SAM announces artists of The Urbach 2026
19 February 2026
Shepparton Art Museum announces the 2026 winner and runners-up of The Urbach.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce the 2026 winner and runners-up of The Theodore Urbach Landscape Prize and Studio Scholarship (“The Urbach”), a $10,000 prize and scholarship encouraging explorations in the field Australian landscape painting. The 2026 Urbach prize and scholarship has been awarded to Melbourne-based artist Kate Lewis, with local artists Philip Hickingbotham and Creagh Manning named as the runners-up.
A runner-up to The Urbach last year, Kate Lewis re-applied this year to great success. Graduating with a Masters in Contemporary Art from the VCA in 2022, Lewis’ expressive oil painting and process-driven use of recycled and found materials underpins her practice. Lewis explores the tension that exists between the contradictions of our landscape—the vast beauty and the deep loss—whilst hoping to reveal some of her own sentiments of love, loss, and foreignness to a place.
Lewis says of the opportunity:
“I am so thrilled and proud to be the winner of the Urbach prize and scholarship for 2026. I cannot wait to fully immerse myself into the impressive SAM community and to be painting in collaboration with the surrounding grass and wetlands as our seasons change.”
The 2026 finalists were selected from fourteen applications to the prestigious award. Five artists from the twenty-three were shortlisted, going on to present their applications to an expert judging panel. The 2025 judging panel, chaired by SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy, consisted of Dr. Drew Pettifer (Associate Professor RMIT and SAM Ltd Board member), Dr. Suzanne Fraser (Coordinator, Centre of Visual Art, Faculty of Fine Art and Music, University of Melbourne), and Blair French (CEO, Murray Art Museum Albury [MAMA]).
Of the applicants, Blair French says:
“The standard of work being undertaken by all the shortlisted artists for the Urbach was very impressive. The Urbach highlights the continuing significance of landscape painting as a contemporary practice connected to both history and evolving relationships to place and Country. I look forward to following the work of all the shortlisted artists over coming years.”
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator – Community and coordinator of The Urbach, says:
“Coming into our third year, the program is really establishing itself. It was wonderful to have several prior applicants re-submit this year to great success, and it’s been very gratifying to see the number of competitive, local artists in the application pool. I’m looking forward to working with Kate Lewis; her practice has been growing rapidly the last few years, and I’m eager to see how she responds to our landscape, and how she will render our wetlands in her painting practice.”
As the winner of The Urbach, Lewis will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a scholarship stipend of $5,000 to support her as she undertakes the three-month scholarship at SAM’s onsite artist studio from 3 March to 3 June 2026. Lewis will be focusing on responding to the wetland ecosystems, with a particular lens on Gemmill Swamp and Reedy Swamp, to explore the distinctive light, flora, and rhythms of these ecosystems.
As runners-up, Philip Hickingbotham and Creagh Manning will each be awarded a $2,500 cash prize in recognition of their time and commitment in developing their applications.
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About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
Serving as a dynamic cultural and community hub for the Greater Shepparton region, SAM is one of Australia’s leading regional art museums and the newest purpose-built collecting institution in regional Victoria. SAM houses one of the nation’s most significant collections of Australian ceramics and regional holdings of South Eastern Indigenous Art, and presents an inclusive museum experience that inspires creativity, forges meaningful connections, and celebrates the unique stories of our region.
Through its programs, events, collection, and temporary exhibitions, SAM creates opportunities for artists and creatives to engage audiences with contemporary ideas and issues, allowing the stories of our country’s ancient cultures and contemporary multicultural Australia to be discovered and exchanged.
Media enquiries, please contact Mikela Guseli, SAM Communications Officer.
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
SAM announces highlights of 2026 artistic program
6 February 2026
Shepparton Art Museum announces 2026 exhibition program, including major First Nations exhibition and two national blockbusters.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce its annual exhibition program for 2026, highlights of which include an upcoming exhibition interweaving recent works from Yorta Yorta artists with major First Nations artworks from the SAM Collection, followed by the recently announced Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, showing at SAM as an Australian exclusive, and the Victorian exclusive showing of Archibald Prize 2026 from Art Gallery New South Wales.
Opening to the public on 14 February 2026, Nyini Woka (My Place) is a new exhibition from Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) showcasing artworks from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art, an ongoing major cultural gift to the SAM Collection, alongside recent artworks from contemporary Yorta Yorta artists.
Co-curated by Belinda Briggs, SAM Curator – Indigenous, and Chloe Jones, Kaiela Arts curator and gallery manager, the exhibition will explore the dialogue that emerges between broader First Nations perspectives and Yorta Yorta stories of woka (Country) and nanyak (ways of being, seeing, doing, knowing), affirming living culture and community voices and revealing threads of belonging, resistance, humour, memory and strength, while extending an invitation to visitors to consider what it means to be here, today, on Yorta Yorta Country and beyond. Exhibiting artists include Albert Namatjira (Western Arrernte), Vincent Namatjira OAM (Western Arrernte), Lyn Thorpe (Yorta Yorta), Cynthia Hardie (Yorta Yorta), and Danie Mellor (Ndgadjon, Mamu), with works spanning form and material, from bark paintings to photography and ceramics.
Chloe Jones, curator, says of the exhibition:
“It’s an honour to bring First Nations works from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art into conversation with local Yorta Yorta voices on Yorta Yorta Woka. Nyini Woka (My Place) gathers many stories from across the continent and offers a moment to slow down, to think about where we belong, what grounds us, and how place shapes who we are. The exhibition invites everyone to recognise themselves within these stories and to reflect on how we care for place, for one another, and for the responsibilities we carry together. It asks a simple but timeless question: what does it mean to find your place, and to hold it with others?”
Nyini Woka (My Place) will be on display in SAM’s Lin Onus Gallery from Saturday 14 February, with free entry.
Audiences can also look forward to a host of new exhibitions and site-specific installations throughout the year. Across SAM’s Level 2, intricately coiled ceramic vessels from Kialla-based artist Aleisa Miksad and a selection of abstract 2D and 3D works from artist Angela Brennan will be showcased, exemplifying the dynamism of the ceramic medium. On the art museum’s Level 4 Furphy Family Art Wall, artist Raafat Ishak will present a geometric wall painting that responds to the site’s architecture and local history. In an exciting new project bringing together art and sport, artist Tully Moore will transform the Ryan Family Children’s Gallery into a colourful World Cup-inspired activity centre, celebrating Shepparton’s rich multicultural soccer heritage in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In the Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery, 2026 SAM Selects artist Fran O’Neill will present her exhibition On the Move, featuring a selection of large-scale paintings, followed later in the year by annual community group exhibition SAM Open.
Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says of the artistic program:
“In 2026, SAM will be a destination for all seeking the vibrant arts and culture that Australia prides itself on, connecting people to ancient cultures, far-off lands, and historical epochs. Throughout the year, visitors will experience moments of awe, personal significance, and creative innovation across all five levels of the art museum. Beginning with deep reflections on community, Country, and the preservation of ancient knowledge, Nyini Woka affords us a timely moment to centre First Nations artists and celebrate the significant gift of the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art. Mid-year, Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso presents a unique opportunity to encounter the greats of Modern art that some have waited a lifetime to see, followed by the prestigious Archibald Prize 2026, which showcases some of the most significant contemporary artists and figures of today.”
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Image: Installation view of Julie Dowling, Nana Everlasting, 2001, Shepparton Art Museum, 2023. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
Serving as a dynamic cultural and community hub for the Greater Shepparton region, SAM is one of Australia’s leading regional art museums and the newest purpose-built collecting institution in regional Victoria. SAM houses one of the nation’s most significant collections of Australian ceramics and regional holdings of South Eastern Indigenous Art, and presents an inclusive museum experience that inspires creativity, forges meaningful connections, and celebrates the unique stories of our region.
Through its programs, events, collection, and temporary exhibitions, SAM creates opportunities for artists and creatives to engage audiences with contemporary ideas and issues, allowing the stories of our country’s ancient cultures and contemporary multicultural Australia to be discovered and exchanged.
Media enquiries, please contact Mikela Guseli, SAM Communications Officer.
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
SAM presents winter blockbuster Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso
30 January 2026
SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM PRESENTS
FACING MODERNITY: DEGAS TO PICASSO
FROM AUCKLAND ART GALLERY TOI O TĀMAKI
23 MAY – 20 SEPTEMBER 2026
A Masterful Journey Through Modern Art at Shepparton Art Museum
This winter, Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) invites art lovers to step into the bold, beautiful and revolutionary world of Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, a landmark exhibition from Aotearoa New Zealand’s pre-eminent art gallery, featuring esteemed works never before shown in Australia tracing the evolution of modern art through some of its most celebrated masters.
From 23 May to 20 September 2026, visitors to SAM will encounter works by Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Paul Cezanne, Salvador Dalí, André Derain, Paul Gauguin, Barbara Hepworth, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso.
Spanning nearly a century of artistic innovation, Facing Modernity brings together 37 exceptional paintings and sculptures that capture the radical shifts in art from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. Audiences will encounter the icons of the modern art movements, including Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism and post-war abstraction.
