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
Applications to The Urbach 2025 to open 8 November 2024
29 October 2024
Applications to The 2025 Urbach landscape painting prize and scholarship to open 8 November 2024.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce the return of The Theodore Urbach Landscape Prize and Studio Scholarship (“The Urbach”) for 2025 following its first successful delivery in 2024. Applications for the $10,000 prize and scholarship encouraging explorations in the field Australian landscape painting will open on 8 November 2024 and will close on 3 March 2025.
The Urbach will be awarded to a Victorian-based artist working in the field of Australian landscape painting. 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.
The Urbach celebrates the creative process and acknowledges that artists need time and space to further their creative practice. The Urbach prize and scholarship provides artists with the time, studio space, and financial support to immerse themselves in the creative process and study of the landscape of the Goulburn Valley and Hume regions, with no set deliverable outcomes. In addition to the prize, the awarded artist will receive tailored professional development opportunities to aid in the development of their practice. 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.
Of the opportunity, SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy says:
“We’re thrilled to offer The Urbach for a second year following a fruitful first iteration in 2024. The Urbach program addresses some of the financial and time challenges that artists face and provides the support needed so artists can dedicate focus and energy to the development of their practice. With the cash prize, scholarship fund, and exclusive use of the state-of-the-art SAM Artist studio, the winner of The Urbach can immerse themselves in the exploration of their practice, with access to professional development opportunities, the knowledge and experience of the SAM team, and the vibrant natural surrounds of Lake Victoria and the Goulburn River on the museum’s doorstep. We encourage all eligible artists to consider applying to The Urbach to help them reach the next stage in their practice.”
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 open on 8 November 2024. To view the full eligibility criteria, application process, and program guidelines, visit the SAM website: https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/support-get-involved/the-urbach/
For artists interested in learning more about The Urbach and the scholarship opportunity, a conversation between 2024 Urbach artist Ellen Lee and SAM Curator – Community Caroline Esbenshade will be held at SAM on 7 November at 6.00pm. To register for this event, visit the Humanitix event listing: https://events.humanitix.com/sam-talks-ellen-lee-residency-2024. A recording of this talk will be made available online following the event.
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 open: 8 November 2024
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 2025 Community Gallery artists
23 October 2024
Shepparton Art Museum announces Dore Stockhausen and Kat Parker as 2025 Community Gallery artists.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce the selection of Dore Stockhausen and Kat Parker as the 2025 exhibiting artists of SAM Selects and SAM Spotlight respectively. The artists were selected by an appointed judging panel following an open call out and application process, which garnered 15 applications collectively.
In March 2025, Stockhausen will present a selection of large- and small-scale acrylic paintings in SAM’s Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery for her SAM Selects exhibition. Entitled echoes of a new eden, Stockhausen’s body of work explores the impact of human civilisation on formerly untouched landscapes. Based in Beechworth, Stockhausen’s practice reflects on themes surrounding irreversible human impact on pristine land in an abstract, hard-edged painting style.
Later in the year, Shepparton-based artist Kat Parker will present a solo exhibition of new artworks for her SAM Spotlight exhibition. An emerging artist and printmaker with a fascination with the dysfunctional relationship between humanity and the natural world, Parker will present a selection of linocuts and intricate paper sculptures that highlight animal extinction and endangerment in Australia. In 2024, Parker was awarded the People’s Choice Award for her entry in the SAM Fresh exhibition, entitled Discarded III (Robust White-Eye). Parker’s SAM Spotlight exhibition will be the artist’s first solo exhibition, opening in the Community Gallery in November 2025.
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator – Community, says of the selection:
“This year’s panel was impressed with the calibre of the applications and the breadth of practices represented. Each year it seems to get harder and harder for the panel to decide on a single application as we have such talented creatives in our region. I am looking forward to working with both artists, whose practices differ materially, yet similarly explore the impacts of human involvement on our natural world.”
