PAST EXHIBITIONS

SHELTER

WITH THE FIRST HUG
23 February – 4 April 2024 | Vancouver Arts Centre

SHELTER is a solo exhibition of textile and multimedia installations by Verity Byth, exploring notions and emotions of shelter in a climate-ravaged world. SHELTER is joined by THE FIRST HUG where choreographer Annette Carmichael has created an immersive installation about our needs for intimacy and emotional shelter.

Open at the Vancouver Art Centre from Friday 23 February – Thursday 4 April 2024.

Gallery open 10am – 4pm, Monday – Friday.

Join the artists for an artist talk in the galleries from 2pm Saturday 24 February 2024, at the Vancouver Arts Centre. Free entry but limited places. Please RSVP to [email protected]

veritybyth.com | annettecarmichael.com.au

Image: Verity Byth

MAKING THEIR MARK

AN ARRAY OF RECYCLED REMNANTS

23 February – 4 April 2024 | Vancouver Arts Centre

MAKING THEIR MARK: An Array of Recycled Remnants presents textile work by Liza Stewart in the front gallery at the Vancouver Arts Centre.

“Rendered to capture and record some of the decay in my environment, both organic and inorganic some of the individual textile pieces have been re-assembled into flights of fancy that may hang, dance, drape, slump or gently continue to decompose.”

Working with a variety of methods, including botanical dyeing, dyeing with natural dyes, mono-printing from linocuts, rusting and mulching; Liza’s main interest has been the resulting mark making on cloth or paper, which though partly controllable still has the magic of the unexpected, encouraging further experiment.

Open at the Vancouver Art Centre from Friday 23 February – Thursday 4 April 2024.

Gallery open 10am – 4pm, Monday – Friday.

THE ALTERNATIVE ARCHIVE

2 February - 9 March 2024 | Albany Town Hall

Exhibition The Alternative Archive is a survey of regional contemporary art practice in Western Australia, touring the state with ART ON THE MOVE until 2024.

The Alternative Archive survey presents the work of 28 contemporary artists selected from the broader state-wide The Alternative Archive project that involved over 200 artists across 13 exhibitions in 2019. The survey iteration of The Alternative Archive debuted at Perth-based John Curtin Gallery in 2021. Now The Alternative Archive returns to the regions, offering a rare insight into the diversity of regional arts practice throughout the state.

Artists have responded to local archives and collections or have produced new archives that can preserve ‘untold’ histories. Working in a range of media – including painting, drawing, textiles, jewellery, video and sculpture - the artists of The Alternative Archive tell of deep, multi-generational connections to place and family. Their artworks unearth stories that have been lost, kept hidden or that need to be told in new voices, as well as new stories shared in public for the first time.

The Alternative Archive Artists

Naomie Hatherley (Broome), June Dijagween (Broome), Alana Grant (Mandurah), Lyn Nixon (Mandurah), James Walker (Mandurah), Deidre Robb (Mandurah), Claudette Mountjoy (Northcliffe), Louise Tasker (Manjimup), Lizzie Troup (Northcliffe), Maitland Hill (Dwellingup), Michelle Slarke (Lake Grace), Jeanne Melville (Lake Grace), Tania Spencer (Lake Grace), Marianne Penberthy (Geraldton), Charmaine Green (Geraldton), Mark Smith (Geraldton), Ellen Norrish (Geraldton), Gabrielle Butler (Perenjori), Chan Dalgarno (Narrogin), Karen McClurkin (Esperance), Serena McLauchlan (Albany), Tina Carmody (Kalgoorlie), Debbie Carmody (Kalgoorlie), Kgukgi Catherine Howard Noble (Kalgoorlie), Agnes Yamboong Armstrong (Kununurra), Brenda Mingen Ningamara (Kununurra), Mary-Lou Divilli (Kununurra), Peggy Madij Griffiths (Kununurra).

The Alternative Archive will be on display at the Albany Town Hall from 2 February 2024 to 9 March 2024. Open from Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm.

Image: Marianne Penberthy An Offering, 2019. Photo by Brad Coleman. Image courtesy of John Curtin Gallery. 

This project has been made possible through the Regional Exhibition Touring Boost managed by the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries, supported by Royalties for Regions and delivered by ART ON THE MOVE.

