practices in arts and cultural institutions
1pm Possum Skin Cloak Burning with Tiriki Onus
Exhibition closing on Sunday 13 March 2022, at SAM
- Lin Onus: The Land within
- Maree Clarke: Connection to Country
- Covid Collaborations: A Shared Step on a Long Journey
ABOUT SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5020
e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
SAM at Sunset to launch on March 3rd
24 February 2022
SAM at Sunset is a new event series to take place weekly throughout March and early April at the Shepparton Art Museum bar terrace on level 4 of the SAM Building.
Open to the public, this ticketed event will allow the community to come and enjoy the one-of-a-kind view in Shepparton overlooking Victoria Lake.
Andrew Gooley, Acting CEO said, “SAM at Sunset is an opportunity for the Shepparton Art Museum to engage our new space in a way that explores what our venue has to offer. The view of Shepparton from level 4 of the SAM building is unique for our region and takes on a new life at sunset. We look forward to welcoming people after work for a chance to catch-up with old friends and make new ones too.”
SAM at Sunset will run every Thursday from 6pm to 8pm from March 3 to April 14. Tickets will be released for sale one week in advance on a first come-first served basis. Tickets can be purchased through the SAM website at $35 each and include 3 drinks and nibbles catered by local providers.
Visit SAM’s website for more information and to register your interest for the next round of tickets. Please note this is an 18+ event.
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ABOUT SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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.
SAM at Sunset dates:
Thursday 3 March, tickets on sale 5pm Thursday 24 February
Thursday 10 March, tickets on sale 5pm Thursday 3 March
Thursday 17 March, tickets on sale 5pm Thursday 10 March
Thursday 24 March, tickets on sale 5pm Thursday 17 March
Thursday 31 March, tickets on sale 5pm Thursday 24 March
Thursday 7 April, tickets on sale 5pm Thursday 31 March
Thursday 14 April, tickets on sale 5pm Thursday 7 April.
Media enquiries, please contact: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5020
e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Image credit: Shepparton Art Museum, 2021, image courtesy John Gollings AM © John Gollings Photography
The Shepparton Art Museum is now seeking applications for the new CEO.
18 February 2022
The search is now underway to appoint a highly capable and engaged leader who will lead Shepparton Art Museum in its next stage of exciting growth.
Stephen Merrylees, Shepparton Art Museum Board Chair said “We are excited to be underway to recruit the next passionate and committed Chief Executive Officer for the Shepparton Art Museum. The new CEO will guide us into the next phase and provide inspirational leadership and direction as we continue to grow and develop as a new company and a leader in the regional arts sector in Australia.”
The SAM Board have been working closely with Slade Group to develop and refine the position. The refined SAM CEO position takes into consideration the recently formed SAM Limited and SAM’s new home in the Denton Corker Marshall designed museum on the banks of Victoria Park Lake.
SAM is looking to attract a passionate and experienced leader to drive SAM’s vision, embrace the Aboriginal and multicultural community within Shepparton and regional Victoria and oversee the delivery of an engaging and inspiring cultural experience in Shepparton.
Applications are now being accepted through the Slade Group website and will close on Sunday 13 March 2022. A candidate information pack and application form can be downloaded from the Slade Group website with inquiries regarding the position are to be directed to Trish Mullen at: tmullen@sladegroup.com.au
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Media enquiries, please contact: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM p: (03) 4804 5020 e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Shepparton Art Museum 2022 Exhibition Program announced
14 February 2022
Shepparton Art Museum 2022 Exhibition Program Announced
The Shepparton Art Museum has today announced its 2022 exhibition program. Over the next 12 months, SAM will stage 14 new exhibitions across all five floors.
In 2022, SAM will present exhibitions that connect with locally relevant stories and histories, celebrate Australian artists and continue to foster national institutional relationships.
SAM is the only Victorian arts venue to host 3 nationally significant exhibitions, including two nationally touring exhibitions: Art In Conflict from the Australian War Memorial and Ceremony: 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial from the National Gallery of Australia. SAM will also present the seventh edition of the nationally acclaimed Indigenous Ceramic Award.
Acting Artistic Director and Senior Curator Shelley McSpedden says:
“We are thrilled to announce our 2022 exhibition program. Encompassing a dynamic range of mediums and themes, the exhibitions presented offer rich and compelling reflections on issues and stories strikingly relevant to the diverse communities in our region. The program also celebrates SAM’s key collection strengths, with a strong focus on ceramics and Indigenous art.”
SAM’s next major exhibition, Art in Conflict, is a touring exhibition from the Australia War Memorial. Opening at SAM on Saturday 26 March on its first stop on a national tour, the exhibition will debut three major new bodies of work from acclaimed Australian artists Susan Norrie, Megan Cope and Angelica Mesiti.
The 2022 Indigenous Ceramic Award will open in August and is the seventh in the series of this biennale event at SAM. The acquisitive Award contributes to the Museum’s significant holdings of Australian and International ceramics and is open to Indigenous groups and individual artists across Australia.
The 2022 program will close with a National Gallery of Australia touring exhibition, Ceremony: 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial, opening in December 2022. Travelling exclusively to SAM in Victoria, Ceremony, curated by Hetti Perkins (Arrernte and Kalkadoon peoples) presents work of 35 artists from around Australia, revealing how the practice of ceremony is at the nexus of Country, culture and community.
Throughout the year, SAM will continue to present engaging and playful work by artists in the Children’s Gallery space. In May, Melbourne based artist Vera Möller will install an ecosystem inspired by SAM’s surroundings and the Goulburn River. Later in the year, interdisciplinary artist Meredith Turnbull will present a large-scale immersive installation in which sculptural forms, printed murals and wall paintings converge.
Nusra Latif Qureshi exhibition in the SAM Window, opening in late March, will explore the visual and cultural histories of the South Asian diaspora in regional Australia.
SAM’s extensive collection of ceramics will be on show throughout the SAM building in 2022. Continuing from Brown Pots, Karavan will open in the middle of the year and explores the aesthetic influence that migration and travel had on the exchange of ideas, techniques and ceramic forms of Australian studio potters.
SAM will highlight local creative talent in its dedicated Hugh D. T. Williamson Community Gallery. Through the SAM Squared series, the Museum will present works and exhibitions submitted through an open application process.
More information on each exhibition will be released throughout the year. SAM is open 7 days a week, 10am to 4pm, entry and exhibitions are free.
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ABOUT SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM p: (03) 4804 5020 e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
SAM 2022 Exhibition Program
OVERVIEW
People’s Gallery
Art In Conflict - Opening 26 March 2022
Indigenous Ceramic Award - Opening 13 August 2022
Ceremony: 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial - Opening 10 December 2022
Lin Onus Gallery
Signs of the Time – Opening 29 October 2022
SAM Ceramic Showcases
Karavan – Opening 23 July 2022
Children’s Gallery
Vera Möller – Opening 14 May 2022
Meredith Turnbull – Opening 12 November 2022
Hugh D. T. Williamson Community Gallery
SAM Squared: Open – Opening 19 March 2022
SAM Squared: EOI – Opening 21 May 2022
500 Strong – Opening 23 July 2022
SAM Squared: Spotlight – Opening 24 September 2022
SAM Art Wall
Trent Walter and Lizzie Boon – Opening 4 June 2022
Jason Phu – Opening 26 November 2022
SAM Window
Nusra Latif Qureshi – Opening March 2022
Major Exhibition Partners
Creative Victoria
Greater Shepparton City Council
University Of Melbourne
Australian Government Department of Infrastructure Transport, Regional Development & Communications
Australian War Memorial
National Gallery of Australia
Sir Andrew & Lady Fairley Foundation
Allan Myers AC QC
Metal Manufactures Pty Ltd – AWM Electrical
Philip Cornish AM & Caroline Cornish
SAM Foundation
Friends of SAM
Opening 22 January: COVID-Collaborations: A Shared Step on a Long Journey
18 January 2022
The Shepparton Art Museum is delighted to partner with the Shepparton Festival to present William Kelly’s COVID-Collaborations: A Shared Step on a Long Journey.
The exhibition features collaborative works by 28 international artists and poets initiated by local Goulburn Valley artist, William Kelly. The exhibition is a continuation of the project COVID-Collaborations that was presented as a projection on the outside facade of the Shepparton Art Museum during the 2021 Shepparton Festival.
Stemming from a desire to capture the impact of COVID-19 in 2020, Kelly created a dialogue between artists by distributing a template image for participants to alter as they reflected on how their lives had changed due to COVID-19 restrictions. The resulting artworks depict thoughts, feelings, and commonalities from communities across the globe.
Jessica O’Farrell, SAM Exhibitions Curator, said:
William Kelly has captured a snapshot of life across the world at the peak of the pandemic and as we continue to live with COVID, the project COVID-Collaborations highlights how far we have come. The exhibition shines a light on how we have managed to stay connected across borders, language, and beliefs.