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About the artists:
Dore Stockhausen is a mid-career artist based in Beechworth, Victoria. Originally from Germany, Stockhausen has a rich creative practice with a background in goldsmithing. Over the last decade she has shifted her creative practice to painting, working in acrylic paint on canvas wrapped aluminium panels that appear to float on the wall. Stockhausen’s abstract combination of geometric and organic forms explores the idea of how we exist in a post-natural world by constructing her own post-natural landscapes. Stockhausen has exhibited regularly since the mid-90s and her work is represented in regional and national collections including the National Gallery of Australia.
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 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. Applications for the space are reviewed by an external panel.
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. Successful artists are selected through an application process, which is also reviewed by an appointed panel.
L-R: SAM Selects artist Dore Stockhausen and SAM Spotlight artist Kat Parker. Photo 1 credit: Jerrun Terlaak; photo 2 credit: Shepparton Art Museum
Shepparton Art Museum Foundation welcomes a major donation of $250,000 to capital campaign
23 October 2024
Shepparton Art Museum Foundation welcomes a major donation of $250,000 to capital campaign.
Shepparton Art Museum Foundation and Shepparton Art Museum Ltd are pleased to announce a major contribution of $250,000 to the museum’s capital campaign from the Zurcas Family and the Sir Andrew & Lady Fairley Foundation.
The official public announcement of the contribution took place at Shepparton Art Museum on Friday 18 October. Representatives present from the Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation and the Zurcas family acknowledged the key role the new SAM facility has played in supporting the thriving economy of the Greater Shepparton region.
Of his family’s contribution, Nick Zurcas says:
"Our family are pleased to be giving this gift and to partner with SAM, together with the Fairley Foundation. Our grandfather Bill came to Shepparton more than 80 years ago as a migrant from Greece. He established successful businesses in the Goulburn Valley and the Shepparton region, principally in agriculture, transport, hospitality and accommodation. By giving this gift to Shepparton we feel that as a family we are honouring his memory and giving back to the community he called home."
Clare Pullar, SAM Foundation Chair, says of the donation:
“This is a really significant milestone for SAM, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the very generous gift of $125,000 to the museum’s capital campaign from the Zurcas family, which has been matched by a further gift from the Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation. At its beginning, our goal for the campaign was to reach $5M, but through the efforts and generosity of our community, we’re able to celebrate the completion of the capital campaign at a total of $7.4M raised. We can now celebrate this incredible gateway building to Shepparton, which houses a museum that is very significant for our region, our state, and the nation. We’re grateful to the Zurcas family, who set down roots here 80 years ago, for their donation, along with the support of the Fairley Foundation.”
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Pictured, L-R: SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy, SAM Foundation Chair Clare Pullar, Sir Andrew & Lady Fairley Foundation Chair Andrew Fairley AM, Sam Zurcas, Nick Zurcas, Peter Zurcas, SAM Development Manager Carmel Johnson, SAM Ltd Board Chair Steve Merrylees, SAM Director of Business Andrew Gooley. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum
Shepparton Art Museum debuts new permanent collection exhibition Stories from the SAM Collection
11 October 2024
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to present Stories from the SAM Collection, a permanent yet ever-changing exhibition featuring a dynamic selection of artworks drawn from the extensive SAM Collection. Unfolding across a series of thematic rooms, each section of the exhibition uniquely explores the history and the make-up of the collection, from the earliest acquisitions to the expansion of our significant holding of ceramics, and our growing representation of South East Australian Aboriginal artists through the gifting of works from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Indigenous Art Collection.
Familiar and beloved artworks, including John Perceval’s Delinquent Angel and Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori’s King Alfred’s Country, are presented alongside recent acquisitions, including works from Afghani-Australian artist Khadim Ali and David Noonan, inviting the viewer along on a journey that not only explores the genesis of the SAM collection, but its continuing evolution to reflect the changing landscape of contemporary Australian art.