This important collection of works includes a major philanthropic gift from New York-based collectors Julian Robertson (1932-2022) and Josie Robertson (1943-2010) to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in 2023. Their generous bequest offers a rare glimpse into the vision of two passionate art patrons and their lifelong commitment to sharing and celebrating modern art, and now, their vision will light up gallery walls in regional Victoria for the very first time.
From the sensual nudes and atmospheric brushwork of late 19th century Impressionism to the geometric intensity of Cubism and the dreamlike worlds of Surrealism, Facing Modernity traces how artists shattered conventions and reimagined the world anew.
Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says of the exhibition:
“Shepparton Art Museum is honoured to share this extraordinary exhibition with Australian audiences. Facing Modernity offers a rare opportunity to encounter works by the defining figures of modern art; artists whose visions continue to shape how we understand creativity and human connection today.”
Dr Sarah Farrar, Auckland Art Gallery Head of Curatorial and Learning, says:
“These iconic works have become favourites at home, seen by more than 479,000 people on display in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland over the past two years. This tour takes them beyond our walls, creating new encounters for audiences who may not normally have the chance to experience them.”
Presented in partnership with Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso will open at Shepparton Art Museum on 23 May 2026 and run until 20 September 2026, with Shepparton Art Museum to be the sole Australian venue to host the touring exhibition.
Ticket bookings for this exhibition will open at 10am on Thursday 23 April 2026. More details on ticketing will be announced in the coming months.
Featured image: Pablo Picasso, Femme à la résille (Woman in a hairnet), 1938, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Julian and Josie Robertson through the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation, 2023. © Estate of Pablo Picasso
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
Serving as a dynamic cultural and community hub for the Greater Shepparton region, SAM is one of Australia’s leading regional art museums and the newest purpose-built collecting institution in regional Victoria. SAM houses one of the nation’s most significant collections of Australian ceramics and regional holdings of South Eastern Indigenous Art, and presents an inclusive museum experience that inspires creativity, forges meaningful connections, and celebrates the unique stories of our region.
Through its programs, events, collection, and temporary exhibitions, SAM creates opportunities for artists and creatives to engage audiences with contemporary ideas and issues, allowing the stories of our country’s ancient cultures and contemporary multicultural Australia to be discovered and exchanged.
About Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, part of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, is the largest and most inspiring visual arts experience in Aotearoa New Zealand. Its collection and loan collections currently number over 18,000 artworks, spanning major holdings of New Zealand historic, modern and contemporary art. Alongside outstanding works by Māori and Pacific artists, they represent significant international painting, sculpture and print collections.
SAM to host Archibald Prize in 2026
23 December 2025
ARCHIBALD PRIZE MAKES ITS WAY TO SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM FOR THE FIRST TIME
Shepparton Art Museum to be the only Victorian venue to host Australia’s most celebrated portrait prize in 2026
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is thrilled to announce that it will host the Archibald Prize 2026, Australia’s most prestigious portraiture exhibition and one of the country’s most beloved annual art events. SAM will be the only Victorian venue on the national tour and the very first stop after the exhibition closes at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
From celebrated cultural icons and bold contemporary figures to the artists, activists, and everyday Australians who shape our national story, the Archibald Prize brings together an unmissable line-up of portraits that spark conversation, reflect identity, and invite audiences to see the people of our time through the eyes of some of Australia’s leading artists.
Hosting the Archibald Prize aligns with Shepparton Art Museum’s commitment to presenting world-class art experiences for regional audiences, while amplifying the cultural vibrancy and creative energy of north-central Victoria. The exhibition is expected to attract visitors from across the state and beyond, delivering significant cultural and economic impact for the Greater Shepparton region.
Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says:
“We are honoured to be the exclusive Victorian host of the Archibald Prize 2026. As the first destination on the regional tour—and the only opportunity for Victorian audiences to experience these works in their home state—we look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to SAM and celebrating the extraordinary talent showcased in this iconic exhibition. We know this experience has been heavily anticipated by our community, and we’re thrilled to be bringing such a significant event on the nation’s cultural calendar to the Goulburn Valley.”
Wayne Tunnicliffe, Art Gallery of New South Wales acting director of collections and exhibitions, says:
“The Art Gallery of New South Wales is thrilled to be partnering with Shepparton Art Museum for the Archibald Prize 2026, the only interstate venue on next year’s regional tour. The Archibald has a long and proud history of connecting audiences across Australia with the best in contemporary portraiture, and we’re delighted to be sharing this much-loved exhibition with the Shepparton community. SAM is an exceptional cultural partner, previously hosting our acclaimed Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio touring exhibition earlier in 2025. We look forward to seeing the Archibald Prize 2026 spark new conversations, inspire local Victorian audiences and celebrate the extraordinary diversity of artists and sitters from across the country.”
Cr Shane Sali, Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, says:
“We are extremely proud to welcome the Archibald Prize to Greater Shepparton for the very first time in 2026. This nationally recognised exhibition is one of Australia’s most prestigious art events, and hosting it here at the Shepparton Art Museum is a proud moment for our community and regional Victoria. This nationally acclaimed exhibition will attract visitors from across Australia, boosting local tourism and showcasing everything Greater Shepparton has to offer – from our thriving arts scene to our hospitality and culture.”
The Archibald Prize 2026 at SAM will be accompanied by a dynamic program of public events, including artist talks, guided tours, hands-on workshops, educational and community activities designed to engage art lovers of all ages.
The Archibald Prize 2026 exhibition will be on display at SAM from 5 September – 1 November 2026.
Further announcements on the Archibald Prize 2026, including finalists and their sitters, the popular Packing Room Prize, ticketing, and public programming, will be released by the Art Gallery of New South Wales and SAM in 2026.
Archibald Prize 2026 is an Art Gallery of New South Wales touring exhibition, and the regional tour is supported by major partner Optus.
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Featured image: Visitors in the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2025 exhibition, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Ken Leanfore
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
Serving as a dynamic cultural and community hub for the Greater Shepparton region, SAM is one of Australia’s leading regional art museums and the newest purpose-built collecting institution in regional Victoria. SAM houses one of the nation’s most significant collections of Australian ceramics and regional holdings of South Eastern Indigenous Art, and presents an inclusive museum experience that inspires creativity, forges meaningful connections, and celebrates the unique stories of our region.
Through its programs, events, collection, and temporary exhibitions, SAM creates opportunities for artists and creatives to engage audiences with contemporary ideas and issues, allowing the stories of our country’s ancient cultures and contemporary multicultural Australia to be discovered and exchanged.
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Media enquiries, please contact: Ali Webb, House of Webb Publicity
p: +61 438 190 328 e: ali@houseofwebb.com.au
SAM names 2026 Community Gallery exhibiting artists
27 November 2025
Shepparton Art Museum announces Fran O’Neill and Simeon Ayres as 2026 Community Gallery artists.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce the selection of Fran O’Neill and Simeon Ayres as the 2026 exhibiting artists of SAM Selects and SAM Spotlight respectively. The artists were selected following an open call out and application process, which garnered 23 applications collectively.
In March 2026, Fran O’Neill will present a selection of large-scale abstract oil paintings in SAM’s Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery for her SAM Selects exhibition. Entitled On the Move, O’Neill’s painting practice features rich colours and sinuous gestures that evoke images of the land’s mineral textures. Born in Wangaratta and now based in Cheshunt, O’Neill comes to the Community Gallery with an extensive exhibition history, including international participation.
O’Neill says of her selection:
“I feel deeply honoured and incredibly excited to have the opportunity to exhibit my artworks as part of SAM Selects in 2026. My paintings are, in many ways, a reflection of the landscape and community that surround me—a response to the beauty, character, and sense of place that I’m lucky to call home.
I am genuinely looking forward to becoming part of the extraordinary creative community that SAM has cultivated for Shepparton and the wider region. SAM is an inspiring and generous space, and I’m excited to work alongside Caroline Esbenshade and Danny Lacy to experience how the gallery environment will elevate my work, and to meet members of the community who make this region so unique and special.”
SAM Spotlight 2026 artist Simeon Ayres will be developing a new project entitled Bringing Odysseus Home, which will feature visual and written works that explore Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey through the lens of our region. Based on the slopes of Mount Wombat in the Strathbogie Ranges, Ayres is an emerging artist employing maps and pictorial landscapes as a means of making sense of the world, giving form to what is felt but not seen.
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator – Community, says of the selection:
“When evaluating applications this year, we were looking at what projects would best complement the broader 2026 curatorial program and best suit the space. The applications provided us options not only for the Community Gallery, but also for other programs and spaces at SAM, allowing us to create new opportunities to embed community voices and practices into SAM’s overall program.
I’m really excited to be presenting O’Neill’s and Ayres’ work in the Community Gallery. I think audiences will really resonate with O’Neill’s jewel toned pieces and enjoy the immersive experience the scale of her work creates. I’m looking forward to working with Ayres over the coming months and seeing the artworks that result from his exploration of recounting Homer’s The Odyssey through his practice.”
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Pictured, L-R: SAM Selects 2026 artist Fran O’Neill and SAM Spotlight 2026 artist Simeon Ayres. Images courtesy of the artists.