Jamie Lea, Creative Director Shepparton Festival, said:
There’s something about this collaboration that can truly connect with each and every one of us.
The works show a deep connection (near and far) to a point in time of individual struggle, resilience, and personal growth.
What a brilliant concept by Bill and effort to engage all these artists from around the world. Thank you for your work, Bill.
COVID-Collaborations A Shared Step on a Long Journeywill open on Saturday 22 January 2022, with an opening event from 12pm at the Shepparton Art Museum.
Visit SAM’s website for more information.
MEDIA PREVIEW: Thursday 20 January 2022 at 10am at the Shepparton Art Museum.
Exhibiting artist:
William Kelly, Mona Badamchizadeh, Tim Bass, Godwin Bradbeer, Charles Bremer, Cathy Drummond, Anne Elvey, Susan Fealy, David Hauptschein, Bill Hay, Edgar Heap of Birds / Hock E Aye Vi, Andy Jackson, Veronica Pritchard Kelly, Rama Mani, Andy Marcus, Janet McKenzie-Spens, Driss Alaoui Mdaghri, Ben McKeown, Mary Modeen, Rochelle Patten, Samuel Elias Pritchard, Alexander Schieffer, Alex Skovron, Peter Sparling, Theo Strasser, Ian Tully, Fatemeh Vafaeinejad, Claire Van Vliet, Raymond Watson.
About William Kelly:
A Goulburn Valley artist, Kelly has been a steelworker, Fulbright Scholar, truck driver, former Dean of the School of Art of the Victorian College of the Arts. His work has always been figurative, concerned with the human condition, and collaboration is a foundation of his socially aware art practice. Kelly’s work is included in the National Gallery of Australia; City of Guernica Collection, Spain; United Nations Collection, Switzerland; Shepparton Art Museum and over 40 other public collections across the world. In 2019, the multi-award-winning documentary film on his work Can Art Stop a Bullet/William Kelly’s Big Picture was released and has now been shown in over 20 countries. William Kelly is represented by the Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne.
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About SAM
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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.
About the Shepparton Festival
Shepparton Festival was established in 1997 by community members who had noticed the need to have more locally accessible arts and culture offerings, and to also continue the growth and development of regional creatives. We are proud that we have since grown to become one of Australia’s longest running regional arts festivals, with 2022 marking 26 years of Shepp Fest.
Each March the Festival commissions, develops and presents a thrilling 2-week program of events encompassing performance, music, literature, visual arts and film across a variety of venues in the region. In short, Unique Events in Unusual Places.
Our purpose is two-fold:
• To give artists and cultural groups a platform. With a focus on grass roots engagement, promoting that art is for the whole community.
• To enhance Shepparton’s profile as a great place to live and visit; locals are “Shepp proud” and tourists are intrigued to discover what is so special about this place of ours.
Media enquiries, please contact: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM p: (03) 4804 5020 e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com
Shepparton Art Museum appoints acting CEO and Artistic Director
20 December 2021
The Shepparton Art Museum Board of Directors has appointed Senior Curator, Dr Shelley McSpedden as Acting Artistic Director and Business Manager, Andrew Gooley as Acting CEO as the Board prepares for a national search for the next Director of the Shepparton Art Museum.
SAM Ltd Board chair, Stephen Merrylees said: “The Board of Directors are delighted to appoint both Shelley and Andrew into the roles of acting Artistic Director and CEO, respectively. Together they bring a wealth of knowledge across the cultural and business sectors and will support and lead the team into this next chapter. We look forward to the recruitment process of the next Director of the Shepparton Art Museum and the opportunities that come with this. The next Director will bring new vision for the Museum and will be a new chapter for the institution.”
Shelley McSpedden joined the Shepparton Art Museum team in 2020 and has played an integral role in developing the artistic calendar for 2021 and 2022. Shelley is an established curator, writer, and arts educator, with over 15 years of professional art museum and gallery experience.
She brings a wealth of knowledge to the region, having held curatorial positions at a number of leading Australian cultural institutions, including the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and Monash University Museum of Art. Shelley holds a PhD in Art History and Theory from Monash University.
With extensive business experience and previously with The University of Melbourne, Andrew Gooley commenced with the Shepparton Art Museum in May as Business Manager. Andrew stepped into the role and has further developed many business initiatives to ensure future success of the new state of the art purpose-built Museum.
Both Shelley and Andrew are committed to steering the Museum forward as SAM embarks on this exciting new phase delivering its first suite of exhibitions and engagement programs over the next 12 months.
Together Shelley and Andrew said:
“We are delighted to take over the reins and co-direct the strong and committed team at the Shepparton Art Museum. The next year’s artistic program and series of program and events were designed with the community at the forefront, and we look forward to continuing to welcome new visitors and returning visitors to our new home.”
Preparations for recruiting for the position of Artistic Director and CEO of the Shepparton Art Museum will start in early 2022.
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Media enquiries, please contact: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM p: (03) 4804 5020 e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Applications now open for SAM Squared.
14 December 2021
Applications for the Shepparton Art Museum’s new program SAM SQUARED opens Tuesday 14 December 2021.
Drawing inspiration from SAM’s much loved and celebrated ‘SAM Local’ suite of exhibitions, SAM SQUARED celebrates local creativity all year round in the dedicated exhibition space, the Williamson Community Gallery at the new Shepparton Art Museum.
Local artists and creatives will have opportunities through the SAM SQUARED program to present their work in a professional museum context and connect with new audiences. SAM SQUARED aims to promote, foster, engage and celebrate creativity from our vibrant creative community in the Goulburn Valley.
Shelley McSpedden, Acting Artistic Director and Senior Curator said “We have an extraordinarily rich and diverse creative community in the Goulburn valley region. From spinners and weavers, to painters and makers in more traditional forms. The SAM Squared program is designed as a permanent space to support, promote and celebrate creativity in all its many forms.”
Jessica O’Farrell, Exhibitions Curator said: “SAM SQUARED celebrates the diverse creative community we have in the Goulburn Valley. We welcome all creatives from around the Goulburn Valley to consider applying or encouraging others to submit for an opportunity to showcase their work in our new dedicated space.”
SAM SQUARED is an annual program and will seek artwork and exhibition submissions in three open callout opportunities:
SAM OPEN: An all ages, open exhibition celebrating the creativity of our community Applications open: Now Open Applications close: Friday 28 January 2022 Application fee: $40 which includes entry and a Friends of SAM single yearly membership. $10 for current members.
SAM EOI: Artist, curator, creative practitioner or community group led exhibitions via an expression of interest proposal
Applications open: Now Open Applications close: Friday 11 February 2022
SAM SPOTLIGHT: A solo exhibition showcasing the talent of an emerging local artist
Applications open: Monday 13 December 2021 Applications close: Friday 25 February 2022
Application fee: $40 which includes entry and a Friends of SAM single yearly membership. $10 for current members.
To apply, applicants must live or must demonstrate a strong connection to in the following areas of the Goulburn Valley and the Hume Region:
Alpine, Benalla, Campaspe, Greater Shepparton, Indigo, Mansfield, Mitchell, Moira, Murrindindi, Strathbogie, Towong, Wangaratta, and Wodonga
Interested artists, creatives and arts groups are encouraged to visit SAM’s website for more information and application forms.
ENDS
Media enquiries, please contact:
Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM p: (03) 4804 5020 e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Rebecca Coates to step down as Director of Shepparton Art Museum
1 December 2021
Rebecca Coates to step down as Director of Shepparton Art Museum
Victoria, Australia: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) Artistic Director and CEO, Rebecca Coates, announced today that she was stepping down from the role after six transformational years at the helm.
Dr Coates is departing following the triumphant opening in November 2021 of the new SAM building designed by acclaimed Australian architectural firm Denton Corker Marshall and its nine inaugural exhibitions.
“I had three goals when I commenced in the role. First, to build the artistic exhibitions, collection, and engagement so that it earnt the participation of the local community and a national reputation. Second, to build a genuinely world-class new building that would attract visitors, enable a first-class museum operation, and be a symbol of civic pride. And third, to build a stronger community in Shepparton, with the museum as an agent for social change, celebrating diversity and fostering inclusion. All three goals have been well and truly achieved,” said Dr Coates.
SAM’s exhibitions are now widely recognised across Australia and internationally, building on SAM’s focus on ceramics and indigenous art and engagement. In the past six years Rebecca has curated and co-curated 29 exhibitions and overseen a total program of 111 exhibitions. Two of the exhibitions curated by SAM (Craftivism and Raquel Ormella) have toured to national acclaim. Dr Coates also revamped SAM’s ceramic art awards to build the profile of contemporary artists working in ceramics. And she built partnerships with a number of Australia’s largest galleries, including the National Gallery of Australia, Bundanon Trust and Art Gallery of South Australia. Under a new partnership, Art and conflict, a major exhibition organised by the Australian War Memorial, will premiere in March 2022 in Shepparton’s new art museum, its sole Victorian venue, at the beginning of a national tour.