Recently appointed SAM Artistic Director, Danny Lacy, says of the exhibition:
“The team have seized the opportunity to unearth some fascinating stories from the SAM Collection. This exhibition model embraces a new permanent format to present a greater diversity of artworks and artists, allowing our audience to gain a deeper, more holistic understanding of not only what artworks we’ve amassed in the collection over our 88-year history, but also how we are continuing to build on it. Our collection is a shared one and has grown through the generosity of our community. We hope that visitors to the exhibition can take a sense of pride in what has been created through our shared passion and vision for a vibrant, significant collection.”
Stories from the SAM Collection is now showing in The People’s Gallery on Level 2 of the museum.
Joining Danny in a new executive role is Andrew Gooley, who has recently been appointed as SAM’s Director of Business. These joint Director appointments come as the SAM Limited Board implements a new strategic vision that continues to elevate its focus on artistic programming and business development.
Stephen Merrylees, SAM Limited Board Chair, says of the appointments:
“The SAM Ltd Board is committed to delivering on SAM’s vision to be recognised as Australia’s premier regional destination for arts and culture, to contribute to the cultural enrichment, community engagement, and economic prosperity of our region. We’re excited to see the establishment of a new permanent exhibition to view the depth of SAM’s collection including works from the gifted Gantner collection, for visitors to enjoy year-round.
As newly appointed joint Directors, Danny Lacy and Andrew Gooley step into their respective positions with impressive experience and industry knowledge to lead the next phase of SAM’s continued growth, as we work to deliver on our ambition to showcase inspiring exhibitions and experiences in Shepparton.”
An exhibition opening event will be held at SAM on 18 October to celebrate the local artists of SAM Open and the new season of exhibitions at the museum. Registrations to this free event can be made via Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/sam-exhibition-celebration
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Top image: Stories from the SAM Collection, installation view, Shepparton Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum
Bottom image, L-R: SAM Director of Business Andrew Gooley and SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum
Final days of ‘The Land is Us’ at SAM
5 September 2024
Final days to experience National Gallery of Victoria’s touring exhibition The Land is Us at Shepparton Art Museum.
Shepparton Art Museum’s current major exhibition The Land is Us: Stories, Place & Connection will draw to a close on 1 September. Presented in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the exhibition brings together notable artworks from the NGV Collection to offer an expanded consideration of landscape art.
Celebrating landscape through the eyes of significant artists including Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Lin Onus, and Patricia Piccinini, The Land is Us explores our fascination with and our connection to land and place. Curated into a series of rooms, the artworks traverse a number of themes, from the role of the land in shaping personal and national identities, to mythmaking, to the displacement experienced by refugees. The exhibition marked the first time some artworks from the NGV Collection had ever been displayed together, creating new connections and inviting new dialogues through their perspectives.
The Land is Us: Stories, Place & Connection is showing at SAM until 1 September 2024 with free entry.
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Full list of exhibiting artists:
Hoda Afshar, Brook Andrew, Gordon Bennett, John Brack, Marylin Brown Petyarr, Louisa Bufardeci, Destiny Deacon, Rosalie Gascoigne, John Glover, Treahna Hamm, Taloi Havini and Stuart Miller, Hans Heysen, Beth Mbitjana Inkamala, Judith Pungkarta Inkamala, Rosemary Laing, Myoung Ho Lee, Frederick McCubbin, Trevor Nickolls, Grant Nimmo, Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Lin Onus, Patricia Piccinini, John Pule, Ben Quilty, Cliff Reid, Reko Rennie, Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Jane Sutherland, Rahel Kngwarria Ungwanaka, May Vale, HJ Wedge, Fred Williams, Walter Withers, Ah Xian, John Young
Featured image credit: The Land is Us, installation view featuring Sidney Nolan, Kelly with horse (1955), Shepparton Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Leon Schoots. ©The Sidney Nolan Trust. All rights reserved. DACS/Copyright Agency 2024.
Shepparton Art Museum shortlisted in two categories in 2024 Victorian Museums and Galleries Awards.
5 September 2024
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce two of its projects have been shortlisted for the 2024 Victorian Museums and Galleries Awards.