About the artists:
Fran O’Neill is an Australian-born abstract painter whose large-scale, gestural canvases transform memory and sensation into dynamic fields of luminous colour. Born in Wangaratta, Victoria, she established a significant career in the United States—particularly in New York— where her vibrant works garnered critical praise, before returning to live and work in Cheshunt, northeastern Victoria. While based in Australia, she continues to maintain a global presence, exhibiting regularly across Australia and North America.
Simeon Ayres is an emerging artist based on Taungurung Country in the Strathbogie Ranges. A visual artist and writer, Ayres’ practice centres around mapmaking, drawing out deep stories of place. As a self-taught artist he has developed his own techniques and methods to represent what he feels and sees. For several years Ayres has created commissions for private clients, mapping their country in his style. Ayres has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across regional Victoria, including a solo exhibition at Benalla Art Gallery in early 2025.
About SAM Selects:
The SAM Selects exhibition program allows artists, creatives, curators, and community groups to submit a recent creative project to be exhibited in SAM’s Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery.
About SAM Spotlight:
SAM Spotlight is an annual paid opportunity for an emerging solo artist based in the Goulburn Valley and Hume region to work closely with the SAM Curator – Community to develop a new body of work for exhibition over 12 months.
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
Serving as a dynamic cultural and community hub for the Greater Shepparton region, SAM is one of Australia’s leading regional art museums and the newest purpose-built collecting institution in regional Victoria. SAM houses one of the nation’s most significant collections of Australian ceramics and regional holdings of South Eastern Indigenous Art, and presents an inclusive museum experience that inspires creativity, forges meaningful connections, and celebrates the unique stories of our region.
Through its programs, events, collection, and temporary exhibitions, SAM creates opportunities for artists and creatives to engage audiences with contemporary ideas and issues, allowing the stories of our country’s ancient cultures and contemporary multicultural Australia to be discovered and exchanged.
Media enquiries, please contact: Mikela Guseli, Communications Officer, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Local artist Kat Parker to present new solo exhibition in SAM’s Community Gallery from 15 November 2025.
12 November 2025
New solo exhibition from local artist Kat Parker to open in Shepparton Art Museum’s Community Gallery on 15 November 2025.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to present a new solo exhibition from local artist Kat Parker in the museum’s Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery on 15 November.
Lament – A memorial of Australian extinction features a new series of Parker’s sculptures and prints depicting little-known Australian species lost to extinction. Based in Shepparton, Parker is an emerging artist working in the field of printmaking who imbues her intricate artworks with a deep care for ecology and nature. Lament marks the first solo exhibition for Parker after a series of features in group exhibitions, including SAM Fresh 2024 and SAM Open 2025.
With a body of work developed over the past 12 months, Lament explores the twofold tragedy of Australia’s unfortunate legacy of high animal extinction rates and the void left by these lost species in our ecosystem and in our collective memory.
Included among Parker’s meticulously crafted sculptures are reconstructions of the Paradise Parrot, last seen in 1927; the Lesser Bilby, not seen since the 1960s; and the Northern Pig-Footed Bandicoot, lost to altered habitats and preyed on by introduced predators. Each of Parker’s sculptures are created from layers of linocuts printed onto repurposed paper, and measure to the real-life scale of the animals, with two-dimensional, annotated prints of each animal lining the walls of the gallery drawing out their individual stories.
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator - Community says of Parker’s exhibition:
“A lot of artists respond to climate change and humanity’s impact on the environment, but few engage with the specifics as deeply as Kat Parker does—there's an enormous amount of research and sensitivity that underpins her work.
Handling the pieces—which are life-sized—can be quite eerie; it’s like paper taxidermy. But when I realise what I hold in my hands, what audiences will be seeing, it really hits home that this is perhaps the closest we’ll ever come to experiencing these animals. It transforms a fact you might read in a history or biology textbook into something tangible and sorrowful.
Lament is a sharing of these species’ extinction, and a call to action—to be more aware of the impacts we each, individually and collectively, have on the world around us.”
An artist talk with Kat Parker exploring the exhibition will be held at SAM on Saturday 6 December at 1.30pm. Registrations to the free event can be made via Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/sam-talks-kat-parker
Lament – A memorial of Australian extinction will be on display at SAM in the Hugh D.T. Williamson Community Gallery from 15 November until mid-March 2026.
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About the artist:
Kat Parker is an emerging artist based in Shepparton. In 2021, she graduated from RMIT with a Bachelor of Fine Art, specialising in printmaking. Parker’s practice focuses on the dysfunctional relationship humanity has with nature, with a particular interest in promoting the overlooked aspects of our environment, especially unremarkable animals and extinctions. Her practice aims to encourage an appreciation for, and love of, nature through printmaking and paper art processes. Parker’s artworks have recently been included in the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize at South Australian Museum, Not Your Kitchen Lino at Burrinja Cultural Centre, Fresh 2024 at Shepparton Art Museum and Geelong Art Gallery’s Acquisitive Print Awards.
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
Serving as a dynamic cultural and community hub for the Greater Shepparton region, SAM is one of Australia’s leading regional art museums and the newest purpose-built collecting institution in regional Victoria. SAM houses one of the nation’s most significant collections of Australian ceramics and regional holdings of South Eastern Indigenous Art, and presents an inclusive museum experience that inspires creativity, forges meaningful connections, and celebrates the unique stories of our region.
Through its programs, events, collection, and temporary exhibitions, SAM creates opportunities for artists and creatives to engage audiences with contemporary ideas and issues, allowing the stories of our country’s ancient cultures and contemporary multicultural Australia to be discovered and exchanged.
Media enquiries, please contact: Mikela Guseli, Communications Officer, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Winners of SAM Open 2025 People's Choice Award announced
7 November 2025
Shepparton Art Museum announces winning artists of SAM Open 2025 People’s Choice Award
Shepparton Art Museum is pleased to announce artists Valerie Callister and Lehansa Samranayake as the adult and youth winners of the SAM Open 2025 People’s Choice Award. The winners of the awards were announced at the museum on Friday 31 October during the official exhibition celebration, which included remarks from SAM Curator – Community Caroline Esbenshade.
Both artists’ winning entries have been on display in the SAM Community Gallery as part of the SAM Open 2025 exhibition, an annual, open-call group exhibition for local creatives aged 16 and over living, working, or studying in the Goulburn Valley and Hume regions. Voting in the People’s Choice Award was open throughout duration of the exhibition to visitors, who could cast a vote for one artwork out of the 66 on display.
An intricate textile work, Valerie Callister’s winning entry Mycelial Threads draws inspiration from photographs captured during the artist’s travels to celebrate the many forms of fungi in our landscape. Through her detailed embroidery, Callister mirrors the complexity of fungal structures and their connectedness with their surrounds.
Artist Lehansa Samaranayake’s touching self-portrait Bear Hugs From A Distance earned her the People’s Choice Award in the under-25’s category. Emerging as a promising young creative talent, Samaranayake’s deftly executed painting captures her yearning to embrace a long-distance friend, with a teddy bear standing in her place until their next meeting.
Left image: SAM Open People's Choice Award winner Valerie Callister with her artwork Mycelium Threads; right image: SAM Open People's Choice Award winner (under 25's category) Lehansa Samaranayake with her artwork Bear Hugs From A Distance. Photos: Shepparton Art Museum
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator – Community, says of the award winners:
“We had some great feedback comments in this year’s votes for People’s Choice, mainly wishing they could vote for more than one work! Both works were praised for their technical skill, uniqueness, and tactile quality.
Samaranayake’s skill in rendering the teddy bear in oil paint creates a masterful illusion where, if only we could touch, it our hands would be met with the soft nap and hard resin of the plush toy. It also inspires just a twinge of tightening in the chest for loved ones we wish we could hold.
Similarly, through different textile fibres Callister creates that unique texture only mushrooms seem to have for several different fungi, and through their presentation we are transported to the forest floor through each vignette. You can almost smell wet leaves and moss.”
SAM Open 2025 is on display at SAM until Sunday 9 November.
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Top image, L-R: SAM Open 2025 People’s Choice Award winner Valerie Callister, SAM Curator – Community Caroline Esbenshade, and SAM Open 2025 People’s Choice Award Winner (under-25’s category) Lehansa Samaranayake. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive, and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
Media enquiries, please contact: Mikela Guseli, SAM Communications Officer.
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Annual art prize and scholarship, The Urbach, now inviting applications for 2026 program
6 November 2025
Victorian artists invited to apply for The 2026 Urbach Landscape Prize and Studio Scholarship.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) invites Victorian-based artists to apply for the 2026 Theodore Urbach Landscape Prize and Studio Scholarship (“The Urbach”). Applications for the $10,000 prize and scholarship encouraging explorations in the field Australian landscape painting are currently open and will close on 15 December 2025.
Awarded to an individual Victorian-based artist working in the field of Australian landscape painting, The Urbach celebrates the creative process and acknowledges that artists need time and space to further their creative practice. The awarded artist will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a scholarship stipend of $5,000 to support them as they undertake the three-month, non-residential scholarship at SAM’s onsite artist studio from 3 March to 3 June 2026. In addition to the first prize, two runners-up will each be awarded a $2,500 prize in recognition of their time and commitment in developing their applications.
