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World-class centre celebrates rare and forgotten trades

Images Supplied

According to the Global Footprint Network, if the world lived and consumed resources the same way Australians did, the years’ worth of resources on the planet would be used up by March 12.

But what if we all started to harness our inner artisan, embracing the capacity within to make and create ourselves instead of buying and tossing and leading an ultra consumerist path comprised of low-quality items, cheap plastics and products of low value.

Therein lies the premise behind the all-new Sovereign Hill Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades. Set to open up in September, the highly-anticipated facility will offer budding artisans the chance to dabble in a series of crafts they never knew existed.

An Australian first, the world-class space has been built from a love of heritage and a desire to create things that last.

The educational facility will provide an opportunity for traditional trades, crafts and skills to be explored in a bid to preserve knowledge, encourage innovation and sustainability, and create an environment that champions traditional arts and trades.

Through a series of regular workshops and masterclasses, participants will be offered advanced training in specialist trades including silversmithing, locksmithing, cane rod making, knifemaking, and longbow making, as well as Indigenous crafts such as traditional Wadawurrung weaving.

The Centre’s first workshop will launch in mid-September with local silversmith Rachel Grose where participants will be able to fashion their very own ring to take home.

Over the next few months, artisans including the likes of globally-accredited SAORI weaver Prue Simmons, Wadawurrung weaver Tammy Gilson, armourer and blacksmith Sam Bloomfield, edged tool maker Peter Trott, leather plaiter Bill Webb and bowyer Robert Geddes will take to the stage – showcasing their craft for the benefit of all.

Informed by the past, the Centre for Rare Arts has been imagined as “a world where contemporary practice and future innovation is supported by our dedication to expertise and skill sharing”.

And as it further states on the website: “We think value and worth is defined by more than just price, and that working with expert tradespeople, everyone has the potential to create and contribute to the enduring legacy of human skill.”

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Sovereign Hill Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades
WHEN: Spring 2022
FIND OUT MORE: raretradescentre.com.au

We wish to acknowledge the Wadawurrung people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Engaging in First Nations art to enhance knowledge this NAIDOC Week

Words by Della Vreeland
Images Supplied

When Belinda Briggs thinks about good art, she thinks about pieces that engage and highlight perspectives otherwise unknown.

‘It can be a learning opportunity,’ the Yorta Yorta artist says. ‘An opportunity to appreciate the talents and the amazing body of knowledge that people carry, and an opportunity for that body of knowledge to add value to our lives in whatever capacity we agree on.’

According to Belinda, Indigenous art is becoming increasingly valued, with First Nations artists given the permission they deserve to create in safer and more celebrated environments.

‘I think over the years there has been a demand and space for people to perform (their art) and safely express themselves that wasn’t there in the past.’

The theme for NAIDOC Week 2022 is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! – dedicated to working towards systemic change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Whether it’s seeking proper environmental, cultural and heritage protections, Constitutional change, a comprehensive process of truth-telling, or calling out racism, NAIDOC Week asks all Australians to rally together for betterment.

Belinda says engaging with Indigenous artworks and becoming intimately acquainted with artists’ stories is one way for everyone to enhance learning and, as a result, empower us to effect change in our communities.

‘You might find yourself drawn to the (art) and then you’re like, “who’s the artist, what do they intend to express?”,’ she says.

Belinda is the indigenous curator at the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) and co-curator of the prestigious SAM Indigenous Ceramic Award. Founded in 2007, the Award aims to recognise the rich and diverse use of the ceramic medium by Indigenous artists all across Australia while providing a national platform to share personal, historical and deep cultural learnings from artists and Country.

‘Ceramics is a continuation of an ancient connection to earth in many ways,’ Belinda says. ‘There are some master ceramicists out there and really talented and amazing stories to share.

‘I know most clay is processed but I’m seeing more and more that artists are looking to use clay from Country which I think is really beautiful.’

Since the Award’s inception, close to 100 Indigenous artists have showcased their work with previous prize winners including the likes of Jack Anselmi and Aunty Cynthia Hardie, Vera Cooper, Janet Fieldhouse, Irene Mbitjana Entata, Danie Mellor, Rona Rubuntja, Yhonnie Scarce and Carol Anilyuru Williams.