The SAM collection has grown through Dr Coates’ tenure, adding 588 artworks valued at $3 million. Donations by artists have grown by a factor of ten, including donations by artists Ben Quilty, Danie Mellor, Karen Black, Richard Lewer and Felicity Law and Tony Albert. The Museum has also formalised the gift of the Carrillo and Ziyin Ganter Collection, valued at around $4.5M.
Dr Coates was pivotal to the new Shepparton Art Museum that now stands at the entrance to Shepparton. She was the driving force to use a rigorous process endorsed by the Australian Institute of Architects to identify an architect and design. Dr Coates said that this was “vital to ensuring that Shepparton got a world class museum, not just another infrastructure project.”
In the past six years SAM’s education programs have expanded, supported by a major learning and engagement partnership with the University of Melbourne, and program partnerships with La Trobe University and the Yulgelbar Foundation, presenting SAM Edulab (an artist-led intensive four week program that attracted 600 local primary and secondary students previously), an artist-led school holiday program, the SAM Scholars Program (which provides mentoring support to around 25 VCE art and design students per year), and Fresh (a VCE art and design exhibition). In addition, funding of $500,000 from the Buckland foundation has supported a new Ambassadors and Volunteers program, engaging 60 young people over five years to work with SAM.
Dr Coates said that for her, “It was crucial that SAM contributed substantially to indigenous reconciliation both locally and nationally.” SAM has developed an Aboriginal Engagement Plan supported by funding from Creative Victoria and deep engagement with local community and the arts sector. Dr Coates set up the museum’s first indigenous curatorial position through a one-year residency funded by Creative Victoria, and secured ongoing funding for the position through a learning and engagement partnership with the University of Melbourne. In the last 12 months SAM has secured RISE funding from the Federal government for over $250,000 to create 9 new indigenous traineeship positions. The recent Lin Onus exhibition is the culmination of this indigenous engagement, with local indigenous communities closely involved in the exhibition, the first time that a collection of Lin Onus’ work has been shown on Country.
Dr Coates added, “I would like to thank the staff of SAM whose contributions have been to SAM’s success over the past six years as well as SAM’s donors and supporters, ably organised by the SAM Foundation, The Friends of SAM and the enormous contribution of Carrillo Gantner AC.
“I am very grateful for the support of numerous artists and my colleagues in art museums and galleries who continue to make and show work that matters, despite the challenges.
“It’s been six big years, and the past two years have involved the triple challenge of pivoting through a global pandemic, transitioning the governance of the organisation from being part of Council to becoming a stand-alone not-for-profit organisation, and opening a new world-class museum with a much larger footprint,” said Coates.
I am now looking forward to a well-earned rest, and to contributing further to Australian arts and culture in future roles,” concluded Coates.
End
MEDIA CONTACT: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manger, Shepparton Art Museum, gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
ABOUT SAM: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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. https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/
NEW $50 MILLION SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM OPENS TO THE PUBLIC
19 November 2021
Launching with 9 free exhibitions, 4 new artwork commissions, over 200 artists presented, 160 Indigenous & First Nations artworks on display
Victoria, Australia: Australia’s newest art museum, Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) officially opens its doors to the public on Saturday 20 November 2021 with nine free exhibitions, four new artwork commissions and presenting more than 200 artists in a celebration of the area’s rich and diverse culture, people and landscape.
Designed by acclaimed Australian architecture firm Denton Corker Marshall and spanning five floors, the new $50 million art museum houses over 4,000 artworks, with over 200 artists represented and 160 Indigenous and First Nations artworks on display, including its nationally recognised ceramics collection and the nation’s most significant collection of South-East Australian Aboriginal art.
To mark the unveiling, the opening weekend includes a live streamed and in person exhibition opening of Lin Onus: The Land Within. On Saturday 20 November from 2pm, a Welcome to Country by Uncle Colin Walker and opening remarks from Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson will take place on the Kaiela Arts Forecourt on the banks of Victoria Park Lake. On Sunday 21 November at 11.00am, a panel discussion entitled “Build It and They Will Come” will explore the story behind the new museum. Moderated by Melbourne School of Design’s Professor Alan Pert, the panel features John Denton, founder of Denton Corker Marshall, SAM Artistic Director & CEO Rebecca Coates and David Sequeira, artist and Director of Margaret Lawrence Gallery, University of Melbourne.
SAM Artistic Director & CEO Rebecca Coates said of the opening, “It has been a much anticipated moment and we are delighted to finally welcome visitors and our community to the new SAM. The free exhibitions, outstanding artists and art commissions, supported by programs that engage, inspire and inform, are all housed in a world-class new building which is changing the agenda for what Shepparton is known for.”
“SAM has been designed as a live building where every surface presents an opportunity to display and be surrounded by art and experience, whether you go to the cafe, drop into the shop or even drive past at night when the gallery is closed. We are proud to be putting Shepparton on the cultural map and to contribute to radically changing this unique part of regional Victoria,” Coates added.
Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson said, “This extraordinary new museum is a stunning addition to Victoria’s world-class network of regional galleries, an incredible creative asset for the region and must-visit destination for all art lovers. The Museum is already offering compelling art and programs for this summer and beyond, headlined by this amazing Lin Onus exhibition.”
The new museum opens with nine free exhibitions spanning sculpture, painting, video, photography, ceramics and installation including the first significant showing of works by Lin Onus, the acclaimed Yorta Yorta artist, on Country, Lin Onus: The Land Within. Also premiering is Flow: Stories of River, Earth and Sky, an exhibition showcasing over 60 artists from SAM’s collection including major new acquisitions shown for the first time, the nation’s largest holding of works by the extended Namatjira family and works from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art.
Unveiled for the first time are four new artwork commissions and artworks by emerging and established Australian artists including the new work Connection to Country – I Remember When…,2021 by acclaimed Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Mutti Mutti and Boonwurrung artist, Maree Clarke; a new participatory video installation by one of Australia’s foremost artists and choreographers Amrita Hepi and Determination by Congo-born artist Pierre Mukeba which is inspired by the African diaspora in Australia. New site-specific installations include the large-scale artwork on SAM’s inaugural Art Wall Looking out and across, up and down, the river sometimes becomes a cloud, 2021 by multi-disciplinary artist Louisa Bufardeci; Anne-Marie May’s luminous installation Everything Joyful is Mobile which is suspended from SAM’s Atrium and Central Void spaces and James Geurts’ installation Trajectories: Orbiting Bodies Meet which draws on the museum’s close geographical proximity to the landing site of the Murchison meteorite and is commissioned for display on SAM’s 4th Floor Terrace.
Also opening to the public is Everyday Australian Design: Functional Design from the Ian Wong Collection which celebrates everyday objects from Australian daily life and culture and many of Australia’s most significant and awarded designers; Brown Pot, an exhibition exploring the evolving story of Australian studio pottery from the 1950s to today and Fresh: GV Top Art & Design, 2021 featuring artworks and design presentations from talented year 11 and 12 VCE Art, Studio Arts and Visual Communication Design students studying across 14 schools in North Central and Hume regions of Victoria in 2020.
Designed to act as a community and arts and cultural hub for the Greater Shepparton region, the new SAM building houses the Shepparton Art Museum; Shepparton Visitors’ Information Centre; Kaiela Arts, Shepparton’s Aboriginal community arts centre; an outdoor amphitheatre and Art Hill; and cafe and 150-person event space and terrace, all within an 5,300m2 cubic building.
Internally, the transparent and accessible museum experience is centred around an open, circulation galleria with four different galleries, totalling 800m2, accommodated across four floors including two major AA rated exhibition spaces which can accommodate exhibitions and loans of international significance. The gallery spaces include The Lin Onus Gallery, People’s Gallery, Williamson Community Space, SAM Kids Space, the Bill Kelly Peace Room designed as a collection viewing space, and Showcases at the entrance to SAM and across each floor featuring new commissions and SAM’s nationally significant ceramics collection.
Situated in regional Victoria around two hours’ drive north from Melbourne, SAM is located on the lands of the Yorta Yorta peoples, on the shore of Victoria Park Lake, Shepparton. Situated in regional Victoria around two hours’ drive north from Melbourne, SAM is located on the lands of the Yorta Yorta peoples, on the shore of Victoria Park Lake, Shepparton. The new building was funded by Greater Shepparton City Council ($15.35 million); the Australian Government ($15 million); Victorian State Government ($12.5 million) and private philanthropic and community support through the SAM Foundation ($7.5 million).