BEAUTIFUL BUMPS - ALBANY

1 February - 15 February 2024 | Vancouver Arts Centre

An exhibition to celebrate the families that participated in the WA Country Health Service Beautiful Bumps program events in Albany/Katanning. 

The Beautiful Bumps program aims to promote healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. New and expectant parents, families with little ones, and support people were invited to program events where they connected with a range of support organisations and participated in art activities. The exhibition features a collection of mixed media developed from the program events.

Open Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm.

The program is supported by WACHS, Healthway, WANSLEA, Palmerston, Amity Health and the City of Albany.

MAYORAL PORTRAITS
DENNIS WELLINGTON - CITY OF ALBANY MAYOR 2011-2023
24 November - 9 December 2023 | Albany Town Hall 

Dennis Wellington has recently retired from his long held position of Mayor of Albany. 

To coincide with his retirement and to honour his advocacy for the arts, the Arts and Culture team offered the opportunity to local artists to spend time with the Mayor to create an artwork.

Supplementing these new works are the portraits of previous Albany Mayors that are currently held in the City of Albany Art Collection.

Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am - 5pm

MOONLIGHT
16 October  - 24 November 2023 | Vancouver Arts Centre                                                                                                

MOONLIGHT- An exhibition of new artworks by early-career abstract surrealist painter, Saira Ellen K. Spencer. 

Who doesn't love the moon?

Inspired by Luddism, the Art Nouveau movement and Alphonse Mucha’s works “The Seasons”, Saira will present 8 large scale mixed-media paintings for public view at the Vancouver Arts Centre from 16 October.
 
Moonlight will explore our relationship to the world around us and the skies above to celebrate the ritual of attention, our shared histories as well as Great Southern’s night sky and waterways.
 
In making these works, Saira seeks to critique modes of knowledge acquisition and query the ways technology imposes itself upon our lives so as to contribute to contemporary discussions around class and art vs. technology.

All are welcome.

Open Monday – Friday 10am – 4pm

Join Saira in the main gallery for an Artist Talk on Saturday 28 October 11am – 12.30pm

FACE EXPRESSIONS OF MANY
13 October - 18 November 2023 | Albany Town Hall 

Suzie Kettle has spent time exploring the expressions of the human face for this exhibition. Utilizing her needle and embroidery thread, she allows the structure of each facial image to evolve. The combination of paint, ink, graphite, pastels, and stitched thread consequently delivers the outcome of many expressive faces. The Kitchen Face Friends series were driven by the passionate, obsessive process of incorporating food and photographic processes as mediums. Hand modelled paper clay and glaze sculptures will engage the viewer with further expressions of the face. Paint, Stitch, Prose, Pottery and so much more in Face Expressions of Many at the Albany Town Hall.
 
Gallery open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am - 5pm

Join Suzie for an artist talk, Saturday 21st October at 11am at the Albany Town Hall.

Image: Suzie Kettle, ‘Grand Dwelling with Reflective Space’ (detail), Indian Ink Acrylic Paint Canvas,  2023. Photo image by ACE Camera Club Bob Symons

TRACING GONDWANA

8 September - 7 October 2023 | Albany Town Hall 

Janine McCrum   Monika Lukowska   Nikki Green   Renee Pettitt Schipp
 
Tracing Gondwana is a cross-art collaboration between 3 printmakers and a writer (Nikki Green, Monika Lukowska, Janine McCrum and Renee Pettitt –Schipp). Together, they weave words with images to build awareness of the value of the Biodiversity Hotspot in the Great Southern. Comprising of works on paper, silks and metal sculptures Tracing Gondwana incorporates artist books; lino-block prints, etchings, photography and digital prints. Poignant text weaves in and out of visibility amongst a palimpsest of markings evoking the irony of beauty in an extremely vulnerable and threatened ecological time.

Open 10am - 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday

Friday 8 September - Saturday 7 October

Join us for an artist talk, Saturday 16th September at 12.30pm at the Albany Town Hall.

Image: Nikki Green, Koi Kyeunu Ruff A Brutal Perspective on an Ancient Range

BOWL OF LIGHT
4 August - 7 September 2023 | Vancouver Arts Centre 
                                                                                                 
Presenting Bowl of Light by Tessa Moncrieff; an exhibition that draws inspiration from Hawaiian knowledge and ceremony. Explore the vibrant, playful paintings that represent the bowl of light within us – a belief held by the Hawaiians that this light exists within us, nourishes and sustains us as we pass through life until it returns to its source at life’s end.