Under the Small Project of the Year (Galleries) award category, major temporary exhibition The ARNDT Collection: From One World to Another has been successfully shortlisted after demonstrating its innovative exhibition design, connection to the rich cultural diversity of the Greater Shepparton region, and its presentation of significant contemporary and historical international artists in a regional public gallery. The exhibition, displayed from November 2023 to March 2024, presented a selection of key works from the significant private collection of Matthias Arndt and Tiffany Wood-Arndt, including artworks from Pablo Picasso, Gilbert & George, Alicja Kwade, and Sophie Calle. Th exhibition marked first major presentation of their collection in a public institution in Australia.
Under the First Nations Project of the Year award category, innovative new youth-focused workshop series Creative Arts Storytelling (CAS) has been successfully shortlisted. The program, presented for the first time in 2024, was delivered by SAM in partnership with the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project’s OLLY program. The CAS program engaged emerging First Nations artists, including Neil Morris, Ally Knight, and River Loizou, to present a series of after-school workshops for local youth that extended student’s skills in artmaking, including through filmmaking, visual art, poetry, to encourage peer connection and creative outcomes.
Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says of the announcement:
“The SAM team works hard to deliver high-quality and unique experiences for the Shepparton and Goulburn Valley community and beyond, and we are delighted to be recognised for our outstanding efforts by the leading Victorian peak bodies, Australian Museums and Galleries Association Victoria (AMaGA Victoria) and Public Galleries Association of Victoria (PGAV).
Across the two categories, SAM has been recognised for innovation, creativity and community engagement—all key elements that champion our strengths and the essence of our region.”
This year marks the 31st year of the prestigious Awards, and the second year of the collaboration between host organisations Australian Museums and Galleries Association Victoria (AmaGA Victoria) and Public Galleries Association of Victoria (PGAV). Since its inception, this annual event recognises outstanding achievements within the Victorian museum, gallery, and community collecting sector. The award winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Tuesday 1 October.
Local artists highlighted in SAM Open 2024
19 August 2024
SAM Open 2024, Shepparton Art Museum’s (SAM) annual open-call group exhibition, returned to the museum’s Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery on Saturday 17 August. The callout for entries to the exhibition resulted in 70 submissions from artists and creatives living or working in the Goulburn Valley and Hume regions. All 70 entries are displayed in the exhibition, with each work reflecting the artists’ unique responses to the theme of ‘remnants, memories, and objects’.
SAM Open celebrates and showcases the creativity of the artistic community across the Goulburn Valley and the Hume Regions. The works on display span an array of styles and approaches, including photography, poetry, ceramics, and sculpture.
SAM Open provides an opportunity to bring together local practitioners to share their creativity with audiences and presents their work in dialogue with exhibitions by nationally recognised Australian artists. The featured works in SAM Open 2024: Remnants, memories, and objects explore the theme through treasured objects, recollections of travel, moments with loved ones, and reflections on personal growth. The range of perspectives represented creates opportunities for viewers to reflect on their own stories and the objects that make up their lives.
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator – Community, says of the exhibition:
“Each year I have been thrilled and surprised by the breadth of talent in our community when the submissions to SAM Open roll in, and this year is no exception. The responses to the theme of ‘Remnants, memories, and objects’ are richly diverse, but as always, there is something for everyone. This show is beautiful snapshot of the creativity of our community.”
SAM Open 2024: Remnants, Memories, and Objects in now showing at Shepparton Art Museum until 17 November 2024.
