On Friday 31st July New England Regional Art Museum will launch five new exhibitions that celebrate the unique breadth and outstanding quality of the museum’s four art collections in their 100% NERAM Program.
New England Regional Art Museum is the custodian of over 5000 artworks, celebrating a wide variety of styles and mediums, contained across The Howard Hinton; Chandler Coventry; NERAM and Armidale City Collections. The 100% NERAM program includes five new exhibitions that join with the permanent display HINTON: Treasures of Australian Art, to present a bold and extensive representation of all four NERAM Collections.
“100% NERAM is an opportunity for us to show off the true core of NERAM, our exceptional art collections,” said NERAM Director, Rachael Parsons. “While aspects of the collection are always on display in one form or another, this program allows them to take over the entire six galleries of the museum, to illustrate the marvellous range and diversity of artworks that we have here. The program also acknowledges some of the key people who have made NERAM what it is today, the preeminent art museum in regional NSW.”
The major exhibition of the 100% NERAM program is COVENTRY, a large scale and striking representation of the Chandler Coventry Collection, featuring artists such as Howard Arkley, Peter Booth, Gunter Christmann, Fred Cress, Gene Davis, Janet Dawson, Albert Irvin, Wendy Paramor, Jeffrey Smart, Brett Whiteley and more. This exhibition and correlating catalogue highlight the dynamic and eclectic taste of respected gallerist and collector Chandler Coventry AM and acknowledges the vital role Coventry had in the establishment of NERAM.
“Ever since I started working at NERAM I have wanted to see a big Coventry exhibition,” said Rachael Parsons. “The monumental scale and at times anomalous choices that Coventry made, makes the collection truly unique, challenging and exciting. The exhibition presents approx. 85 works and I think that the unconventional hang embodies both the monumental importance and playfulness of Channy’s art collection.”
As well as recognising the important contributions of past donors such as Howard Hinton and Chandler Coventry, 100% NERAM acknowledges the impact of previous directors, community members and staff who have also contributed to the growth and custodianship of the NERAM Collections.
MAKING YOUR MARK: Works from the NERAM Collection has been curated by Arts North West Executive Director and previous NERAM Director Caroline Downer. The exhibition focuses on the fundamental language of mark making and celebrates the richness and breadth within the NERAM Collection.
Robert Heather who was Director of NERAM from 2015 until 2018 has also been invited back to curate The Elisabeth Cummings Gift. The exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of Cummings’ printmaking practice and has been selected from her 2017 donation to NERAM of 76 prints.
ART IN THE MIX: Works from the Armidale City Collection reveals the broad variety of works that were collected by Armidale city between 1963 and the mid-1980s. The works included in the exhibition were selected by Armidale Regional Council and reflect the everchanging city.
FORM: Sculptural works from the NERAM Collections explores NERAM’s small but compelling collection of sculpture. The exhibition explores the viewer’s sensorial response to the physical and material nature of the sculptural form.
“It has been some years since such a comprehensive showing of all the NERAM collections has been on display,” said Rachael Parsons. “Certainly, in my time at NERAM, I have never seen so much of the collection presented at one time, and of course it is still only a small percentage of the collections entirety. It is wonderful to see it now and to share these diverse interpretations and perspectives with our community and to just celebrate the stunning artwork that we have here at NERAM. I think that our community and visitors are going to be truly impressed and delighted by what they see”
The 100% NERAM Program opens on Friday 31st July. Due to continuing COVID-19 restrictions there are limited tickets available. Visit www.trybooking.com/BKLVR to book your free preview or opening ticket. Bookings are essential.
100% NERAM has been supported by the Friends of NERAM.