Join us at the Vancouver Arts Centre from 5.30pm on the 4 August for the opening night.

Please RSVP to [email protected] or on (08) 6820 3740

Open Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm

(Open to the public from 5.30pm on the 4 August)

COLOUR IN PRACTICE

28 July - 2 September 2023 | Albany Town Hall 

Art Collective WA in collaboration with the City of Albany is pleased to present 'Colour in Practice', an exhibition featuring the works of four mid-career and senior abstract artists: Cathy Blanchflower, Jennifer Cochrane, Helen Smith, and Michele Theunissen.

The exhibition will showcase the artists' ongoing fascination with colour, form, minimalism, patterning, and formal structure, and will run from 28 July to 2 September 2023 at the Albany Town Hall.

Please join us for an artist talk from 11am on the Saturday 29th July at the Albany Town Hall in the main gallery.

Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm.

Image: Cathy Blanchflower, Myria VII, 2019, oil on canvas.

WABISABI
30 June - 13 July 2023 | Vancouver Arts Centre 

In traditional Japanese aesthetics, the Wabi-sabi view finds beauty in that which is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete in nature. This year, the Albany Pottery Group have embraced their Wabi-sabi for their upcoming exhibition at the VAC. Wabi-sabi very easily fits together with clay work and ceramic making since the clay elements and fire involved are nature itself. The exhibition will include both functional and sculptural objects and most items will be available for sale. The works will be housed across four gallery spaces within the VAC building, including the outdoor courtyard.


Exhibition open 10am - 4pm daily

Friday 30 June - Thursday 13 July

MIARITCH - COLLECTIONS OF NOONGAR ART
27 June - 22 July 2023 | Albany Town Hall 

This exhibition showcases images created by twelve prominent Noongar artists and the dedicated work of two local collectors who have promoted and championed Noongar art over decades.

Tony Davis and Trevor Garland have opened up their collections for the first time to share their passion with the art-loving public.

The title – Miaritch – is the Menang name for Oyster Harbour and symbolises the mingling of many different waters in one place. Artists cannot survive without collectors and vice versa. Together, they create a legacy for the future and our benefit.

Join us for a special event on Saturday 1st July at 1pm at the Albany Town Hall:

In Conversation with the two art collectors - Tony Davis & Trevor Garland

Book launch White Sails and Charcoal. Stories of Coincidence, Bella Kelly and Carrolup by Tony Davis.

Afternoon tea and book signing.

Image: Untitled (Sunrise over the Stirlings) by Bella Kelly (Photographer: Bo Wong) from the Trevor Garland collection 

TRANSCRIPTS OF PLACE
THE FAMILIAR AND THE FOREIGN
27 May - 29 June 2023
Vancouver Arts Centre 
                                                                                                 
Transcripts of Place is a visual diary recording artist Jhodi Bennett's yearlong African adventure. Jhodi's artworks communicate personal stories exploring familiar and foreign experiences with people and the natural world. 
 
Around a fire, towards the end of Jhodi's time in Africa, the artist was invited to experience story telling through dance, animal masks and costumes. This night inspired Jhodi to integrate animals as a representation of people for storytelling purposes. 

Exhibition open Saturday 27 May - Thursday 29 June 

Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm + Saturday 27 May, 10am - 4pm

GENERATIONS

25 May - 21 June 2023 | Albany Town Hall 

Shandell Cummings, Lynette Knapp, Jaymee Woods and Jessikah Woods.

The First Nations art scene has changed over the years.

This exhibition by 3 generations of local Menang First Nations artists will give insight to some of these changes.

4 Merningar yorgas will highlight their interpretations on their life, culture and family living in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Thursday 25 May - Wednesday 21 June 

Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm

Join us for an artist talk in the main gallery at 11am, Saturday 10th June.

PASTELS
27 March - 14 April  | Vancouver Arts Centre 

Something special is happening at the Vancouver Art Centre this March. The Albany Art Group Pastel artists will be holding its inaugural Pastel Exhibition. A small group of enthusiastic artists have been working towards this exhibition since forming a little over 12 months ago. Come and see some amazing works in pastel. Put these dates in your diary and support this wonderful exhibition.
 
