On Friday 5 February, New England Regional Art Museum will have its first opening event for the year as it launches five new exhibitions. NERAM is starting the year with a cultural bang and there is something to inspire all art lovers and to entice the art curious.
The 2021 exhibition program at NERAM begins with a massive install to bump in five new exhibitions across all gallery spaces, including Australia’s most internationally successful printmaker of all time, NERAM’s collections and their care for the future, irreverent sculpture, Greek mythology and fun with cutting and pasting.
Lionel’s Place: Lionel Lindsay from the Maitland Regional Art Gallery Collection showcases more than 140 artworks created by Lionel Lindsay, brother of Norman, and an artist who honed his skills in etching and wood engraving so finely that by 1927 he was hailed as the most internationally successful Australian printmaker of all time. This exhibition features the artist’s etchings, wood engravings and watercolours, works on paper rich in visual texture, depictions of scenes from abroad and closer to home, exotic and domestic animals and birds, the lushness of gardens, floral abundance, and portraiture. Lionel’s Place is a Maitland Regional Art Gallery Touring Exhibition.
The exhibition will be supplemented with works from NERAM’s collections by Lionel Lindsay as well as private loans from a family descendent. “Lionel Lindsay is a major Australian artist with supreme technical ability. We are delighted to present this stunning touring exhibition from Maitland Regional Art Gallery” says NERAM Director Rachael Parsons.
NERAM is proud to present another iteration of its highly popular Adopt An Artwork program. The Adopt An Artwork program was launched in 2015 to support the ongoing preservation of artworks across its collections, now and into the future. Since the program began, over 100 artworks have been adopted for treatment. This exhibition showcases a selection of those recently returned from their treatment, providing a view into the elements which affect museum collections and offers a new range of artworks from NERAM available for adoption. “We are delighted by the incredible generosity and support shown to NERAMs collections through the Adopt An Artwork program. This important contribution has enabled the preservation of these beautiful artworks and ensures they will be enjoyed long into the future“ says NERAM’s Registrar & Collections Manager Jennifer Taylor-McRae. “The Adopt An Artwork program provides a unique opportunity for the community to connect with artworks across the NERAM collections” Ms Taylor-McRae continued.
Contemporary Collage presents 11 artists from the Sydney Collage Society working in and exploring the possibilities of contemporary collage. Each artist has developed a unique approach to their art making, whether it be in form, concept and or process which move beyond cut and paste collage. Founded in 2015, the Sydney Collage Society (SCS) was created to push the boundaries of cut-and-paste art with a focus on celebrating the creative community of Sydney. SCS works to promote and foster a healthy appreciation for the art of collage and the exhibition at NERAM is their first at a regional gallery. NERAM Curator Belinda Hungerford says, “I am really excited to see the work of the Sydney Collage Society at NERAM. Their work is bold, contemporary and will shake things up here in Armidale.”
Exhibiting artists Kubi Vasak, Adrian Matic and Liz Peniazeva will be present at the exhibition opening and on Saturday 6 January, SCS founder Kubi Vasak will be hosting a collage workshop, giving locals a chance to learn and experiment with a master of the craft. Bookings are essential
More love is a joyful celebration of sculpture by Walcha artist Myfanwy Gullifer. It follows on from Gullifer’s Love Jamboree (NERAM) and About Love (Tamworth Regional Gallery) exhibitions exploring love and its transformative power. The exhibition features an abundance of soft sculpture which delight the eyes and senses and complemented by some ceramic works. Gullifer uses a range of materials including papier-mâché, recycled cardboard, blankets, paper, fabric, jumpers and coffee bean sacks for her creations and in the process of making she found a sense of great joy. “Myf’s sculptures are quirky and resonate with deeply felt emotion” says NERAM curator Belinda Hungerford. “But they are also tickled with Myf’s irreverent sense of humour and magic.”
Myfanwy Gullifer will host a soft sculpture workshop. Keep an eye on NERAM’s website for details.
NERAM is also proud to present Dark light – fierce love, a solo exhibition of encaustic and oil work by New England artist, Liz Priestley. In this new body of work, Priestley explores the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, in particular the bonded relationship of mother and daughter, within the genre of landscape. Encaustic wax is a historical painting technique where the wax is heated up and painted with, often a combination of beeswax, resin and pigment. It is kept molten on a heated palette and applied to an absorbent surface and then reheated in order to fuse the paint. “Liz’s work is incredibly beautiful and moving” says NERAM curator Belinda Hungerford. “The amount of emotion and detail she can imbue using such a delicate and complex technique is amazing.”
Liz Priestley will be presenting an artist talk at 10.30am on Saturday 13th February and will bring along some of the tools of her trade. Bookings essential.
“NERAM is launching 2021 with a showcase of thrilling exhibitions, diverse in medium and subject matter, spanning modern and contemporary work from metropolitan and local artists,” says NERAM Director Rachael Parsons. “This year we are so excited to welcome our community and visitors back into the museum to see and connect with outstanding artistic practice, we have a great program of exhibitions and events in store.”
Rachael also extended a warm invitation to the community, “All five new exhibitions open at 6pm on Friday, 5 February, with a preview at 5-5.45pm. Everyone is invited to book in and enjoy the new art on display and to celebrate the launch of our 2021 program.”
Opening Night: Book at https://www.trybooking.com/BOGUS
Sydney Collage Society presents ‘Contemporary Collage’ Workshop @ NERAM: Book at https://www.trybooking.com/BOLBU
Liz Priestley Artist Talk: Book at https://www.trybooking.com/BOLAN
Media enquiries:
Rachael Parsons, Director, New England Regional Art Museum
Tel: 02 6772 5255 Email: director@neram.com.au