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MEDIA CONTACTS: To request interviews, further information or imagery please contact Articulate:
Rhiannon Broomfield, rhiannon@articulatepr.com.au 0410 596 021
Kate Atkinson, kate@articulatepr.com.au, 0466 182 681
Kym Elphinstone, kym@articulatepr.com.au, 0421 106 139
MEDIA IMAGES: Images available for download HERE
ABOUT SAM: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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. https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/
SAM will adhere to strict COVID-Safe guidelines in line with the Victorian Government’s Public Health Order and ensure the safety of visitors and staff. All staff, and visitors to SAM aged over 16, will be required to provide proof of COVID-19 double vaccination, wear a mask indoors and check-in using the QR code provided. Entry and all exhibitions are free, and bookings are recommended but not essential https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/your-visit/tickets/
● Shepparton Art Museum, 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria, 3632
● Opening hours are: Monday to Sunday, 10am-4pm everyday including public holidays with the exception of Good Friday, Christmas Day & New Year’s Day
● Admission is free
● The panel discussion “Build It and They Will Come” will be held at SAM on Sunday 21 November at 11am. Participants include John Denton, Founder of Denton Corker Marshall; Rebecca Coates, Director of SAM; David Sequeira, artist and Director of Margaret Lawrence Gallery moderated by Professor Alan Pert, Director of Melbourne School of Design. Bookings are free https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/your-visit/tickets/ and the event will be livestream via https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/
● For more information visit https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/
SAM INAUGURAL EXHIBITION PROGRAM:
Flow: Stories of River, Earth and Sky in the SAM Collection
Lin Onus Gallery
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
FREE
Everyday Australian Design: Functional Design From The Ian Wong Collection
SAM Showcase, Level 1 Cafe
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
FREE
Lin Onus: The Land Within
People’s Gallery
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
FREE
Louisa Bufardeci: Looking Out and Across to a Future
Furphy Family Art Wall
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
FREE
Brown Pots
SAM Showcases, Levels 2 & 3
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
FREE Media release 19 November 2021
Tony Albert: House of Discards
SAM Forecourt
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon – Sun 10am – 4pm
FREE
Maree Clarke: Connection to Country – I Remember When…
SAM Window
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon – Sun 10am – 4pm
FREE
Amrita Hepi: A Call to Echo
SAM Children’s Gallery
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon – Sun 10am – 4pm
FREE
Fresh: GV Top Art & Design 2021
Hugh D. T. Williamson Community Gallery
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon – Sun 10am – 4pm
FREE
James Geurts: Trajectories: Orbiting Bodies Meet
Opening 20 November 2021
FREE
Anne-Marie May: Everything Joyful is Mobile
Opening 20 November 2021
FREE
Now accepting Request for Expressions of Interest for the SAM Café.
10 November 2021
Now accepting Request for Expressions of Interest for the SAM Café.
Shepparton Art Museum is now seeking expressions of interest from experienced operators to provide an outstanding food, beverage, and functions experience at SAM Café situated in the new SAM building on the banks of Victoria Park Lake, Shepparton.
Andrew Gooley Business Manager, Shepparton Art Museum said “We are looking to partner with a provider who is ready to welcome visitors to the new SAM Building and complement our Museum experience with exceptional food, coffee and service. The SAM Café is a fantastic opportunity for an operator to be part of this exciting new landmark in Shepparton.”
The successful provider will partner with SAM to provide hospitality services across the site for guests, visitors, and the community of Greater Shepparton and will be an integral part of the visitor experience and success of SAM.
Operations will include the SAM level 1 café, the level 4 bar and terrace and function area catering for corporate events, exhibition openings, internal catering, and private/special events, such as weddings.
Mr Gooley said “SAM recognises the wide range of skills required and encourages two or more service providers combining if necessary to strengthen their EOI”.
Expression of Interest documents are available by email request to admin@cafconsulting.com.au. EOI’s are to be submitted electronically by 4pm on Wednesday 1 December 2021 to admin@cafconsulting.com.au.
Further details can be obtained from: Allen Gale, Senior Project Manager, CAF Consulting on 0436 486 015
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Background: The new café is located in the SAM building on Victoria Park Lake’s southern end and overlooks the wetlands and native bushland of the Goulburn River. It provides an exceptional view from both the second level café with outdoor terrace and the top floor function space with bar.
The five storey, metal clad building houses the new Shepparton Art Museum, indigenous art gallery and workshop Kaiela Arts, and the Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre. The building was designed by internationally renowned architects Denton Corker Marshall and was built by award winning Kane Constructions.
ABOUT SAM: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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.
Media enquiries, please contact: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager SAM p: (03) 4804 5020 e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
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.
SAM Café EOI process update
29 October 2021
Since August Shepparton Art Museum Ltd has been working closely with CAF Consulting in Shepparton to develop an expression of interest and tender process for the new SAM Café.
The new tender and lease process will happen over two phases: expression of interest followed by formal tender application with the aim for appointment by the end of February 2022.
In the coming week prospective service providers will be invited to submit an expression of interest outlining their vision for the new café located in the SAM Building. Shortlisted parties will then be invited to submit a formal tender.
Shepparton Art Museum Ltd is dedicated to ensuring all prospective applicants have time to prepare their pitch, outlining their vision for the new Café before applying. SAM acknowledges the challenging climate for colleagues in the hospitality sector over the last 18 months. This is a great opportunity for the right provider as SAM opens and welcome visitors and our community. In the interim, the SAM Café will be operated by Eastbank under the Greater Shepparton City Council and will be operating in time for the opening on November 20. In addition to seeking a local proprietor, the EOI will be published widely in the hospitality market.
For further information about the process please contact Andrew Gooley, SAM Business Manager agooley@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au.
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Background: The new café is located in the SAM building on Victoria Park Lake’s southern end and overlooks the wetlands and native bushland of the Goulburn River. It provides an exceptional view from both the second level café with outdoor terrace and the top floor function space with bar.
The five storey, metal clad building houses the new Shepparton Art Museum, indigenous art gallery and workshop Kaiela Arts, and the Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre. The building was designed by internationally renowned architects Denton Corker Marshall and was built by award winning Kane Constructions.
ABOUT SAM: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager SAM p: (03) 4804 5020 e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
INAUGURAL EXHIBITION PROGRAM ANNOUNCED FOR NEW SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM
13 October 2021
The new purpose-built art Museum will house one of Australia’s most significant SouthEast Australian Aboriginal art collections
Victoria, Australia: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) has today announced its inaugural exhibition program that will be presented in the new $50 million art museum designed by acclaimed architecture firm Denton Corker Marshall.
Spanning five floors, SAM will launch with a suite of new exhibitions and major artist commissions by emerging and established Australian artists, with work to be presented across the Museum, the surrounding precinct and online. Coming together with a spirit of regeneration, the reimagined Museum will represent the diversity and richness of Victoria and its unique local surroundings along with the vision and aspirations of its people. The exhibition program spans sculpture, painting, video, photography, ceramics and installation and is set to build upon the existing strengths of the SAM Collection, including its nationally recognised ceramics collection and the nation’s most significant collection of South-East Australian Aboriginal art.
SAM’s inaugural collection exhibition, Flow: Stories of River, Earth and Sky, showcases the nation’s largest holding of the extended Namatjira family, and is presented alongside a dynamic line up of world premiere Australian exclusives and commissions celebrating artists from across Australia and around the world. Highlights of the program include a major survey exhibition of the work of renowned Yorta Yorta artist Lin Onus; a new artwork commission by acclaimed Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Mutti Mutti and Boonwurrung artist, Maree Clarke, titled Connection to Country – I Remember When…,2021; and a new participatory commission by Bundjulung/Ngāpuhi award winning artist Amrita Hepi.
Dr Rebecca Coates, Artistic Director & CEO of SAM said: “I’m thrilled to be able to announce our inaugural exhibition program which ushers a new chapter of regeneration and community engagement for the Museum and Shepparton. SAM holds a special place in the hearts of Australians, presenting work by some of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists, locating their work within a global context. These first exhibitions speak to our unique people and place and acknowledge and celebrate our local Yorta Yorta people and shared culture. This is the most significant and exciting moment in SAM’s history as an organization. I look forward to sharing this new chapter in SAM’s history that will build on its past legacy and create a new vision for the future.”
The inaugural exhibition program to be presented at SAM includes:
- The People’s Gallery will house a major survey exhibition, Lin Onus: The Land Within (opening 20 November 2021) which is the first significant showing of the highly acclaimed Yorta Yorta artist’s work to be presented on Country. The exhibition brings together a selection of work spanning more than two decades, drawn from major public, state and private collections across Australia. Artworks are drawn from the 1970s to the artist’s untimely death in 1996, across a range of media including painting, prints and sculpture.