Monday 27 March - Friday 14 April open 10am - 4pm daily.

SEA SINGS, LUMEN AND WINGED REALM

3 March - 30 March  | Albany Town Hall 

Sea Sings, Lumen and Winged Realm  brings together work by Australian artists Jo Darvall, Martin King, and Clare Humphries, who explore connectedness to land, sky and species. Each artist’s work arises through practices of wondering, observing and passing through—sometimes walking around urban parks, sometimes strolling in bushland, at other times leafing through books and archives, or watching the rising moon. They seek to become more attentive to the presences around them, and to honour the species and ecosystems that are under constant threat in the colonial anthropocene.

Join Jo Darvall for an artist talk on Saturday 4th March at 10.30am.

Gallery Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm.

IMMERSE

21 January - 25 February 2023 | Albany Town Hall

Art meets science in Immerse, a new exhibition from MIX Artists.  

Inspired by marine science, twenty contemporary artists present fascinating new work in a range of media.  Engaging with scientists through the Western Australian Marine Science Institute (WAMSI), the artists have dived into the research and have re-surfaced with imaginative takes on pressing issues facing the marine environment and the challenges ahead for marine scientists.

MIX Artists is a group of contemporary artists from the Great Southern, which presents high quality thought-provoking exhibitions. Immerse will be exhibited at the Albany Town Hall from January 21 to February 25, 2023, and will tour to the Collie Art Gallery from 6 May to 11 June, 2023.

The Immerse exhibitors are Susan Angwin, Kerrie Argent, Christine Baker, Lynley Campbell, Ann Copeman, Jenny Crisp, Annette Davis, Kevin Draper, Phoebe Duff, Anne Grotian, Catherine Higham, Robyn Lees, Barbara Madden, Jill O’Meehan, Terri Pikora, Nat Rad, Lizzie Riley, Renee Tan, Margaret Sanders, and Jo Wassell.

Artists’ Talks 1.30pm Saturday 21 January, Albany Town Hall Gallery

“Dive In – art and science meet in Immerse”.  Artists and marine scientists share their knowledge and ideas in talks and discussion. 2pm, Saturday 4 February, Albany Town Hall auditorium.

Gallery open 10am - 5pm, Tuesday - Saturday

(Open Monday Public Holidays and School Holidays, Closed 6th February)

BORN WITH WINGS

13 January - 26 January 2023 | Vancouver Arts Centre 

An exhibition of paintings and drawings of Australian dry land and its birds.

This project is based on the principles of waste reduction using recycled materials and to bring awareness to the decline of bird species.

30 works comprising a collaboration of expressionist paintings and neo realistic drawings by established artists Bo Laidler and Rex Davies

Gallery open daily, 10am – 4pm

Friday 13 January – Thursday 26 January

MULTIPLE[S]

6 December 2022  - 14 January 2023 | Albany Town Hall

An exhibition by Paul Moncrieff

Using utilitarian workable plywood with timber supports, and pre mixed colours of acrylic paint I assemble  many varieties of hard-edged, formal  compositions. All work is constructed according to a self-imposed system of size and shape. The colours used compliment the built geometric shapes. 

My preference within this system of worked geometrics has been for small scale intimate works which are then displayed in multiples  -  presenting the viewer with the resultant  confrontation of proportion, pattern, shape , object and colour systems. 

Join Paul for an Artist Talk at the Albany Town Hall on Saturday 10th December at 10.30pm

Gallery open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm

(Open Saturday 24 December from 10am - 2pm)

Open Mondays during school holidays, CLOSED Boxing Day Monday 26 December + Monday 2 January

TEXTILES IN COLOUR AND CONTRAST 

30 November - 23 December | Vancouver Arts Centre

An exhibition by Anne Cochrane Fibre Artist

This exhibition is a sometimes colourful, sometimes muted, display of textiles in various forms and shapes. Pieces are predominantly 2-D created from paper, silk and other fabrics and wool felt. A number of items have incorporated pieces of recycled blankets from the old Albany Woollen Mills. The patterns are held together by colour and stitching. Aesthetically pleasing contrasting colours are sometimes very striking aiming to attract the viewers’ attention by a sheer force of difference. On the other hand, the analogous colours of the botanically dyed and printed pieces often blend into each other providing a more subtle look. Stitching has been used for mark making to accentuate certain parts of the textile thereby enhancing the printed design.