In 2025, The Urbach was awarded to artist Anthea Kemp, who used the scholarship period to volunteer and undertake research at the Euroa Arboretum, learning first-hand about their conservation programs, the flora of the region, and their work with the Goulburn Broken Indigenous Seedbank, producing gouache studies and small oil paint sketches on-site at the Arboretum that were then developed into larger paintings in the SAM Artist Studio.
When reflecting on the experience of the Urbach, Kemp says:
“The special thing about the Urbach is the proximity to SAM and the SAM team. Working in a studio that is physically part of the museum created an affirming and dynamic space for me to work in. I could view artworks and then return to the studio with fresh insight, while also engaging with staff across departments — from curatorial and exhibitions management to marketing and communications. It’s an incredible opportunity and a rare insight into the workings of a major cultural institution for a practicing artist.
“My advice for artists considering applying is to make the most of the incredible support the SAM team offers throughout the application process. It’s rare to receive this level of guidance and feedback, and I highly recommend taking full advantage of it — not only for this opportunity, but as valuable insight you can carry into future applications as well.”
The Urbach program is generously supported by the Theodore Urbach Landscape Painting Scholarship and Prize Charitable Trust, managed by Equity Trustees. The trust, established through the will of late philanthropist and arts patron Theodore Urbach, was designed to provide prizes and scholarship opportunities to benefit artists and students working in the field of Australian landscape painting.
Online applications to The Urbach close on 15 December 2025. To view the full eligibility criteria, program guidelines, and commence your application, visit the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/support-get-involved/the-urbach/
The Urbach 2026 Details:
- Open to artists working in the field of Australian landscape painting, which includes painting, drawing, and photography.
- Applicants must be living in Victoria.
- The Urbach First Prize
- $5,000 cash prize
- $5,000 scholarship stipend
- 3-month access to the SAM Artist Studio to undertake the scholarship
- Tailored professional development opportunities.
- The Urbach Second Prizes
- $2,500 cash prize for two runners up in recognition of their time and commitment in developing their applications and presenting to the panel.
- The Urbach First Prize
Applications close: 15 December 2025
Image: 2025 Urbach recipient Anthea Kemp in the SAM Artist Studio, 2025. Photo: Leon Schoots
JXSH MVIR: Forever I Live to open at SAM on 25 October 2025
23 October 2025
A major touring retrospective brings the work of late Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara, and Barkindji artist Josh Muir to Shepparton Art Museum from 25 October 2025.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of JXSH MVIR: Forever I Live, a major touring exhibition from Koorie Heritage Trust, on 25 October 2025. JXSH MVIR: Forever I Live is the first major solo retrospective exhibition of the late Josh Muir, following his passing in 2022.
Josh Muir (1991-2022), a Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara, and Barkindji artist, was born and raised on Wadawurrung Country in Ballarat, Victoria. Drawing its title from one of Josh’s artworks of the same name, JXSH MVIR: Forever I Live reflects Josh’s artistic legacy and his enduring presence through his artwork. The exhibition highlights the strength of his artistic practice and the important contribution he has made to First People’s art and culture in South East Australia, and contemporary art nationally and internationally over his short yet prolific career.
Proudly curated by Koorie Heritage Trust, with Josh’s mother Justine Berg and partner Shanaya Sheridan as co-curators, the exhibition brings together a selection of bold, vibrant works across painting, digital prints, and augmented reality. The featured artworks showcase how Josh embraced digital methods of production and a visual language influenced by street art, a pop aesthetic and incorporate various forms of design, developing a unique vernacular of contemporary iconography whilst embodying his staunch love of family and community, reflecting on a range of themes including cultural identity, the impacts and legacies of colonisation, mental health, addiction, personal loss, and grief.
Belinda Briggs, SAM Curator – Indigenous, says of the exhibition:
“It’s such an honour for us to have the privilege of sharing a glimpse into the life and art of Josh Muir here on Yorta Yorta Woka, a place of belonging for him. This showcase invites audiences to an intimate encounter with his story and the spirit of his practice. Josh’s practice was boundless — in his expression, the themes and subjects he explored. His use of digital media connects us with old and new ideas in the now, drawing us into a vivid, layered and pulsing energy.”
Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says of the exhibition:
“JXSH MVIR: Forever I Live is a stunning encapsulation of Josh’s unique creative vision. SAM is excited to be sharing such a dynamic exhibition with our community—from bold paintings to augmented reality activations, this is a gallery experience that immerses you in Josh’s world. We know that so many people will leave this show feeling the same thirst for creativity that fuelled Josh’s practice.”
A free opening celebration event for the exhibition will be held at SAM on Friday 31 October from 5.30pm. This event will also jointly celebrate the local artists of SAM Open 2025, as well as artists who have recently unveiled installations at the museum, including Philip Hickingbotham, Prue Venables, and Yuria Okamura. Registrations for this event can be made online via Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/sam-seasonal-exhibition-celebration-october-2025
JXSH MVIR: Forever I Live will be on display in SAM’s Lin Onus Gallery from Saturday 25 October, with free entry.
JXSH MVIR: Forever I Live is a Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) exhibition that was first presented at KHT from 9 March – 14 July 2024, and touring to galleries across Victoria.
Catalogue, Exhibition and Touring Partners: Creative Victoria, City of Melbourne, the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, the Australian Government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program, ANZ and the Gordon Darling Foundation.
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Featured image credit: Installation view, JXSH MVIR: Forever I Live, Saturday 9 March until Sunday 14 July 2024, Koorie Heritage Trust, Birrarung Building, Fed Square. Photo by Christian Capurro, 2024.
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
Media enquiries, please contact Mikela Guseli, SAM Communications Officer.
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
SAM Spotlight and SAM Selects now welcoming applications for 2026 exhibition program
18 August 2025
Artists and creatives practitioners living, working, or studying in the Goulburn Valley and Hume regions are invited to apply to SAM Selects 2026 and SAM Spotlight 2026, two opportunities tailored to emerging, early, and mid-career creatives to exhibit in Shepparton Art Museum’s (SAM) Hugh D.T. Williamson Community Gallery.
SAM Selects accepts proposals from artists, curators, creative practitioners and community groups to exhibit an original creative project or body of work in the Community Gallery at SAM, offering a rare opportunity to present within a major art museum. In 2026, the successful SAM Selects exhibition will receive $1,000 to support project delivery. Proposals should consist of existing work by a single artist or collaborative group that is ready for display. Previous SAM Selects exhibitions include echoes of a new eden, presented in 2025 by Beechworth-based artist Dore Stockhausen, and After the Rain, presented in 2023 by Echuca-based artist collective Tuesday Junction.
SAM Spotlight is a paid solo exhibition opportunity dedicated to showcasing the work of an emerging artist living and working in the Goulburn Valley region. The successful SAM Spotlight artist will work closely with the SAM Curator – Community to create a new body of work over twelve months to present as an exhibition in the Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery at SAM. Previous SAM Spotlight artists include Shepparton-based artist Carmel Robertson, Echuca-based artist Ellen Lee, and the upcoming SAM Spotlight 2025 exhibition will feature a new body of work from Shepparton-based printmaker Kat Parker.
Applications for SAM Spotlight and SAM Selects must be submitted online via the SAM website. Applications are reviewed by the curatorial team for eligibility before being presented to the SAM Community Gallery selection panel featuring industry and community representatives, who asses the applications on their quality and artistic merit, the clarity of the proposed exhibition’s theme or concept, the proposed exhibition’s relevance to the community, region, the suitability of the proposed exhibition to the physical limitations of the space, and SAM’s wider curatorial program.
Creatives wanting to learn more about the upcoming Community Gallery opportunities are invited to join Caroline Esbenshade at SAM on 8 September 2025 at 5.30pm for an information session that will explain the application and assessment processes, and answer any questions. Registrations for the event are now open via Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/information-session-opportunities-to-exhibit-at-sam-q4dw7czd
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator – Community, says of the exhibition:
“Participating in SAM Spotlight or SAM Selects is a great step towards connecting your creative practice with a large audience. Even if your submission is unsuccessful for this round, just going through the application process has merit—every application is read by our curatorial team, giving you valuable exposure, feedback, and a chance to develop application materials you can use for other opportunities. I strongly encourage every eligible artist and creative practitioner in our region with a creative project waiting to be shown, or an emerging artist who is ready to take the next leap in their practice, to put together a submission for 2026, and to join us for our upcoming information session on 8 September.”
Carmel Robertson, 2024 SAM Spotlight artist, says of the opportunity:
“SAM Spotlight provided an opportunity to work with curator, Caroline Esbenshade, and the focus to develop and consolidate my artistic practice. Having my body of work professionally curated and displayed in a public gallery allowed it to reach a wider audience. This experience has enabled me to exhibit in additional gallery spaces.”
Applications for SAM Selects 2026 and SAM Spotlight 2026 are now open until 1 October 2025. Full eligibility details, downloadable templates, and application forms can be found on the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/support-get-involved/exhibit-at-sam/
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About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
Media enquiries, please contact: Mikela Guseli, SAM Communications Officer.