- Showcasing one of Australia’s foremost artists and choreographers, A Call to Echo, 2021, the new participatory video installation by Bundjulung/Ngāpuhi artist Amrita Hepi (opening 20 November 2021) will be the first exhibition for SAM Kids in the Children’s Gallery, a new, dedicated space for children and the young at heart. A Call to Echo sets up a dynamic relationship between an on-screen performance and participants within the space. Through gestural mirroring and translations, the work invites audiences to explore new forms of bodily communication and reciprocity, all in a COVID safe way. Weaving physical provocations together with a mix of moving image cues sampled from cinema, dance history and the artist’s previous works, it playfully draws attention to the limits and potential of how our bodies move.
- The inaugural exhibition in the new Lin Onus Gallery will be Flow: Stories of River, Earth and Sky in the SAM Collection (opening 20 November 2021), an exhibition that explores our relationship to nature and the ways that people, culture and ideas move through the region and out into the wider world. Who we are, how we understand place, how we define our priorities, and how we connect to the outside world are all determined by nature’s kinesis with motion and change as shared constants. The exhibition features the artwork of over 60 artists drawn from SAM’s collection and presents major new acquisitions for the first time including works from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art.
- The new SAM has been designed to showcase SAM’s ceramics collection throughout the building. Showcase One, at the entrance to the art museum’s cafe, features Everyday Australian Design: Functional Design from the Ian Wong Collection (opening 20 November 2021), an exhibition of objects that celebrates Australian daily life and culture. From the 1880s to the present-day, many of these familiar objects have become icons of our time, such as the Eski and the Décor wine cooler. Providing insights into daily life, the show comprises the everyday items we use at home and while at leisure with our family and friends. This colourful display will provide a story or two for all by prompting a nostalgic memory or casting light on the familiar object’s trajectory through the world of design.
- A special Brown Pots (opening 20 November 2021) exhibition will examine the influences and innovations of Australian studio potters engaging with and expanding on the teaching, writing and philosophy of Bernard Leach, the father of British studio pottery, and Japanese potter Shoji Hamada. This exhibition will kick off a three-part series of exhibitions exploring the trajectory of Australian studio pottery from the 1960s to today, to be presented by SAM in its new dedicated ceramics showcases over the next 18 months, showcasing works from the SAM Collection.
- The art museum has commissioned a major new work by acclaimed Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Mutti Mutti and Boonwurrung artist, Maree Clarke. Connection to Country – I Remember When…,2021 celebrates Yorta Yorta Elders, cultural heritage and ongoing connection to Country. The installation includes a series of large-scale lenticular lightboxes, the most ambitious that Maree has made to-date, and will be shown in the front window of SAM’s new building in anticipation of the museum’s opening in late 2021 (opening 20 November 2021). Given its location as a public window, the programming of this space has been designed to attract the passing public and a diverse line-up of participants to engage with the work, from less typical museum goers to those who enjoy and make use of the surrounding park and amenities.
- Looking Out and Across to a Future, 2021 (opening 20 November 2021) is the inaugural Art Wall commission at SAM on the 4th floor Furphy Wall by celebrated Melbourne artist Louisa Bufardeci. The large-scale artwork will be the first in an ongoing series of dynamic temporary commissions by contemporary artists, designed to respond to and enliven a dedicated public space, a terrace and bar on the museum’s top floor, looking out over Victoria Park Lake.
- A major public artwork by celebrated Girramay and Kuku Yalanji artist Tony Albert, House of Discards, 2019, has been installed in prime position in the forecourt of the new SAM building. Reaching nearly five metres, the towering steel structure resembles a supersized house of playing cards with bold black and white faces. It is the largest work to enter the SAM Collection to-date.
- The opening show in the Hugh D. T. Williamson Community Gallery will be Fresh: GV Top Art & Design, 2021 (opening 20 November), featuring artworks and design presentations from talented year 11 and 12 VCE Art, Studio Arts and Visual Communication Design students studying across 14 schools in North Central and Hume regions of Victoria in 2020. The Community Gallery is a dedicated space where local artists and creatives will have the opportunity to work in a professional museum context and connect with new audiences across a range of exhibitions, public programs, and events. More information forthcoming.
Designed by award-winning Melbourne-based architects Denton Corker Marshall, Shepparton Art Museum is the centrepiece of the compelling new arts institution on Shepparton’s Victoria Park Lark, in the North Central corridor of Victoria. The 5300m2 building houses the Museum, Visitor Center and Kaiela Arts, Shepparton’s local Aboriginal arts centre, as well as a cafe and event space with a rooftop terrace.
Information on the 2021 exhibition program can be found at www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au. SAM is set to open 20 November, 2021.
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MEDIA CONTACTS: To request interviews, further information or imagery please contact Rhiannon Broomfield, rhiannon@articulatepr.com.au 0410 596 021, Kate Atkinson, kate@articulatepr.com.au, 0466 182 681 or Kym Elphinstone, kym@articulatepr.com.au, 0421 106 139.
MEDIA IMAGES: Images available for download HERE.
ABOUT SAM: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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.
SAM INAUGURAL EXHIBITION PROGRAM:
OVERVIEW:
SAM will open to the public on 20 November 2021 with:
9 Exhibitions
4 new commissions
Over 200 artists represented
160 Indigenous and First Nations artworks on display
Flow: Stories of River, Earth and Sky in the SAM Collection
Lin Onus Gallery
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
Shepparton Art Museum 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria,
FREE
Everyday Australian Design: Functional Design From The Ian Wong Collection
SAM Showcase, Level 1 Cafe
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
Shepparton Art Museum 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria,
FREE
Lin Onus: The Land Within
People’s Gallery
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
Shepparton Art Museum 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria,
FREE
Louisa Bufardeci: Looking Out and Across to a Future
Furphy Family Art Wall
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
Shepparton Art Museum 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria
FREE
Brown Pots
SAM Showcases, Levels 2 & 3
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
Shepparton Art Museum 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria
FREE
Tony Albert: House of Discards
SAM Forecourt
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon – Sun 10am – 4pm
Shepparton Art Museum 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria,
FREE
Maree Clarke: Connection to Country – I Remember When…
SAM Window
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon – Sun 10am – 4pm
Shepparton Art Museum 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria,
FREE
Amrita Hepi: A Call to Echo
SAM Children’s Gallery
Opening 20 November 2021 Mon – Sun 10am – 4pm
Shepparton Art Museum 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria,
FREE
Fresh: GV Top Art & Design 2021
Hugh D. T. Williamson Community Gallery
Opening 20 November 2021
Mon – Sun 10am – 4om
Shepparton Art Museum 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, Victoria
FREE
Image: Lin Onus, Barmah Forest, 1995, The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment Collection © and courtesy the Lin Onus Estate
A NEW CULTURAL LANDMARK, SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM DESIGNED BY DENTON CORKER MARSHALL, SET TO BE UNVEILED 20 NOVEMBER 2021
22 September 2021
Shepparton, Victoria: A new landmark cultural destination, Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) designed by internationally renowned architects Denton Corker Marshall will open to the public on 20 November 2021. The design was unanimously selected from an architectural competition in 2017 and endorsed by Greater Shepparton City Council. The regional art museum designed by Denton Corker Marshall joins the practice’s impressive cultural portfolio which includes the Australian Pavilion in Venice, the Melbourne Museum, the Stonehenge Exhibition and Visitors Centre, and the Museum of Sydney.
John Denton, Founding Director, Denton Corker Marshall said “The Shepparton Art Museum was a great competition to win as it represents such an important cultural contribution to a regional city like Shepparton. Sitting between the lake and the main road into town from Melbourne it presents a strikingly bold signal – a new contemporary building added to the fabric of the city.”
Rebecca Coates, Artistic Director & CEO, Shepparton Art Museum said of the design, “The building is about hope and aspiration, with a range of welcoming spaces and places designed to invite all members of the public to meet, enjoy, and call their own through arts and culture. There’s a play of theatre, performance and comfortable reflection with natural light and views to the landscape connecting people to context and landscape.”
Designed to act as a ‘live’ building where every surface presents an opportunity for display, event or installation, the new art museum is characterised by simplicity and clarity of materials and form and includes an art museum housing over 4,000 artworks, four main gallery spaces including a dedicated Kids Space and Workshops; Visitors’ Information Centre; Kaiela Arts Aboriginal community arts centre; an outdoor amphitheatre and Art Hill; and cafe and 150-person event space and terrace, all within an 5,300m2 cubic building.
With a restricted ground floor footprint due to a floodway across the site, the building is extruded vertically over five levels to generate the distinctive small-and-tall art museum with panoramic views across the surrounding lake and Goulburn Red River Gum forest.