The exhibition features recent works as well as showcasing a range of pieces made whilst I was a student at Albany TAFE. Each piece is unique and represents a celebration of my love of textiles. 

Gallery open Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm

IBELONGYOUBELONGWEBELONG

3 November – 29 November 2022 | Albany Town Hall 

TJYLLYUNGOO/Lance Chadd is a Bibbulmun Nyoongar/Budimia Yamatji man, born in the south-west of WA. His tribal name Tjyllyungoo - means Elder, wisdom, law - given by his father Norman Chadd.

ibelongyoubelongwebelong presents a series of works that reflect the artist’s Aboriginal spirituality and cultural research on connection to country, in particular the Boorongurup (Porongorup Ranges), the oldest granite formation on Earth. Boorongurup is an important place for Bibbulmun Peoples and traditionally significant ‘Winartj’ ( sacred place ) on Country.

TJYLLYUNGOO/Lance's work emphasises Aboriginal spirituality with its deep connection and unity of land, people, animals and plants. His work offers an easy access to reflect on how each of us belong and connect to all that is around us.  

Open Tuesday 3 November – Saturday 29 November,  Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5pm 

 Image: TJYLLYUNGOO/Lance Chadd, Waitj Boorongur, 2014, 120cm x 90cm

SOUTH

18 October - 16 November | Vancouver Arts Centre

South is Albany artist Lauchlan Gillett's first solo exhibition of works inspired by the landscape of the Great Southern.

Open 10am - 4pm Monday - Friday from October 18th - November 16th 2022, in the main gallery at the Vancouver Arts Centre.

WONDERS OF THE WORLDS

23 September - 28 October | Albany Town Hall

Worlds collide as past and present merge in Wonders of the Worlds, Tony Windberg’s solo exhibition now showing at Albany Town Hall after its debut at Bunbury Regional Art Gallery.

Images of antiquity - Roman ruins, Greek temples, the Pyramids and Petra - are resurrected from black and white photographs within century old volumes of Wonders of the Past.  These combine with scenes of a wild terrain of sand and stone, a new frontier, the pristine landscapes of Mars.

Windberg’s innovative use of materials and techniques connects the artworks to his subject through a mix of traditional and non-conventional art materials.  Iron oxides reflect the rusty hues of Mars, chalk and marble dust the limestone temples and pyramids. Surfaces and textures are methodically built up then ‘weathered’ to suggest the passage of time.

In this thought-provoking exhibition of contrasts and contradictions, the rise and fall of empires reveals our strengths and weaknesses, our achievements and vulnerabilities. Human civilisation has built great monuments and achieved extraordinary heights as we look to other worlds. Do we have the power to save our own?

Tony is represented by Art Collective WA

See Wonders of the Worlds at the Albany Town Hall from 23 September - 28 October. 10am - 5pm, Tuesday - Saturday.

Join Tony Windberg for an artist talk on Saturday 24 September at 11am at the Albany Town Hall.

SUR-FACE

12 October - 22 October | Albany Town Hall

A look beyond the surface of the Albany Art Collection

The Albany Art Collection consists of over 400 works of art. There is a strong emphasis on mid-20th century works by Australian artists, with a number of works donated by Sir Claude Hotchin in the 1950’s and 60’s.

The collection has grown with artworks acquired through the Albany Art Prize (which is no longer in operation) and the Great Southern Art Award.

A lot of the artworks are located around the City in staff offices or community buildings, such as the Albany hospice, library, the NEAMI centre and the Beryl Grant community centre. The rest of the collection is stored within the Town Hall.

This exhibition is a celebration of the Art Collection's range of portraiture - from the traditional to the more contemporary in nature.

Open Wednesday 12 October – Saturday 22 October,  Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5pm 

Image: Ahn Do, Man2, oil on linen, gifted by artist, 2015 Albany Art Prize – popular choice winner, 150 x 120cm, City of Albany Art Collection

LEGACY

19 September - 13 October | Vancouver Arts Centre 

Legacy is a hopeful reflection on the world that we have inherited from those who have come before us, and on the world we hope to leave for future generations.

The exhibition is a vibrant collaboration between artists from the Great Southern Region and Northwest USA, and features work by Lynette Knapp, Jen Mitchell, Ruth Halbert, Chelsea Hopkins-Allan, Emma Washer, Clare Mitchell, Matt Blakers, Elizabeth Edmonds, Mandy Lindeberg (USA), and David Guterson (USA).