SAM Open 2024 exhibiting artists:
Meredith Arnold, Maureen Ball, Fasiha Batool, Greg Beckenham, Andrew Bond, William Boyer, Bec Bromley Humphries, David Doc Brown, Val Callister, Margaret Carey, Alan Cartlidge, Rhonda Chrisanthou, Valerie Clements, Ann Cremean, Ross Dainton, Kim D’Arma, Letizia D’Augello, Beverley Dowd, Michael Flatt, Jeanette Fry, Anna Generalova, Barbara Gray, Kerry Handwerk, Dianne Hanna, Carolena Helderman, Samantha J Heriz, Raymond Hill, Amanda Hocking, Wendy Hogben, honeypot pottery, Belinda Hook, Kirsten Ives, Wendy Jagger, Donna Kaye, Fiona Kennan, David Kerr, Lois Krake, Janice Laidlaw, Marion Langford, Jodi Lewis, John Martin Lewis, Miki Mackenzie, Peta Manning, marikartoons (Linda Marikar), Elizabeth Masters, Ron Miliado, Joan Mullarvey, Diane Nally, Steven Nash, Merinda Page, lyn patone, Kaye Poulton, Maria Radanov, Jill Riordan, FAN ROARHEART, Judith Roberts, Lucia Rossi, Angie Russi, Kate Ryan, Judy Simm, Lucy Smyth, Narelle Snelling, Rebecca S. Trevaskis, Laurie Tyndall, Megan Walker, Anna White, Janine Wilson, Jen Wilson, Beverley Williams, Vicki Woodhouse.
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Shepparton Art Museum announces award winners of SAM Fresh 2024
16 August 2024
Shepparton Art Museum announces award winners of SAM Fresh 2024
Shepparton Art Museum is pleased to announce artists Gabriella Vittorio and Kat Parker as the respective winners of the SAM Fresh 2024 La Trobe University Award and People’s Choice Award. The winners of the awards were announced to an excited crowd of over 80 attendees at the museum on Saturday 3 August during the official exhibition celebration, which included remarks from SAM Acting Artistic Director Danny Lacy and SAM Curator – Community Caroline Esbenshade.
Both artists’ winning entries have been on display in the SAM Community Gallery as part of the SAM Fresh 2024 exhibition, an annual, open-call group exhibition for young creatives aged 16-25 living, working, or studying in the Goulburn Valley and Hume regions.
Working in a surrealist style, Gabriella Vittorio’s winning entry, titled Lunchtime, is a digital drawing exploring her Italian heritage and the challenges of growing up as a culturally diverse person in Australia. Vittorio’s work depicts the common experience shared by many multicultural school students of self-consciousness around packed lunches from home. Vittorio receives a cash prize of $1,500 as the recipient of the La Trobe University Award.
An accomplished printmaker and artist, Kat Parker’s winning entry, titled Discarded III, features a life-sized 3D linocut model of a Robust White-Eye, an extinct species formerly found on Lord Howe Island. The artwork appears like a bird in flight, suspended on a barely-visible wire from the ceiling of the gallery. Parker receives a cash prize of $500 as the recipient of the People’s Choice Award, which was open for voting by visitors since the opening of the exhibition in May.
Caroline Esbenshade, SAM Curator – Community, says of the award winners:
“Both winning works really connected with audiences and represent a high level of skill within their practices. Parker’s Robust White-eye is such a unique approach to printmaking. Made of many artworks within an artwork, it is composed of multiple linocut prints that she has layered together to create a three-dimensional form. The resulting sculpture looks like it has taken flight in our galleries and at any moment will chirp!
Vittorio’s work has truly been a conversation piece. I have heard people off different generations and backgrounds sharing with each other what lunches they took to school, what was considered to be a ‘cool lunch,’ what was their least favourite thing to have for lunch and more. It’s been a beautiful point of connection between audiences and staff.”
SAM Fresh 2024 closed at SAM on Sunday 11 August.
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New installation at Shepparton Art Museum reflects on historic Olympic moment.
16 August 2024
New installation at Shepparton Art Museum reflects on historic Olympic moment.
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to present Peter, Tommie & John / reliving the dream, a large-scale textile installation from Melbourne-based artist Stewart Russell exploring one of the most influential political actions of the 20th century through the eyes of Australian Olympic silver medallist Peter Norman.
Expanding on an earlier project created by Russell in collaboration with late artist Kate Daw, Peter, Tommie & John / reliving the dream tells the story of the historic podium-top act of protest against racism instigated by African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, together with Australian athlete Peter Norman, at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico following their record-breaking final in the 200-metre track event. Whilst Tommie Smith and John Carlos returned to the USA as heroes of the civil rights movement, Peter Norman returned to Australia to suffer unofficial sanction and ridicule.