Conceived as a ‘land sculpture’ nestled into the surrounding landscape, as the tallest building in Shepparton, it acts as a beacon in the low, flat Shepparton topography. The external façade of SAM comprises four thin floating perforated L-shaped plates suspended in the landscape whose form references the overhang of traditional Australian verandas that offer shade and shelter. Three of the plates comprise powder-coated aluminium with the southern approach incorporating an integrated Visitor’s Centre super graphic and the entry to SAM on Wyndham Street featuring a cut out offering a tantalising glimpse of the interior. The rich ochre-red corten steel of the fourth plate faces the lake and river plain.
From a distance, the plates give virtually no indication of interior life and waits to be discovered and explored. At their base, they float seemingly unsupported over an open, visibly accessible and highly activated ground plane. Each plate is simultaneously an object in its own right and an integral part of the whole. The plates group together, at different heights and contrasting materiality, to form a cube composition at a scale comparable to the surrounding red river gums. Each facade plate becomes a canvas, layered into the treed landscape of dappled light and shade with the ability to transform as a base for temporary installations or projection imagery.
The design is integrated into the park via a dramatic Art Hill, screening all building services, back-of-house and loading under the expanded parkland. The Art Hill creates an upper ground level, enabling the museum cafe to enjoy an elevated outlook whilst being directly connected to, and accessible from, the park.
Internally, the transparent and accessible museum experience is centred around an open, circulation galleria with four different galleries, totalling 800m2, accommodated across four floors including two major AA rated exhibition spaces which can accommodate exhibitions and loans of international significance. The gallery spaces include The Lin Onus Gallery, People’s Gallery, Williamson Community Space, SAM Kids Space, the Bill Kelly Peace Room designed as a collection viewing space, and Showcases at the entrance to SAM and across each floor featuring new commissions and SAM’s ceramics collection. The interior design – the interconnected multi-level spaces, materials, texture, with intuitive wayfinding by Studio Ongarato – are overlaid with contrasts of drama, reflection, outlook, information and discovery, all which are conceived as integral elements of the museum experience.
Situated in regional Victoria around two hours’ drive north from Melbourne, SAM is located on the lands of the Yorta Yorta peoples, on the shore of Victoria Park Lake, Shepparton. The new building was funded by Local Council, State and Federal funding, and private philanthropic and community support through the SAM Foundation. SAM’s design was brought to fruition by builders Kane Constructions; engineers Arup, building surveyors Steve Watson & Partners, landscape architects Urban Initiatives, with signage & wayfinding by Studio Ongarato, who all worked closely with Denton Corker Marshall and Greater Shepparton City Council.
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MEDIA CONTACTS: To request interviews, further information or imagery please contact Articulate: Kate Atkinson, kate@articulatepr.com.au, 0466 182 681 or Rhiannon Broomfield, rhiannon@articulatepr.com.au 0410 596 021.
MEDIA IMAGES: Images can be viewed and downloaded from the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7f0t1tyc9g5fl63/AAAvfLfcc1copM5YM1IYTBX7a?dl=0
ABOUT SAM: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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. https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/
ABOUT DENTON CORKER MARSHALL: Denton Corker Marshall is recognised as one of Australia’s most celebrated design practices. Known internationally as design leaders, we produce distinctive, innovative and functionally excellent architecture and urban design across Australia, Europe and Asia. We create public buildings that integrate with their many and varied physical and cultural contexts, engaging at a human scale. All our designs have compelling narratives that underpin the visitor experience: the solutions embody planning and design philosophies that recognise the site’s inherent value and build its unique qualities into the visitor experience. Our cultural buildings are outstanding, award winning design projects – exciting and contemporary, but ageless. Buildings the whole community can understand and be proud of, that engage with their surroundings through carefully integrated landscaping, yet standing strong as landmarks. https://www.dentoncorkermarshall.com/
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) Free Online Program SAM Sketch Starts Wednesday 8 September
3 September 2021
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is launching a new series of our hit online program, SAM Sketch.
SAM Sketch is a virtual sketchbook club for all creatives where the aim is to join in, get creative and have fun. This free 5-week program SAM Sketch: Local Art for Local Creativity will bring together artists from across the Goulburn Valley and centre around the theme of connectiveness. Due to lockdowns in Victoria and across the country, many of us are separated from family, friends, and colleagues. SAM Sketch is designed to give people a place to connect online and get creative.
Rebecca Coates, Director & CEO “The last SAM Sketch series was embraced by an amazingly diverse group of people: we had family groups who joined from the one house, friends who met up virtually to share the experience and learn new skills, and even participants from overseas and interstate. Once again, these classes offer time with our local creative community to get creative, come together safely and have some fun.”
The first workshop of SAM Sketch: Local Art for Local Creativity is on Wednesday 8 September and will be led by mixed media Tatura based artist Rachel Doller. Doller will walk participants through the steps of creating colourful paper collage using materials from around the home such as newspapers, magazines, junk mail and coloured pencils. SAM Sketch will run every Wednesday for the next five-weeks via Zoom. To register, visit SAM’s website: www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Program Line-up: SAM Sketch: Local Art for Local Creativity
SAM Sketch with Rachel Doller
DATE: WED 8 SEP
TIME: 5.30PM to 6.30PM
SAM Sketch with Kristen Retallick
DATE: WED 15 SEP
TIME: 5.30PM to 6.30PM
SAM Sketch with Sophie Wilson
DATE: WED 22 SEP
TIME: 5.30PM to 6.30PM
SAM Sketch with Moorina Bonini
DATE: WED 29 SEP
TIME: 2.30PM to 3.30PM
SAM Sketch with James Marcetic
DATE: WED 6 OCT
TIME: 2.30PM to 3.30PM
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ABOUT SAM: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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:
Gabriella Calandro
Engagement Manager, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5020
m: 0405-407-086
e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Image Caption: Rachel Doller, My kid could do better, 2019, mixed media collage on paper
SAM Cafe update and next steps
20 August 2021
Shepparton Art Museum Limited (SAM Ltd) is urging local businesses to embrace an opportunity to operate the gallery café within the new iconic building with a reimagined, expression of interest (EOI) process now underway.
In a bid to attract a Goulburn Valley based hospitality partner, SAM Ltd has set new guidelines on how the partnership will work and announced a third round of advertising for the EOI in the past 12 months.
SAM Ltd Chair Stephen Merrylees said SAM will attract tens of thousands of people to the region in coming years and the cafe was an opportunity to showcase local produce as well as develop opportunities for the hospitality industry.
“The SAM Ltd Board is listening to the community and working alongside many well-known businesses to find a way to make this offering work in unprecedented, challenging times delivered by COVID-19. We firmly agree with the community that a well-run café is essential to the success of SAM and should benefit the whole town,” Mr Merrylees said.
“This third EOI will be shorter and advertised for a three-week period only. Our hope is this more responsive and abridged EOI process will better suit local providers and businesses.
“The Grand Opening of SAM will take place on October 15, COVID allowing, and if we want to have a café up and running, we need to think creatively,” Mr Merrylees said. SAM has engaged CAF Consulting to progress the EOI process and meet with local businesses to progress opportunities. A date for the EOI process will be announced and until then, interested parties should contact Andrew Gooley, SAM Business Manager.
“I encourage local business operators to come forward and be part of the solution.”
SAM is expected to attract thousands of visitors to the region and provide millions of dollars in economic stimulus for the Goulburn Valley through flow-on effects.
SAM Ltd has previously undertaken two EOIs to operate the café in February 2020; and January 2021, which were not successful. Discussions with local businesses also continued to understand business needs, and ensure the opportunity is attractive in challenging economic times. The hospitality sector has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, staffing challenges, and operating uncertainty over the last 18 months.
Background
The new café is located in the SAM building on Victoria Park Lake’s southern end and overlooks the wetlands and native bushland of the Goulburn River. It provides an exceptional view from both the first floor café with outdoor terrace and the top floor function space with bar.
The five storey, metal clad building houses the new Shepparton Art Museum, indigenous art gallery and workshop Kaiela Arts, and the Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre. The building was designed by internationally renowned architects Denton Corker Marshall and was built by award winning Kane Constructions.
ABOUT SAM: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) 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:
Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5020
e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Artwork by acclaimed Aboriginal artist Tony Albert now installed outside Shepparton Art Museum.
21 July 2021
The Shepparton Art Museum is excited to announce the major public artwork A House of Discards (2019), by acclaimed Aboriginal artist Tony Albert (Girramay/Kuku Yalanji) has been permanently installed in the forecourt of the new Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) building, bringing the Museum one step closer to its public opening on 15th October.
Reaching nearly five metres, the towering steel structure resembles a supersized house of playing cards with bold black and white faces, and is the largest work to enter the SAM Collection to-date.