This is a 2022 Southern Art & Craft Trail exhibition.

The gallery will be open Monday  -  Sunday, 10am - 4pm

(Closed Monday 26 September + Sunday 9 October)

Image - Jen Mitchell, Oh what these eyes will see, oil and acrylic on canvas

AFTERMATH

26 August - 21 September | Vancouver Arts Centre 

gARmenT Exhibition

An Exhibition showcasing stunning wearable artworks created by Great Southern artists, designers and makers.

City of Albany’s gARmenT Wearable Art project has engaged over 50 local artists, community group members, students and industry professionals to create unique and original wearable art pieces that will be presented in this exhibition.

Don't miss this exciting showcase, presented in the Upstairs Gallery of the Albany Town Hall from Wednesday 31 August - Saturday 10 September.

10am – 5pm Tuesday - Saturday

gARmenT is presented by City of Albany with thanks to Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

HOMED IN - AND THE HARVESTING OF SHAPES

GREAT SOUTHERN YOUTH ART AWARD

FRANK PASH

‘Frank Pash’ presents a large proportion of the City of Albany’s extensive collection of Australian painter Frank Pash’s original artworks, including some large-scale works, previously not shown in public. The exhibition features a series of Frank’s oil paintings, watercolours and illustrations, depicting maritime landscapes and aspects of Captain James Cook’s life and voyages.

Internationally acclaimed artist Frank Pash (1920-1990) worked predominantly in oils, depicting Australian historical moments with a focus on the Vietnam war, maritime battles and landscapes. He also illustrated a number of history books, written by his cousin Brian Pash which were commissioned by the Perth Building Society. In 2008 Bill Olde bequeathed the 48 original artworks by Frank Pash to the City of Albany for its art collection.

The Frank Pash exhibition will be on display at the Albany Town Hall from Wednesday 25^th May until Friday 10^th June.

HAMMER & HONEY

Art Collective WA presents an exhibition by Olga Cironis at the Albany Town Hall from 28 April to 21 May. The specially curated collection of new works will display the breadth of the artist’s practice and her use of diverse media including sculpture, photography, installation assemblages and acrylic wall works.

The work of Olga Cironis is layered with research, collected stories, muted voices and cultural heritage. Founded upon her Greek, Czech and Australian heritage, her artistic investigations are psychologically loaded with meaning, provoking, and seducing the viewer, navigating them through history and inviting them to question our social and environmental connections. 

Throughout her 30-year art career, Olga has encouraged audiences to become part of her work. This may involve donating something personal – a strand of hair, a story – or to place oneself in the work, physically within it or reflected in it.  Her use of readily recognizable and relatable domestic and found objects adds comfort and appeal to the invitation. Once enveloped, Olga asks us to reflect on the meaning of public and private space, and the norms that permeate our socially accepted thoughts and actions.

 'In her art practice Olga is concerned with personal and collective identity and what identity really means in today’s Cultural Globalization. Olga scrutinizes western popular culture by exploring and placing before us the ‘other,’ and questioning cultural and social norms. From a strong migrant feminist foundation, her art practice is somewhat paradoxical, often melancholic with a poetic expression. Through her work, Olga succeeds to seduce the public to further explore, reflect and question our own place in the world.' (Paola Anselmi, 2014). 

URBAN DANCE 

"For some time now my studio work has been primarily concerned with developing and refining the form of the spinning tops, known from woodwork. Through super seizing the spinning tops the visual impact changes.

When I applied for this exhibition ”Urban Dance”  in 2020,  Corona was in full “bloom”. I wanted something playful and cheerful. The inspiration came from the 1917 ballet in Paris called “Parade”. It was created by Jean Coctaeu, Pablo Picasso and Eric Satie and was totally nonsense and caused a scandal. It was during the I World War and the Spanish Flue came a year later.

Who would have thought that this time the pandemic came first and the war in Europe came later. Because of the war in the Ukraine and the new covid 19 restrictions there will be no vernissage or finissage."

GREAT SOUTHERN BEACHES

An exhibition by Jeannie Orr Smith showcasing the incredible beaches and mesmerizing seascapes of our region.