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Featured image: Dore Stockhausen: echoes of a new eden, SAM Selects 2025, installation view, Shepparton Art Museum, 2025. Photo: Leon Schoots.
Local artists highlighted in Shepparton Art Museum’s SAM Open 2025 exhibition
14 July 2025
SAM Open 2025, Shepparton Art Museum’s (SAM) annual open-call group exhibition, returned to the museum’s Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery on Saturday 5 July. Celebrating and showcasing the creativity of the artistic community across the Goulburn Valley and the Hume Regions, the 66 works on display in SAM Open 2025 span an array of styles and approaches, including photography, painting, textile, ceramics, and sculpture. The exhibition provides an opportunity for local practitioners to share their creativity with audiences and present their work in dialogue with exhibitions by nationally recognised Australian artists.
The callout for entries to the exhibition this year yielded 67 submissions from artists and creatives living or working in the Goulburn Valley and Hume regions, with 66 featured in the exhibition. In a change from previous years, no exhibition theme was set for this iteration; instead, artists were invited to submit a recent artwork that reflects their unique creative practice.
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator – Community, says of the exhibition:
“With no theme to this year’s SAM Open, local creatives seized this opportunity to
demonstrate their practice and recent creative obsessions. I feel that there is a magical and adventurous undercurrent to this year’s show—glimpses of the fantastical and different means of transportation hint at a wish for an escape from the everyday. Hopefully for audiences, the museum and this exhibition can be that—a refreshing step out of the daily routine.”
SAM Open 2025 is now showing at SAM until 2 November 2025.
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SAM Open 2025 exhibiting artists:
Meredith Arnold, Robyn Barrow, Mya Bathman, Fasiha Batool, Robbie Bechaz, Greg Beckenham, William Boyer, Eleanor Bridge, Lauren Bull, Valerie Callister, Margaret Carey, ALAN CARTLIDGE, Valerie Clements, Kim D’Arma, Letizia D’Augello, Jan Donaldson, Annie Ernst, Lilly Fidock, Michael Flatt, Jeanette Fry, Wenda Grant, Barbara Gray, Tony Guseli, Kerry Handwerk, Dianne Hanna, Christine Hartley, Annabelle Hayes, Samantha J Heriz, Raymond Hill, Amanda Hocking, Lily Hocking, Belinda Hook, Kirsten Ives, Lois Krake, Janice Laidlaw, Marion Langford, Jodi Lewis, Lucy Ludlow, Peta Manning, Creagh Manning, Elizabeth Masters, Dianne McPherson, Ashleigh Molisak, Dianne Nally, Kat Parker, Joy (Roxy) Parnell, lyn patone, Maria Radanov, Jill Riordan, Makenzie Rivers, Judith Roberts, Carmel Robertson, Lucia Rossi, Angie Russi, Garry Salau, Lehansa Samaranayake, SeraEla, Judy Simm, Lucy Smyth, Gabriella Vittorio, Megan Walker, Janine Wilson, jenny wilson, Vicki Woodhouse, Ruby Wyatt-Carter, Jenny Younger.
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria. As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
Media enquiries, please contact: Mikela Guseli, SAM Communications Officer.
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Shepparton Art Museum brings the Brett Whiteley Studio experience to Victoria
10 June 2025
Opening at the end of June, Shepparton Art Museum brings the Brett Whiteley Studio experience to Victoria in upcoming major exhibition.
From 28 June, an upcoming major national touring exhibition from the Art Gallery of New South Wales brings the experience of the Brett Whiteley Studio to Shepparton Art Museum (SAM). The SAM presentation of Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio will be the only opportunity for Victorian audiences to experience the show before the exhibition concludes its national tour, and the artworks return to New South Wales.
Offering audiences around Australia a fascinating insight into one of the nation’s most gifted and revered artists, Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio draws from the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Brett Whiteley Studio in Sydney to present a selection of works across a diversity of media to explore the role of Whiteley’s studio spaces in informing the scale and content of his works, and how they became an expression and extension of his artistic identity.
Brett Whiteley (b. 1939, d.1992) is one of Australia’s most beloved and successful artists. In a career spanning three decades, he won the coveted Archibald Prize for portraiture twice, participated in significant exhibitions of contemporary art in Australia and Europe, and now has his work held in the collections of every major museum in Australia as well as in prestigious institutions abroad.
Whiteley’s practice was predominately studio-based, with the artist often working at an easel, on a table, or sometimes directly on the floor, giving him complete control over the conditions of his art-making.
Whiteley’s studio practice began in the mid to late 1950s when he converted his parents’ backyard glasshouse into a makeshift studio. His knack for repurposing spaces served well him during the 1960s, when he travelled extensively across the globe. He also developed a lifelong habit of working in his living spaces, which frequently blurred the line between life and art. A former warehouse in Sydney’s Surry Hills served as Whiteley's studio from 1985 and home from 1988 until his death in 1992 and has been administered as a public museum by the Art Gallery of New South Wales since 1995. Now approaching its 30th anniversary, building upgrades are currently underway to secure the Studio’s ongoing life as a celebrated museum both nationally and internationally.
Included in the exhibition are some of Whiteley’s most iconic paintings, such as The balcony 2, 1975 (pictured above), and Self portrait in the studio, 1976, alongside rarely seen archival photographs from Whiteley’s time in studios across London, New York, and Sydney, which show some of the artworks in various stages of completion, offering a glimpse into his creative world.
Complementing the exhibition experience is a playlist of songs drawn from Whiteley’s extensive vinyl record collection, highlighting the significant role that music played in his studio environments and creative process. Visitors will be able to access the Spotify playlist by scanning a QR code located inside the gallery, and can also discover a replica of Whiteley’s record player and vinyl collection as an extension to the main exhibition.
Nick Yelverton, exhibition curator and curator , Brett Whiteley Studio, says of the exhibition:
“The Art Gallery of New South Wales is thrilled to be partnering with Shepparton Art Museum on the touring exhibition Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio, which has been travelling around Australia since mid-2024. Shepparton Art Museum is significantly the only Victorian venue in the tour.
Bringing together art, music and archives, Inside the Studio is an engaging exhibition that explores Brett Whiteley’s rambunctious studio practice, and visitors can expect to see major works across Whiteley’s 30-year career, from sensitive charcoal drawings of his wife Wendy through to the Archibald Prize-winning painting Self portrait in the studio. This is a blockbuster show that should not be missed.”
The official opening celebration of Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio will be held at SAM on Friday 27 June from 6pm. This free event will include opening remarks, and a first look at the exhibition ahead of its public opening on Saturday 28 June.
Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio is a free, ticketed exhibition, showing at SAM from 28 June to 5 October 2025. Tickets for the first four weeks of the exhibition and the 27 June opening event can now be pre-booked online via the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/whats-on/upcoming/brett-whiteley-inside-the-studio/
Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio is a touring exhibition from the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Brett Whiteley Studio and has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.
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Featured image: Brett Whiteley, The balcony 2, 1975, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1981 © Wendy Whiteley
About the Art Gallery of New South Wales:
From its magnificent site in Sydney, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of Australia’s pre-eminent art museums and the state’s leading visual arts institution. Its mission is to serve the widest possible audience as a centre of excellence for the collection, preservation, documentation, interpretation and display of Australian and international art, and a forum for scholarship, art education and the exchange of ideas. The transformation of the Art Gallery – now with two buildings, Naala Badu and Naala Nura, brings together art, architecture and landscape in spectacular new ways with dynamic galleries and seamless connections between indoor and outdoor spaces. Naala Badu is the most significant cultural development to open in Sydney in half a century and is a prominent new destination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture.
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
Iconic sculpture returns to display at SAM, while major exhibition The Shape of Things to Come enters its final days
5 June 2025
Iconic sculpture returns to display at SAM, while major exhibition The Shape of Things to Come enters its final days.
Shepparton Art Museum’s (SAM) current major exhibition The Shape of Things to Come will draw to a close on Monday 9 June. Curated by SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy, the exhibition pairs artworks from the SAM Collection with key loan artworks that explore themes of dystopia and utopia across painting, works on paper, ceramics, and sculpture.
Featuring works by John Perceval, Lin Onus, Penny Byrne, and Bridget Hillebrand, the exhibition borrows its name from a 1933 science fiction novel written by H.G. Wells that imagines an alternative future society. The Shape of Things to Come provides a window into an unknown future where artists investigate ideas of progress, transformation, and adaptation through diverse mediums and bold visions, and marks the first public display of several works since they entered the SAM Collection, including Locust Jones’ sprawling work The Bird Agents, 2007-2008, and German artist Anne Wenzel’s Silent Landscape, 2006-2010. Visitors to SAM will be able to experience this exhibition over the King’s Birthday long weekend before the museum’s Lin Onus Gallery on Level 1 closes for the installation of upcoming exhibition Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio.