House of Discards expands on Albert’s ongoing use of “Aboriginalia” style playing cards, a term the artist coined to describe kitschy objects that feature crude caricatures of Aboriginal people and appropriated designs in the style of Indigenous art. With its reference to both theBritish monarchy and depictions of the Aboriginality, Albert uses the playing cards to reflect on the legacy of colonisation and cultural misrepresentation in this country.
House of Discards departs from the artist’s established representational style, with the Aboriginal imagery discarded and the suit erased from the faces of the playing cards. Reduced to black and white plains placed back-to-back, the work puts into stark contrast Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives on a national history founded in the dispossession of First Nations Peoples, while also alluding to the conjoined nature of our future. The structure (and the history it speaks of) appears precarious, yet its inflated rendering in steel also suggests the possibility of a constructing something sturdier if all elements can work together.
“We are so fortunate to be able to present this significant public artwork by one of Australia’s most critically acclaimed contemporary artists, Tony Albert, at the entrance of our new museum” says Belinda Briggs, SAM’s Curator –Indigenous.
“Technically and conceptually astute, the work’s commentary on and probing of societal and cultural structures creates a foundation for both intimate and public discussion about the design of a shared future between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.”
Tony Albert was born in Townsville, North Queensland in 1981 and holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Queensland College of Art. He works across a wide range of art forms, combining drawing, painting, photography, text and installation. His practice examines the legacy of racial and cultural misrepresentation, particularly of Australia’s Aboriginal people, and seeks to rewrite historical mistruths and injusticeAlbert’s work can be seen in major national and international museums and private collections.
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Significant Indigenous art collection gifted to Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) that will transform the organisation’s future
18 March 2021
A historic moment for the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) took place recently when arts patrons Carrillo Gantner AC and his wife Ziyin Gantner formalised their gift of Indigenous artwork to enhance the museum’s existing collection.
With the Grand Opening of SAM planned for October, the Gantner Collection will feature in its inaugural exhibition program, with more than 90 works on display for the community to enjoy.
“The Gantner’s generosity will shape the future of arts and culture in Shepparton for generations to come,” Greater Shepparton City Council (GSCC) Mayor Kim O’Keeffe said.
“It is gifts such as this that add significant value to our community and will ensure the new SAM thrives.”
“The new purpose-built museum and state-of-the-art facilities are set to attract visitors to the region each year. SAM’s highly skilled and qualified team will ensure that this generous gift of art remains well cared for.”
The deed of gift was officially signed and sealed by GSCC on Tuesday the 16th of March.
Ownership of previously gifted artwork from the Gantner’s to GSCC formed part of this deed of gift, (transferring ownership of these works to SAM) ensuring that the works would remain together.
Mr Gantner’s recent gift builds on his significant contribution made to SAM in 2013. “I am delighted to see this deed of gift signed and confirm the gifting process that has been occurring for a number of years now, it is very exciting that we will soon see the works in the new SAM building.”
SAM Limited Chair Stephen Merrylees described the gift as one of the largest donations of Indigenous artwork to be gifted to a regional museum.
“We are thrilled to become the caretakers of these treasured works,” Mr Merrylees said.
“This phenomenal gift will enrich SAM’s continued focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art.”
The Gantner’s donated collection is valued at more than $3 million.
Comprising of 341 artworks, including many well-known artists and works relating to the Shepparton area, including work by renowned Yorta Yorta artist Lin Onus.
Featuring 84 female and 90 male artists. A large portion of the collection represents artists from the Central and Western desert regions, and many from Arnhem land, Tiwi Islands, the Kimberley and Riverine areas.
The gifting of these works will take place over the duration of the Gantners’ lives, with any ungifted works from this deed also forming a bequest. The pledge of this gift comes as SAM moves into its new purpose-built home on the edge of Victoria Park Lakes, which overlooks the redgum forests.
The donated collection was gifted by Carrillo Gantner and his wife Ziyin Gantner. Mr Gantner is a Victorian cultural leader, philanthropist, passionate art collector and SAM Foundation Board member, as well as an appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his support of the performing and visual arts.
In coming weeks, the SAM team will begin the enormous undertaking of moving the art collection to the new building and start installing exhibitions. This includes more than 4,000 pieces of valuable artwork.
Pictured Left to Right – Stephen Merrylees (SAM Limited Board – Chair), Kimberley Moulton (SAM Limited Board – Deputy Chair), Carrillo Gantner (Philanthropist and a SAM Foundation Director) and Peter Harriott (Greater Shepparton City Council – CEO)
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Shepparton Art Museum physically closed, but online exhibitions continue
5 March 2021
Moorina Bonini’s, Australian Melting Pot, 2018 is a digital exhibition presented by Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) in partnership Blak Dot Gallery and NETS Victoria. It can be accessed by audiences from anywhere in the world, both near and far, throughout the month of March.
This exhibition can be viewed at www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au and is on show from the 1-28 March 2021.
This work demonstrates an intentional action undertaken to understand the construct of the Australian identity. Through uncovering, re-learning and mixing together, the perfect identity stew is presented. Simmering idealistic fantasies rise to the top of the pot and the fire that burns under Nonna’s gnocchi pot in addition to cooking the stew, stains the outside surface with black. The same tone that remained after the intentional burning for the desire of regrowth and gain. Jenna Rain Warwick the First Nations Engagement Coordinator at NETS Victoria says: “NETS Victoria is delighted to partner with Blak Dot Gallery to present Moorina Bonini’s work digitally at Shepparton Art Museum. Moorina’s work is a poignant reflection on the tropes of Australian identity and the ways by which the media commodifies this identity. Her work offers an opportunity to interrogate the makings of our Nationhood.”
Belinda Briggs, SAM’s Curator (Indigenous) said, “Australian Melting Pot takes a poignant look at identity in Australia and the many determining factors that shape our perceptions about who we believe we are. Moorina presents her audience with a complex recipe of ingredients including historical events, intergenerational and cultural influences, and environmental factors like societal attitudes and the media. Moorina’s familial and Ancestral ties as a Yorta Yorta woman localise her work in SAM’s regional boundaries and at home on Yorta Yorta Country.”
Moorina Bonini is a proud descendant of the Yorta Yorta Dhulunyagen family clan of Ulupna and the Yorta Yorta and Wurundjeri-Woiwurrung Briggs/McCrae family. Moorina is an artist whose works are informed by her experiences as an Aboriginal and Italian woman. Her practice is driven by a self-reflexive methodology that enables the re-examination of lived experiences that have influenced the construction of her cultural identity. By unsettling the narrative placed upon Aboriginal people as a result of colonisation of Aboriginal Australia, Bonini’s practice is based within Indigenous Knowledge systems and brings this to the fore.
Moorina holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from RMIT University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the Victorian College of the Arts. Moorina is currently a candidate at Monash University where she is undertaking a Master of Fine Art within the Wominjeka Djeembana Research Lab. Her work has been exhibited at various shows and galleries such as Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Sydney Festival, Blak Dot Gallery, c3 Contemporary Art Space, Centre for Contemporary Photography, KINGS, SEVENTH Gallery, Bus Projects, Koorie Heritage Trust and Brunswick Street Gallery. Moorina has produced and co-curated art and cultural programs across RMIT University and the University of Melbourne. She is a board member of SEVENTH Gallery, where she is currently the First Nations Programming Coordinator.
Australian Melting Pot is a Blak Dot Gallery digital exhibition touring with NETS Victoria. Curated by Kimba Thompson.
This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
Image: Moorina Bonini, Australian Melting Pot 2018, video (still), 4 min 18 sec. Image courtesy of the artist © the artist
Council handed keys to the new SAM building
25 February 2021
Greater Shepparton City Council is excited to announce that the new SAM building was completed on 22 January 2021, with a certificate of occupancy issued on 2 February 2021.
With the keys handed to Council, this gives the green light for tenants, SAM Limited, Kaiela Arts and the Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre, to commence moving in.
“We’ve all watched the new SAM building take shape with great anticipation over the past 18 months and finally moving day is here!” said Greater Shepparton Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe. “The new SAM building is already iconic, and we are looking forward to inviting in the community and visitors to make the most of all the experiences that will be on offer. It’s been compelling to see how the design has transformed into this unique, grand building, but just wait to see what will be on offer inside!”
SAM, Kaiela Arts and the Visitor Centre will commence transitioning to the new site from March 1. It is anticipated that the new SAM building will open its doors to welcome visitors as of March 31, with Kaiela Arts and the Visitor Centre likely to be fully operational at that time, along with the SAM gift shop. While the ground floor will be open to the public in late March, levels one to four will remain closed until closer to the Opening Launch in October to enable SAM to complete the installation of its collection and upcoming exhibition program.
“Our artists have missed being able to make work for some weeks while we’ve been packing and are eagerly waiting to work in their studio space overlooking the lake, on Country”, explains Kaiela Arts Manager, Angie Russi. “We’re very excited to open doors in our new space to welcome people to our new home.”