IN CAHOOTS

Artists in remote and regional Aboriginal art centres and independent artists from across Australia have come together to develop the In Cahoots exhibition, coming to the Albany Town Hall Galleries this March.

 When six Aboriginal art centres across Western Australia, Northern Territory and Victoria invited independent Australian artists to work with their community, it fostered genuine collaboration and skill exchange to produce a significant body of work. The centres included Baluk Arts (VIC), Buku-Larrnggay Mulk Arts Centre (NT), Mangkaja Arts (WA), Martumili Artists (WA), Papulankutja Artists (WA), Warakurna Artists (WA).

 In Cahoots exhibits the diverse partnerships that were formed through large-scale woven installations, reclaimed tin sculptures, wooden objects, contemporary furniture, photography and paintings. Each piece speaks to the distinct themes and issues of each community whilst uncovering the perspective and skills of the individual artist.

 In Cahoots will be on display in the Albany Town Hall Galleries from 4 March to 21 April 2022.

 Exhibiting artist Neil Aldrum will be discussing his works at 11am on Saturday 5 March at the Albany Town Hall.

RISE!

Subversive Stitching | financial empowerment | social justice

RISE! uses stitching, domestic objects, and multimedia to create an interactive space for exploring how women rise in our country.  It is inspired by Scott Morrison’s International Women’s Day speech in 2019, in which he stated  “We want to see women rise. But we don’t want to see women rise only on the basis of others doing worse”.

Exploring homelessness, work, and the reality of retirement, the pieces turn familiar items and ideas on their heads. A forensic examination of Australian women’s financial inequality, the exhibit is also a celebration of subversive stitching as an act of self-care and community.

This year, why not celebrate International Women’s Day with us at the Vancouver Art Gallery? On 8 March 2022, we’ll host a celebration of women — their generosity, resilience, and courage. Verity Byth, the artist, will be available for a lively discussion. Come and share your stories about how women are rising to make the world a more equitable place for everyone    

DIAMOND JUBILEE EXHIBITION

To mark the anniversary of the Albany Art Group's formation the Town Hall Galleries are hosting a Diamond Jubilee Exhibition featuring a variety of work from current members.

 Diamond Jubilee is a celebration of the talent and artistic skills of its members and is a testimony to the group's original mentor Geoff Ridley’s advice “stick together and work together” to achieve success.

The Albany Art Group has long served as an incubator of diverse and exciting talent and this exhibition is a testament to the development of the art community in the Great Southern. 

RETROSPECTIVE 

Fruitful Inventions

Featuring the felted art work of Anne Cochrane Fruitful Inventions probes the possibilities of using wool felt to illustrate the exquisite beauty of the humble fruit and hopes to inspire visitors to nature’s handiwork which is sometimes edible, often inedible but always incredible.

Pause – a quiet rebellion

How we deploy our time and attention affects how we shape our lives. Every day, social media demands a click-and-flit attention, amassing profits for those behind click-based advertising, but the benefits for us are uncertain. Pause is an opportunity to take your time, to linger. It is a quiet rebellion.

The diverse artwork in Pause uses the interaction among marks, colours, words and empty space to offer an opportunity for focused attention on, and the appreciation of, the subtleties that result. The works in Pause include paint on a variety of surfaces, such as vintage lino samples, collage with vintage book papers and original writing, among other items.

Subtleties of Obsession

MIX IT UP

MIX IT UP Contemporary artists respond to the City of Albany Art Collection

Intriguing and imaginative – these two words sum up this fascinating exhibition for which contemporary artists have created artistic responses to treasures in the City of Albany Art Collection.  The MIX IT UP exhibition is presented by MIX Artists Inc and is on at the Albany Town Hall from August 20 to September 23, 2021.

Seventeen artists from the MIX Artists group have taken on the challenge of responding to six historical and contemporary paintings and prints.   Visitors to the exhibition will see each of the six artworks from the Collection surrounded by the contemporary responses, in an inspiring presentation.  

Indra Geidans, Visual Arts Officer and Curator of the City of Albany Art Collection, made the initial selection of artworks, choosing historical and contemporary artworks with a range of subject matter, and which include paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolour, prints, pastels and mixed media works. 