On Level 2 at SAM, a new collection display dedicated to artist Sam Jinks’ renowned 2010 sculpture Woman and Child was recently unveiled. To mark the return of Woman and Child to public display in Shepparton after its last appearance in early 2024, the artwork has been accompanied by archival news reports that chart its journey into the SAM Collection, from its first showing in 2010 to the powerful response it evoked from the Shepparton community, who contributed significant funds over less than two months to support SAM and the Greater Shepparton City Council to acquire the work into the museum’s permanent collection. Visitors to the exhibition can also enjoy a short film that screens alongside the sculpture, which features an intimate interview with artist Sam Jinks that captures him in the studio, reunited with Woman and Child after almost 15 years to perform conservation work on some of the artwork’s materials.
Woman and Child is now on display in Stories from the SAM Collection, located inside The People’s Gallery on SAM’s Level 2. Admission to the exhibition and the museum is free.
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Image credit: Installation view of Sam Jinks’ Woman and Child, Shepparton Art Museum, 2025. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
Media enquiries, please contact Mikela Guseli, SAM Communications Officer.
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Step into Brett Whiteley's world when major touring exhibition comes to SAM in June
22 May 2025
Major exhibition featuring the works of iconic Australian artist Brett Whiteley to conclude its national tour at Shepparton Art Museum.
An upcoming major national touring exhibition from the Art Gallery of New South Wales will bring the experience of the famed Brett Whiteley Studio to Victorian audiences when it opens at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) in June 2025. The SAM presentation of Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio will be the only opportunity for Victorian audiences to experience the show before the exhibition concludes its national tour, and the artworks return to New South Wales for the reopening of the Brett Whiteley Studio in Sydney following its major renovation.
Offering audiences around Australia a fascinating insight into the studio practice of one of the nation’s most gifted and revered artists, Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio draws from the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Brett Whiteley Studio in Sydney to present a selection of works that explore the artist’s prolific career across a diversity of media. Curated by Art Gallery of New South Wales curator, Brett Whiteley Studio, Nick Yelverton, the exhibition features paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, and ceramics, and considers the role of Whiteley’s studio spaces in informing the scale and content of his works, and how they became an expression and extension of his artistic identity.
Included in the exhibition are some of Whiteley’s most iconic paintings, such as The balcony 2, 1975, and Self portrait in the studio, 1976 (pictured above), alongside early abstract works made in London and New York in the 1960s, and works from Whiteley’s final series, Paris ‘Regard de Côté’. Rarely seen archival photographs from Whiteley’s time in studios across London, New York and Sydney show some of the artworks in various stages of completion, offering a glimpse into his creative world.
Inside the Studio will be a free exhibition with a timed ticketed entry. Visitors to the museum can pre-book tickets to the exhibition online via the SAM website. Ticket sales for the first month of the exhibition are now live, and can be purchased through the SAM website.
Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says of the exhibition:
“Brett Whiteley was an artist who worked prolifically, and his life and practice continues to inspire awe in new audiences. Inside the Studio brings to life the vibrancy and passion with which Whiteley lived and worked, pairing iconic works that people know and love with incredible behind-the-scenes photos that give rich context to his practice. We can’t wait to unveil this show and welcome people in to explore Whiteley’s world.”
An opening celebration for Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio will be held at SAM on Friday 27 June at 6pm. Registrations to this free event will open on 27 May, with tickets able to be booked through the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/whats-on/upcoming/brett-whiteley-inside-the-studio/
Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio is a touring exhibition from the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Brett Whiteley Studio has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program. The exhibition will feature in SAM’s Lin Onus Gallery from 28 June to 5 October 2025.
Featured artwork: Brett Whiteley, Self portrait in the studio, 1976, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1977 © Wendy Whiteley
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About the Art Gallery of New South Wales:
From its magnificent site in Sydney, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of Australia’s pre-eminent art museums and the state’s leading visual arts institution. Its mission is to serve the widest possible audience as a centre of excellence for the collection, preservation, documentation, interpretation and display of Australian and international art, and a forum for scholarship, art education and the exchange of ideas. The transformation of the Art Gallery – now with two buildings, Naala Badu and Naala Nura, brings together art, architecture and landscape in spectacular new ways with dynamic galleries and seamless connections between indoor and outdoor spaces. Naala Badu is the most significant cultural development to open in Sydney in half a century and is a prominent new destination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture.
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
SAM to host professional development weekend intensive for local creatives.
29 April 2025
Shepparton Art Museum to host two-day professional development program for local creatives.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to present Art as Business, a two-day professional development intensive that aims to strengthen the business knowledge and skills of regional creative practitioners. Taking place over Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May, the program will feature panel discussions and workshops that address key areas of concern for artists, including accounting, copyright, communication, installing artwork, and applying for grants.
The workshops and talks will be presented by a range of artists, arts workers, and arts industry professionals, including artist Beci Orpin, Evan Lowenstein (Director, Lowenstein Arts Management), and Amelia Kingston (Grants Manager, Regional Arts Victoria). Over the course of the weekend, artists from the Goulburn Valley and beyond will connect with fellow creatives, expand their professional network, and discover new ways to strengthen the business side of their creative practice.
Ahead of the Art as Business program, a free networking event will be hosted on Friday 16 May at La Trobe University’s Shepparton Campus, which both Art as Business ticketholders and the general public are invited to attend. Attendees can enjoy a panel discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities within the regional arts landscape, featuring Danny Lacy (Artistic Director, SAM), Ros Abercrombie (Director, Regional Arts Australia), Tegan Nash (Director, Live Art Benalla), and artist Cameron Robbins, with drinks and refreshments provided.
Gabriella Calandro, SAM Head of Engagement, says of the event:
“We’re excited to offer this fantastic series of workshops and talks to our community and help support the development of our region’s creative practitioners. This program brings together experts in finance and arts management, artists’ rights, marketing and communications, and leaders from major arts institutions to present a comprehensive program that addresses the key challenges faced by Victorian artists. This will be an opportunity not to be missed by artists looking to develop professionally and connect with peers and figures from the creative industry. We’re grateful to the support of La Trobe University’s Shepparton Campus in helping to bring this program to life and helping us to keep the ticket price at an accessible point for our community.”
Tickets for Art as Business and the artist networking evening are now available to book via the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/events/?tribe_eventcategory%5B%5D=21
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Shepparton Art Museum announces the 2025 winner and runners-up of The Urbach.
3 April 2025
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce the 2025 winner and runners-up of The Theodore Urbach Landscape Prize and Studio Scholarship (“The Urbach”), a $10,000 prize and scholarship encouraging explorations in the field Australian landscape painting. On Friday 28 March, artist Anthea Kemp was named the winner of The Urbach, with artists Jarrad Martyn and Kate McKenzie Lewis named the two runners-up.
Based in St Kilda, Anthea Kemp has been exhibiting as an artist since 2015, showcasing her work in solo and group exhibitions across Melbourne, regional Victoria, Perth, and Sydney. Her practice is driven by her engagement with nature and conservation, translating the visual and ecological rhythms of form in the landscape into painting. As an artist, her approach to painting is intertwined with her commitment to learning about conservation and recognising her own responsibility in caring for country. Working with themes of place and the Australian Landscape, she aims to highlight the conservation efforts taking place across Australia and reflect the knowledge she gains through her volunteer work with seed banks and conservation groups.
The 2025 finalists were selected from twenty-three applications to the prestigious award. Five artists from the twenty-three were shortlisted, going on to present their applications to an expert judging panel. The 2025 judging panel, chaired by SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy, consisted of Dr. Drew Pettifer (Associate Professor RMIT and SAM Ltd Board member), David Hagger (Melbourne-based curator, consultant, and project manager), Rachel Arndt (Director, Wangaratta Art Gallery), and Briar Stevens (Equity Trustees representative for The Theodore Urbach Landscape Painting Scholarship and Prize Charitable Trust).
Of the applicants, David Hagger says:
“The strength of applicants over the first two iterations of The Urbach has been remarkable, and is a testament to the opportunities that this uniquely tailored initiative offers in the development of artists’ professional practices and connection with the community of Shepparton.”
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator – Community and coordinator of The Urbach, says:
“We were impressed by the calibre and diversity of the submissions we received this year, which showcased the many unique ways in which the Australian landscape can be interpreted. We’re excited to continue pushing the boundaries of how we understand and engage with the genre, expanding the horizon of Australian landscape painting. I’m looking forward to working with Anthea, finding ways to support her development as well as to support her in sharing her knowledge and passion for conservation with the community.”
As winner of The Urbach, Kemp will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a scholarship stipend of $5,000 to support her as she undertakes the three-month scholarship at SAM’s onsite artist studio from 1 May to 31 July 2025. Over the scholarship period, Kemp intends to engage with the Euroa Arboretum, located on the lands of the Taungurung and Yorta Yorta people, to undertake research that will inform the creation of a new body of responsive paintings.
As runners-up, Jarrad Martyn and Kate McKenzie Lewis will each be awarded a $2,500 prize in recognition of their time and commitment in developing their applications.
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Media enquiries, please contact: Mikela Guseli, Communications Officer, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
Featured image: Anthea Kemp headshot. Image courtesy of the artist.