“The SAM team is excited to commence the move to new SAM from 1 March”, explains SAM CEO and Artistic Director Dr Rebecca Coates. “The collection is comprised of 4,000+ unique and priceless artworks which will be carefully relocated to the purpose-built facilities over the next few months. Moving an entire museum including its collection is a major operation, as is setting up the opening exhibitions and projects once the artworks arrive at their new home. We’re are very much looking forward to reopening in our new spaces to share collections and exciting new exhibitions with our community and visitors. It will definitely be well worth the wait!”
In working towards opening on March 31 the new building will be opened in a staged, soft reveal, in line with COVID-19 restrictions. A grand opening weekend is planned for 15 -17 October 2021 once SAM’s collections, exhibition installations and programs are in place. Further details regarding the opening celebrations will be made available in the lead up to the event.
While reaching the physical completion stage, along with the moving in of the tenants, there are still some elements that are being finalised. This includes SAM Limited appointing a successful tenderer to operate the new SAM café and function space. Applications for this opportunity close on February 26. Also to be completed is the recently funded indigenous healing garden that will form part of the SAM landscaping.
The first stage of the intersection works are also completed having provided much improved traffic flow for visitors to new SAM, Victoria Park Lake and surrounding residents, however there are still roadworks in progress. Intersection works still being undertaken include undergrounding of the power lines on the south west approach, rail signal sequencing with the traffic lights and installation and commissioning of the actual traffic lights. It is anticipated these works will be completed this May.
“New SAM provides the opportunity for the Shepparton Art Museum, Kaiela Arts and our Visitor Centre to work together to further strengthen how we recognise and celebrate Greater Shepparton, particularly our Indigenous heritage and the role it plays in our past, present and future”, suggests Mayor O’Keeffe. “Having our Visitor Centre located in new SAM – the gateway to Greater Shepparton, will also enhance the way in which we welcome visitors to our region.”
Key Dates:
| 22 January | SAM building completion |
| 2 February | Certificate of Occupancy issued to Greater Shepparton City Council |
| 1 March | Kaiela Arts, The Visitor Centre, SAM office and non-collection items commence moving in |
| 31 March (will be officially confirmed closer to the date) | New SAM ground floor open to public – Kaiela Arts, Visitor Centre and SAM Shop |
| 12 -19 April | SAM Collection commence relocation – move approximately five weeks |
| 31 May | SAM commence install of exhibitions due to exhibit on 6 or 9 July |
| 15 to 17 October | Grand Opening Weekend |
Shepparton Art Museum Appoints New Development Team
10 February 2021
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) Limited and SAM Foundation are thrilled to announce the appointment of former GV Health Foundation Director Carmel Johnson, as the new SAM Head of Development.
Carmel will join the SAM team to take the reigns on the highly successful building capital campaign and manage SAM’s ongoing fundraising. She will be supported in the role by Ardmona resident Anna Turnbull.
SAM Artistic Director and CEO Dr Rebecca Coates welcomed Carmel and Anna to the team.
“We are delighted to welcome Carmel and Anna at this exciting time with the new building nearly complete,” Rebecca said.
“The pair will bring a deep understanding of our community’s values and, draw on their extensive networks to ensure we engage with a cross section of our community.
“I look forward to working with them to nurture opportunities for local businesses, develop partnerships with wider networks keen to contribute to a great arts and cultural story for regional Victoria.”
SAM Foundation Chair John Head, also welcomed Carmel and Anna to the SAM family.
“It’s exciting to have top quality professionals joining the Foundation and we look forward to working with them to finalise the building capital campaign and continue securing program and endowment funding for SAM,” John said.
“The pair will build on the work of an already successful campaign which has raised more than $7.5 million in pledges so far.
“We are inviting the community to continue to embrace this opportunity and to continue to give to the building capital campaign and SAM’s programs more broadly.
“The building is nearing completion and we are getting closer to an exciting opening of a cultural icon of national significance that will positively add to the local economy and put Shepparton on the map as a major destination to work, live and visit.”
Carmel said SAM would be game changing for the Greater Shepparton community.
“The new SAM is providing the community with a unique opportunity. This aspirational building is a reflection of what our community is capable of, a place to celebrate and immerse ourselves in our diverse culture and rich Indigenous history.
“SAM will stimulate participation in the arts and all things creative, it will generate pride and a true sense of place.”
In coming weeks, the SAM team will begin the enormous undertaking of moving the art collection to the new building and start installing exhibitions. The building will open later in 2021.
Carmel Johnson has led major projects and fundraising campaigns on behalf of the Greater Shepparton community for the past three decades.
She is an enthusiastic advocate for the region and is actively involved in numerous organisations including serving in the inaugural role as Chair of the SheppARTon Festival.
Anna is a former journalist and communications specialist. She lives with her family on an orchard in Tatura.
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SAM Offers Exciting new Hospitality Opportunity
4 February 2021
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is offering an exciting new hospitality opportunity to operate a café, a separate roof top bar and multifunction area. SAM is one of Australia’s leading art museums located in Greater Shepparton, recognised for its ceramics and Indigenous art collections and engagement programs.
SAM is getting ready for the biggest move in its history, as Shepparton Council’s largest building project nears completion. The new purpose-built art museum and community spaces is designed by internationally acclaimed Australian architects Denton Corker Marshall.
The new SAM building will be home to Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), Kaiela Arts, and the Visitor Centre, offering community, visitors and the region a new arts and culture space to experience, share and enjoy. For Shepparton and north central Victoria, it’s a game-changer. Contemporary, indigenous, inclusive, art and ideas, kids and families, exciting experiences, great food and wine are just some of the experience and ideas that underpin the new spaces and opportunities. Subscribe via the SAM website to get up to date information on our plans for a Grand Opening Weekend, which will be held in the second half of 2021.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM Limited) will be managing the lease for the hospitality opportunity in the new building. To join them on this exciting journey, SAM is seeking to partner with an experienced and entrepreneurial hospitality operator to deliver an exceptional and mutually beneficial café and bar experience to museum and other visitors. SAM is seeking a café operator with style, flair and business acumen who can maximise this rare and unique opportunity to create a high-quality café and bar experience that complements and enhances the visitor experience offered at SAM.
Great coffee, food and friendship, or a spectacular location to hold one of those major events, is part of the new SAM experience. How many of us remember that great meal, or fabulous view, when we visited great cultural destinations on those far-off overseas and interstate travels?
The café and roof top bar are in central positions in the new purpose-built SAM building. The café and fully furnished kitchen are on Level 1 with an adjoint deck/grass area and is accessible through the building and the grass area leading to the walking path at the lake. The roof top bar and multifunction area are on the Level 4, with a roof top viewing deck. The café and the bar must be conceptually sympathetic with SAM, ensuring a steady flow of cultural tourists.
While the SAM team wait for the building to be ready, they have been busy. They are preparing for the move of their collection of over 4,000 artworks; their offices, shop and operations; and developing over seven major new exhibitions and art projects that will attract visitors of all ages from near and far.
A move of this scale does not happen overnight. On completion, over the next months SAM and their co-tenants will settle into the new building and get things ready for the community and a Grand Opening Weekend later in the year. In the meantime, share some of these experiences via SAM’s socials, and join SAM’s mailing list through the SAM website to keep up to date with the move, and watch out for announcements around opening programs, sneak peeks, and what’s to come.
Expression of Interest applications are to be submitted electronically via Tender Search. (https://eprocure.com.au/lite).
Applications open on 4 February 2021 and close on 26 February 2021. The question period ends on 20 February 2021.
SAM closes… for now
25 March 2020
In line with state and federal government advice, the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) will be closed to the public from today Wednesday 25 March until current restrictions ease.
“We wish all of our colleagues, artists and wider community good health and best wishes in these trying times,” said SAM Director Rebecca Coates.
“We will continue to share our work and our collections through our online channels, in an effort to support our artists and to bring some colour to the current climate.”
Whether on site or virtual, the SAM team wishes to advise you on what is happening behind the scenes:
Current exhibitions
All exhibitions will remain in the museum during this period and we hope that we can share them with you once this period has ended.
Digital and online
The SAM team are also working to get content up online and on digital platforms for our audiences to share. There will be plenty to engage all ages, and we look forward to also sharing the work of our colleagues and artistic community.
Collection
All artworks are safe, and will continue to be carefully monitored, as they are when we are open.
SAM Transition
Work will continue on SAM’s transition to the new building, which will continue either at SAM or remotely. While there may be delays, we are keen to continue to work towards what will be one of the most exciting, and certainly highest, buildings in our region.
Visit SAM on Instagram or Facebook. You can also call on (03) 5832 9861 or email art.museum@shepparton.vic.gov.au