Featuring images and transcriptions drawn from interviews conducted with Peter prior to his death in 2006, the new works focus on the triumph of the athletes’ personal friendship, which endured in spite of their protest’s continued political repercussions.
Danny Lacy, SAM Acting Artistic Director, says of the exhibition:
“These new works from Stewart Russell are a timely tribute to the extraordinary actions of Peter Norman and his personal sacrifice to a cause he believed in. While the images of the protest will be familiar to many, the story behind the image and of what followed are lesser known, though equally as fascinating. As we enjoy the 2024 Paris Olympics, we encourage our community to visit SAM, reflect on Peter’s words and experiences, and learn more about a little-known moment in Australian sporting history.”
Stewart Russell: Peter, Tommie & John / reliving the dream is now showing at SAM with free entry.
About the artist:
Stewart Russell (b. 1965, Scotland) employs a range of media to examine narrative of cultural inheritance, collective identity, nationalism, and social justice.
Formerly working as director of London Printworks, Russell established Melbourne-based studio Spacecraft in 2000, where he works individually and collaboratively with artists, architects, and fashion designers to produce artworks which can be found in public spaces, galleries, and collections across the world.
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New collection exhibition Big Ceramic Energy to open at Shepparton Art Museum in August 2024
22 July 2024
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is thrilled to present Big Ceramic Energy, a new SAM Collection exhibition featuring a selection of Australian, First Nations, and international contemporary artists whose creative practices push the boundaries of the ceramic medium through experimentation, innovation, and imagination.
The artworks featured in this exhibition are drawn from the museum's dynamic collection, which has expanded and developed through donations, bequests, select acquisitions and curatorial commissions, as well as special acquisitions from past editions of the museum’s Sidney Myer Ceramic Award and Indigenous Ceramic Award.
Recent acquisitions from artists Isadora Vaughan and Karen Black will make their SAM debut, whilst beloved works from Deborah Halpern, Kaye Poulton and Bankstown Koori Elders will emerge after years in storage. Through eccentric forms to experimental glazes, the grouping of highly individual artworks in Big Ceramic Energy exude a shared boldness of character, with each work expressing the artists’ unique techniques and approaches to the medium.
Danny Lacy, SAM Acting Artistic Director, says of the exhibition:
“Big Ceramic Energy is a show dedicated to celebrating artists in the SAM Collection who challenge audience preconceptions of what ceramics can or should be, investigating complex stories and histories that find new depth through their use of material and technique. SAM has a rich legacy of supporting artists as they innovate in the field of ceramics and has built up an impressive holding of artworks that reveal the journey that the ceramic medium has taken through the experimentations of these artists. Longtime visitors to SAM will be glad to see the return of some familiar artworks from the collection in Big Ceramic Energy, whilst discovering artworks that we hope go on to become new favourites.”
Big Ceramic Energy opens at SAM on Saturday 3 August 2024 with free entry.
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Full list of exhibiting artists:
Bankstown Koori Elders Group, Karen Black, Stephen Bowers, Penny Byrne, Greg Daly, Lynda Draper, Deborah Halpern, Steve Hilton, Jenny Orchard, Kaye Poulton, Isadora Vaughan, Graeme Wilkie.
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria.
As a leading Australian regional art museum, SAM showcases its exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways, creating a welcoming, inclusive, and engaging space for all visitors.
Recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection and nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, SAM’s programming is designed to be locally relevant and engages with global contemporary ideas. Through its exhibitions, collection, programs and events, SAM creates a place where art helps us to better understand the ancient cultures of this country and contemporary multicultural Australia.
Image: Jenny Orchard, Durian Head and Choko Nose (c. 2007), Shepparton Art Museum Collection, acquired as the winner of the 2017 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award, 2017 © Jenny Orchard. Photo: Christian Capurro.