The MIX Committee then randomly allocated each participating artist to a Collection artwork.  MIX Artists Chairperson and exhibition Co-ordinator, Annette Davis, explained

“As a group, we agreed that we wouldn’t get to choose which work we wanted to respond to, and that instead, names would be drawn out of a hat to allocate artist to artwork.  This is part of the idea of mixing it up – it has challenged us to move out of our comfort zones.”

Indra Geidans commented “This exhibition is taking the Art Collection out of its comfort zone as well.  It will be exciting to see how the artists have responded to, and been inspired by, the Collection.  I think it will encourage visitors to look closely at all the artworks to find the connections.”

Some of those visitors will be preschoolers and their parents.  In a first for an exhibition in the Town Hall, the Albany Public Library is holding a Storytime Session in the exhibition, on Tuesday September 7 from midday to 1pm.  Bookings can be made at the Library.   For visitors of a slightly older age, there is an opportunity to hear directly from the contemporary artists in a session titled “Inside the Artist’s Mind” on Saturday August 21 commencing at 1.30pm.   In addition to these sessions, an activity sheet will be available at the exhibition to help people of all ages explore the art. 

The MIX exhibitors are Susan Angwin, Kerrie Argent, Christine Baker, Ann Copeman, Jenny Crisp, Annette Davis, Catherine Higham, Pradip Griffiths, Anne Grotian, Paul Moncrieff, Jill O’Meehan, Nat Rad, Lizzie Riley, Margaret Sanders, Renee Tan, Shaun Wake-Mazey and Jo Wassell.  

The artworks selected from the Collection are all 2D artworks.  In responding to the artworks MIX Artists have worked in a range of media and the final artworks include sculpture, textiles, paintings, photography and installations.  

Catherine Higham has created an ink painting in response to the Collection’s painting by Shandell Cummings of the wattle seed pod.  For Higham, this painting brought back memories of the fast-growing red-eyed wattle trees she planted on her farm, which provided a hiding place for children and assorted animals over the years.

SAOL 

There Were Moments of Transformation

There Were Moments of Transformation explores the power and fragility of transformation through video, jewellery, glass, ceramics and sculpture. Featuring works by international artists including Auguste Rodin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and William Kentridge alongside local pieces by WA artists such as Lucy Yukenbarri and Bethamy Linton, the exhibition asks you to consider through the creation of these works, how materials change, how they change us, and the world around us.

While the exhibition contains several key works from the State Art Collection such as Renoir’s Tete de Venus and Rodin’s 1880 bronze La Faunesse à genoux [Kneeling fauness], AGWA Curator of 19th Century Arts, Melissa Harpley explained the focus was on materiality, creative process and applying a different lens of looking at the transformative nature of art.

“With this exhibition, we wanted to explore the process of transformation that occurs through art and the process of making works. Our approach lies in drawing out how materials are transformed as works are created, how artists engage and transform the environment during their development processes, and lastly how we are transformed, by the experience of considering process, the emotional response generated, and our connection to the works.” she continued.

All objects start with two things, an idea … and raw materials: clay, tin, copper, sand, wax, paper, steel. The process of bringing those two elements together leads to many questions connected to the idea of change.

There Were Moments of Transformation brings together 40 works of art from the State Art Collection, most of which have not travelled outside the Gallery before now. It includes works by Western Australian, Australian and International artists, made in media that range from traditional bronze casts to video-based, and with works made as early as 1880 and as recently as 2017.

This is an ART ON THE MOVE and Art Gallery of WA touring program developed as part of Freighting Ideas project.

This project has been made possible through the Regional Exhibition Touring Boost managed by the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries, supported by Royalties for Regions and delivered in partnership by ART ON THE MOVE and the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

GREAT SOUTHERN ART AWARD 2021
 (Biennial Community Art Prize)

Carol Farmer won the Works on Paper Award with her piece ‘Intrusion’ which the judges described as an innovative and involved approach employed to document the landscape.

The Print Award winner was Francesca Mia with her artwork ‘Untitled’, which the judges said was a refreshing, enjoyable and straight forward lino cut that has succeeded with regard to what the artist set out to achieve.

Judges described Paint Award winner Andy Dolphins piece ‘Washout Woogenellup’ as an extremely well executed, atmospheric and accomplished work.

This year’s 3D award went to Merry Robertson for her piece ‘We are the Guardians’ which the judges describe as having lovely observations combined with an ambitious and interesting approach employing both drawing and printmaking techniques and abilities

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