Bar SAM to open on 28 March
18 March 2025
Bar SAM to stage first 2025 opening on 28 March 2025.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to partner with Elsewhere at SAM to open the bar and terrace located on Level 4 of the SAM building. Bar SAM will be open on select Friday evenings throughout 2025, with upcoming dates announced each month through the SAM and Elsewhere at SAM social media channels and websites.
From 5.30pm on Friday 28 March, patrons are invited to enjoy drinks and a light food menu at Bar SAM whilst overlooking spectacular sunset views over Lake Victoria. The architectural space, designed by Denton Corker Marshall, presents an elevated interior experience that stands apart in the Shepparton landscape. No entry fee will be charged to patrons, and no bookings of the space will be available. The venue is strictly open to patrons aged 18 years and over, and welcomes walk-ins only.
Gabriella Calandro, SAM Head of Engagement, says of the new experience:
“We’re thrilled to be introducing Bar SAM to our community this month. The regular opening of our Level 4 bar to the public has been highly anticipated since 2021, and we’re excited to give people a new experience to enjoy as part of our region’s hospitality scene. Bar SAM offers a new way of engaging with the museum, and we are excited to team up with our friends, Elsewhere at SAM, to make this a great after-hours museum experience.”
Bar SAM will be open to the public on Friday 28 March from 5.30pm to 8.00pm. Information on the upcoming dates for Bar SAM can be found on the SAM website and social media channels: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/your-visit/bar-sam/
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SAM celebrates a new season of exhibitions on 21 March
17 March 2025
Shepparton Art Museum invites community to celebrate a new season of exhibitions on Friday 21 March.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) invites the community to join them at the museum on Friday 21 March to enjoy an evening celebrating the official opening of a new suite of exhibitions. Taking place from 6pm to 8pm, the event will feature opening remarks from SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy and David McKenzie, and a curatorial introduction to new Community Gallery exhibition Dore Stockhausen: echoes of a new eden from SAM Curator – Community Caroline Esbenshade.
The event celebrates the recent unveilings of new exhibitions The Shape of Things to Come, echoes of a new eden, and Ayako Rokkaku, alongside upcoming exhibitions More than this, which features a collection of works from multi-disciplinary artist Belinda Fox, and Magic Mountains, a new series of prints from local artist Emmet O’Dwyer. Refreshments will be available to guests at bar prices, supplied by Elsewhere at SAM.
Gabriella Calandro, SAM Head of Engagement, says of the event:
“These seasonal celebrations of our exhibitions are a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together to experience the museum in a different way and connect more deeply with each other and the artworks on display. Our team has worked passionately over the past few months to bring these new exhibitions to fruition, and we enjoy creating opportunities to share these experiences with our community.”
SAM’s seasonal exhibition will take place at the museum on Friday 21 March from 6.00pm to 8.00pm. This event is a free event, with registrations encouraged. Registrations can be made via Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/sam-seasonal-exhibition-celebration
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New exhibition from artist Dore Stockhausen opens in SAM Community Gallery
17 March 2025
New exhibition from artist Dore Stockhausen to open in Shepparton Art Museum’s Community Gallery on 8 March 2025.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to present a new solo exhibition from Beechworth-based artist Dore Stockhausen, on display in the museum’s Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery from 8 March.
Presenting the exhibition as the 2024 SAM Selects artist, echoes of a new eden features a series of Stockhausen’s paintings depicting the near-desolate landscapes of a post-natural world. Combining geometric and organic shapes, Stockhausen’s abstract works explore the unintended consequences of industrial and agricultural advancements on our environment, and prompt the viewer to reflect on their own relationship with nature.
A mid-career artist whose rich creative practice has shifted from jewellery-making to painting, Stockhausen’s technique of combing and scraping washes of paint over canvas reveal the stages of each work’s creation; using specially-designed tools, Stockhausen brushes layers of paint progressively to build patterns that each tell a story of a landscape that has come and gone, mirroring the gradual changes we observe in our environment over years. The intentional minimal quality of the paintings invites viewers to imagine their own additions of flora and fauna to the fictional landscapes.
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator - Community says of Stockhausen’s exhibition:
“Dore Stockhausen has applied techniques from her former jewellery-making practice to paint and canvas to create unique works that are visually compelling and thoughtful in their consideration of the future of environmental spaces and land management. echoes of a new eden turns the gallery into a jewel box of geometric forms, rich hues, and metallic finishes while engaging in a timely dialogue with our other current exhibitions to bring to the fore conversations around climate change and environmental conservation. She also makes the conversation local by incorporating hallmarks of our region, such as the bright yellow of canola fields.”
The opening of echoes of a new eden will be celebrated at an upcoming seasonal exhibition celebration event at SAM on Friday 21 March at 6.00pm. On 12 April, Stockhausen will appear at SAM for an artist talk exploring her practice and the exhibition. Registrations to these events can be made via the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/events/?tribe_eventcategory%5B%5D=21
echoes of a new eden will be on display at SAM in the Hugh D.T. Williamson Community Gallery from 8 March to 29 June 2025.
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'The Shape of Things to Come' to open at SAM on 22 February
17 February 2025
Rarely-shown works from the Shepparton Art Museum Collection and large-scale loan works to feature in new exhibition The Shape of Things to Come.
Opening to the public on 22 February 2025, The Shape of Things to Come is a new exhibition from Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) exploring themes of dystopia and utopia across painting, works on paper, ceramics, and sculpture. Curated by SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy, the exhibition pairs artworks from the SAM Collection with key loan artworks to evoke and inspire perspectives on our future.
Borrowing its name from a 1933 science fiction novel written by H.G. Wells that imagines an alternative future society, The Shape of Things to Come provides a window into an unknown future where artists investigate ideas of progress, transformation, and adaptation through diverse mediums and bold visions. The artworks grapple with both the destruction we face and the potential for renewal, offering a powerful reflection on how art can act as both a warning and a catalyst for change.
Highlights of the exhibition include River, 2023, a breathtaking 12-metre-long paper sculpture from Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Dr. Bridget Hillebrand that will unfurl from the ceiling of the gallery like a living entity, with layers of delicate Japanese washi paper flowing and folding to mimic the natural flow of water; The Bird Agents, 2007-2008, a large-scale work on paper from artist Locust Jones that will make its debut at SAM since entering the SAM Collection in 2014; and Silent Landscape, German artist Anne Wenzel’s winning entry to the international category of the 2010 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award.
Bridget Hillebrand, River, 2023, © the artist
Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says of the exhibition:
“Our community is no stranger to natural disasters; every one of us has experienced the effects of our changing climate, whether it be fire, flood, or drought. Art is a powerful means of presenting new and diverse perspectives on society’s largest issues, and the artworks featured in The Shape of Things to Come prompt a timely conversation on our collective future. The reality is confronting, but it’s important to temper the dark with the light; while works from Locust Jones and Anne Wenzel examine environmental and social disasters, the cautious optimism and fragile beauty of works by Annika Romeyn and Bridget Hillebrand give us hope that we can shape the future for the better.
The works in this exhibition truly transform the gallery, with their scale creating immersive moments that will inspire awe and reflection. We’re excited to welcome visitors into this space and engage in the many dialogues we’re sure will flow from it.”
The Shape of Things to Come will be on display in SAM’s Lin Onus Gallery from Saturday 22 February, with free entry.
Top image: Anne Wenzel, Silent Landscape (detail), 2006-2010, Shepparton Art Museum Collection, 2010 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award - International Artist Category, 2011 © the artist
Victorian artists invited to apply to The Urbach 2025
23 January 2025
Victorian artists invited to apply for The 2025 Urbach Landscape Prize and Studio Scholarship.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) invites Victorian-based artists to apply for the 2025 Theodore Urbach Landscape Prize and Studio Scholarship (“The Urbach”). Applications for the $10,000 prize and scholarship encouraging explorations in the field Australian landscape painting are currently open and will close on 3 March 2025.
Awarded to an individual Victorian-based artist working in the field of Australian landscape painting, The Urbach celebrates the creative process and acknowledges that artists need time and space to further their creative practice. The awarded artist will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a scholarship stipend of $5,000 to support them as they undertake the three-month, non-residential scholarship at SAM’s onsite artist studio from 1 May to 31 July 2025. In addition to the first prize, two runners-up will each be awarded a $2,500 prize in recognition of their time and commitment in developing their applications.
In 2024, The Urbach was awarded to Echuca-based artist Ellen Lee, who focused her scholarship period on furthering her abstract visual practice, drawing inspiration from the wetlands and local birdlife of Victoria Lake.
When reflecting on the impact of the Urbach on her creative practice, Lee says:
“I knew being awarded The Urbach was a good thing, but I don’t think I knew just how expansive it was going to be for me. The staff at SAM are incredibly supportive, and very generous with their time and knowledge. During the scholarship, you have the opportunity to have conversations with industry professionals, and you receive feedback that really resonates with you. It helps you to become more confident in talking about your work, and even in just letting people into the process. If anyone is thinking of applying for The Urbach, I certainly think they should go for it—for an emerging artist, this is a fantastic experience.”
The Urbach program is generously supported by the Theodore Urbach Landscape Painting Scholarship and Prize Charitable Trust. The trust, established through the will of late philanthropist and arts patron Theodore Urbach, was designed to provide prizes and scholarship opportunities to benefit artists and students working in the field of Australian landscape painting.
Online applications to The Urbach close on 3 March 2025. To view the full eligibility criteria, program guidelines, and commence your application, visit the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/support-get-involved/the-urbach/
The Urbach 2025 Details:
- Open to artists working in the field of Australian landscape painting, which includes painting, drawing, and photography.
- Applicants must be living in Victoria.
- The Urbach First Prize
- $5,000 cash prize
- $5,000 scholarship stipend
- 3-month access to the SAM Artist Studio to undertake the scholarship
- Tailored professional development opportunities.
- The Urbach Second Prizes
- $2,500 cash prize for two runners up in recognition of their time and commitment in developing their applications and presenting to the panel.
- The Urbach First Prize
Applications close: 3 March 2025
Application & guidelines on the SAM Website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/support-get-involved/the-urbach/
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Shepparton Art Museum announces highlights of 2025 artistic program
16 December 2024
NOTE: This article was updated on 11 February to reflect the revised closing date of Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio
Shepparton Art Museum announces highlights of 2025 artistic program, featuring a major touring exhibition from Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce it will host Art Gallery of New South Wales’ touring exhibition Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio in June 2025 as the exhibition’s sole Victorian venue on its national tour.
Offering audiences around Australia a fascinating insight into the studio practice of one of the nation’s most gifted and revered artists, Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio draws from the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Brett Whiteley Studio in Sydney to present a selection of works across various media. Featuring paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, and ceramics, the exhibition considers the role of Whiteley’s studio spaces in informing the scale and content of his works, and how they became an expression and extension of his artistic identity.
Included in the exhibition are some of Whiteley’s most iconic paintings, such as The balcony 2, 1975, and Self portrait in the studio, 1976 (pictured above), alongside early abstract works made in London and New York in the 1960s, and works from Whiteley’s final series, Paris ‘Regard de Côté’. Rarely seen archival photographs from Whiteley’s time in studios across London, New York and Sydney show some of the artworks in various stages of completion, offering a glimpse into his creative world.
Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio is a touring exhibition from the Art Gallery of New South Wales and has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program. The exhibition will feature in SAM’s Lin Onus Gallery from 28 June to 5 October 2025.
Nick Yelverton, Art Gallery of New South Wales curator, Brett Whiteley Studio, said this is a unique opportunity for Victorian audiences to see iconic works by Whiteley.
"The works in this exhibition are highlights of both the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Brett Whiteley Studio collections in Sydney. We are excited to take Whiteley on the road and give interstate audiences the chance to delve into the life and mind of one of Australia’s most important artists.”
From February 2025, audiences can also look forward to a host of new exhibitions at SAM featuring artworks drawn from the collection, alongside new site-specific installations that activate the building’s interior spaces. Opening on 22 February in SAM’s Lin Onus Gallery, The Shape of Things to Come is a new exhibition curated by SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy that pairs artworks from the SAM Collection with key loan artworks to evoke and inspire perspectives on our future, from the apocalyptic to the utopian. Featured artworks include River, 2023, an immense linocut work from Naarm/Melbourne-artist Dr. Bridget Hillebrand, on loan to SAM from the artist, and The Bird Agents, 2007-2008, a large-scale work on paper from artist Locust Jones.
Across the museum’s Level 2, a selection of works from artist Belinda Fox and intricate ceramic figures from artist Vipoo Srivilasa will feature in the showcases to explore materiality and technique. On the museum’s Level 4 Art Wall, artist Kerrie Poliness will take over the space to create a new, site-responsive mural that continues her work with geometric abstraction. In the Children’s Gallery, a new exhibition curated by SAM Curator – Community Caroline Esbenshade entitled Once Upon a Time will playfully invite kids and families to engage in imaginative storytelling through playful works from the SAM Collection and creative art activities. In late 2025, SAM will show JXSH MVIR FOREVER I LIVE, a major retrospective exhibition presented by Koorie Heritage Trust featuring the artworks of late Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta, and Barkindji artist Josh Muir.
Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says of the artistic program:
“We’re thrilled to be presenting such a dynamic and rich program in the first half of 2025 that brings the stories and practices of so many beloved and talented artists to regional Victoria. Our visitors will be awed by the scale of Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio; the sheer volume of Whiteley’s many iconic works, paired with illuminating behind-the-scenes photos, lay bare the passion and creative drive of one of Australia’s most significant artists. We’ll also continue to bring rarely-seen works from our collection to the gallery floor, in dialogue with loaned works from other Australian institutions, that reunite visitors with past familiar works and introduce our community to new artists, techniques, and practice.”
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Featured image: Brett Whiteley, Self portrait in the studio, 1976, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1977 © Wendy Whiteley
SAM bequeathed significant private ceramics collection
28 November 2024
Dr. Michael Elliott bequeaths private ceramics collection to Shepparton Art Museum.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce the bequest of a significant private collection of ceramics from Dr. Michael Elliott. The bequest grows SAM’s already significant collection of Australian ceramics, and builds the representation of international artists in the collection.
Consisting of 198 ceramic artworks, the bequest includes an extensive list of acclaimed artists currently represented in the SAM Collection, including Stephen Benwell, Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, Milton Moon AM, Vipoo Srivilasa, and Greg Daly, alongside 28 artists not yet represented in the SAM Collection, including Enrique Tochez Anderson, Barbara Swarbrick, and Dawn Ngala Wheeler.
Built over the course of 50 years, Dr. Elliott’s collection reflects his passion for the arts and for artists. As a young collector, Dr. Elliott purchased pieces by local Melbourne studio potters, whom he would go on to develop personal relationships with. Over decades, Dr. Elliott’s collection has grown to encompass Australian and international ceramics, capturing trends within the field that tell fascinating stories of the evolution of studio pottery and ceramic practice.
The bequest from Dr. Elliott to SAM ensures that the gift of this significant collection can be preserved and shared with Australian audiences of today and of the future, increasing the scale of the portrait SAM is able to paint of Australian and internation ceramic practice through its collection.
Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says of the acquisition:
“This extraordinary bequest from Dr. Elliott is a rare and generous gift, which SAM is privileged to accept. Michael’s relationship with each artwork in his collection is deeply personal, often having acquired the work directly from the artists, who were also his friends. This collection is living, and full of warmth — we hope that whenever these objects are out on display, we can convey to our visitors Michael’s joy of collecting and of being surrounded by these artworks. With the growth of representation of artists in our collection, this acquisition expands our storytelling capacity to truly reflect practices and trends of Australian and international ceramic artists.”
A selection of works from the bequest can now be viewed at Shepparton Art Museum in the museum’s ceramics showcase on Level 3.
Featured image: SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy and Dr. Michael Elliott. Photo: Michael Pham
2024 SAM Spotlight artist Carmel Robertson to present new solo exhibition
13 November 2024
New solo exhibition from artist Carmel Robertson to open in Shepparton Art Museum’s Community Gallery on 23 November 2024.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to present a new solo exhibition from local artist Carmel Robertson in the museum’s Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery on 23 November.
Presenting the exhibition as the 2024 SAM Spotlight artist, Wish you were here features a new series of Robertson’s oil paintings depicting the landscapes and landmarks of Shepparton. An emerging figurative painter based in the Goulburn Valley, Robertson previously worked as an arts educator in the region before dedicating herself fully to her creative practice in her retirement. Robertson has since developed a distinctive style that reflects both her personal experience and unique artistic voice.
Created over the past 12 months, Robertson’s paintings dip lightly into surrealism to reimagine the sights of Shepparton. Through subtle manipulations, Robertson distorts the town’s familiar buildings and streets, offering a personal commentary on Shepparton as a transitory space rather than a tourist destination. Through her depiction of empty streets, vacant lots at night, alleys and concealed pathways at dawn or dusk, Robertson emphasises the region’s transient nature while dissolving the boundary between the real and the unreal.
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator - Community says of Robertson’s exhibition:
“Carmel Robertson has created an engaging body of work, which we are thrilled to share at SAM for the first time. Robertson’s oil paintings are moody, dreamlike, and infuse very familiar scenery from our town with a touch of the unknown. This exhibition will resonate with locals particularly, who will enjoy seeing our landscape through a new lens, and I’m excited to hear the reflections it draws out of people over its duration.”
An exhibition opening event will be held at SAM on Saturday 23 November at 2.30pm, and will include a conversation between Carmel Robertson and Caroline Esbenshade. Registrations to the free event can be made via Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/exhibition-opening-or-carmel-robertson-wish-you-were-here
Wish you were here will be on display at SAM in the Hugh D.T. Williamson Community Gallery from 23 November 2024 to 2 March 2025.
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About the artist:
Carmel Robertson has resided in Shepparton, Victoria for the past 35 years. In that time, she had a 22-year career in education, teaching art and photography at Notre Dame College. After completing studies at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney in 2016-17, Robertson started painting full time. She has exhibited in group shows locally, including past SAM Community Gallery exhibitions, and presented a solo exhibition at the Euroa Butter Factory in 2022.
Featured image: Carmel Robertson, Two Hotels on High Street, 2024. © Carmel Robertson