‘It’s played such an important role in giving space to emerging artists and their practise,’ Belinda says.

Belinda was immersed in creativity from a young age. It isn’t something she feels was necessarily taught to her, but rather a natural element interwoven seamlessly into her family’s everyday doings – in her Mum’s cooking, her Dad’s creative expression, and the makings of her grandfather’s artefacts.

‘Art has always been present in one way or another,’ she says. ‘It’s a lived experience and I don’t think about it as creativity.’

‘Through high school, you do your different subjects and I guess then I started to learn about the western world and the whitefella way about art. But in terms of working in this area, it didn’t really occur to me I could have a career in the arts.’

And as a woman with a rich cultural experience and an influential role at one of the state’s leading museums, Belinda’s work has the ability to inspire a shift in people’s hearts and minds.

‘Change is so slow and you won’t know there’s been change until you have enough hindsight, so sometimes I don’t know. But I think what I do is hold the space for learning and conversations and an exchange.

‘It’s not just one way. It’s a transference of my learnings into the community.  By being there, you’re cultivating relationships and people are able to better see you and engage with you because of your visibility.

‘It makes it possible for new horizons and there’s a sentiment of hope and new possibilities.’

NAIDOC Week is celebrated between July 3 to 10, 2022. For more information, visit naidoc.org.au

THE DETAILS

WHAT: SAM Indigenous Ceramic Art Award
WHEN: 13 August – 04 December 2022
WHERE: Shepparton Art Museum, 530 Wyndham Street, Shepparton
FIND OUT MORE: Shepparton Art Museum

We wish to acknowledge the Yorta Yorta people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Violet and Ivvy – a new place to meet in Warragul

Words: Amanda Kennedy
Photography: Johnathon Tabensky
Design and style: April Pyle

 

After 20 years as an award-winning photographer in the Northern Territory, April Pyle upped sticks and moved to West Gippsland, as you do. It was there she opened Factory One, a successful hybrid space selling plants, furniture and homewares, art and more. For some, almost 10 years of running a thriving business would have been enough, but not for April.

She is about to embark on her third act, Violet and Ivvy. Located on a buzzy commercial strip just out of central Warragul, this incarnation has doubled the floor space of Factory One, which in addition to retail allows for the incorporation of a café spot, corporate meeting space and wine bar.

The expanded retail section will showcase a diverse range of beautiful homewares, including unique pieces of furniture, a veritable jungle of plants in covetable pots, plush cushions and throws, candles and vases – all curated by April’s professional photographer eye. It’s the kind of place where you go gift-shopping only to leave with gifts for yourself as well.

There is still plenty of original art dotted around the venue, including a series of playful paintings from Gippsland artist Janine Riches and sculpture pieces from Sydney-based powerhouse duo, Gillie and Marc, whose artwork has found homes in hundreds of private and public collections around the world. A large living wall has been installed by long-time project collaborator Nerida’s Plants.

The semi-private meeting spaces are the perfect spot for corporate get-togethers so you can all remember what you look like in real life and thoughtful design means there are plenty of spots to recharge devices.

‘We’ve put in USB ports in our bench seats so people can come in and work on their laptop and plug in their phone if it’s going flat. We’ve been very conscious of the space and how we’re using it,’ explains April. ‘It’s a sanctuary and a great healing space as well with all the greenery.’

To recharge yourself, simply grab a flat white and perch by the curved glass wall for a little time out. Food offerings will be along the lines of sweet treats and light snacks, while the wine bar will serve cured meat and cheese boards when it opens.

It is these types of mixed businesses that might well be the way forward after the last several years of a challenging retail environment. Violet and Ivvy is set to officially open June 4th, though the liquor licence may take a little longer.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Violet and Ivvy
WHERE: 137 Queen St, Warragul
WHEN: café/retail 8am – 5.30pm 7 days, wine bar 12-8pm
MORE INFO: keep an eye on their soon-to-launch website

We wish to acknowledge the Gunaikurnai people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Aboriginal Street Art Project welcomes a new inspiring mural

Words: Teyha Nicholas   
Images: Supplied

The Aboriginal Street Art Project has unveiled a new sweeping mural in the regional city of Shepparton.

Nothing gives a city its character quite like street art. A vital part of cultural communication, street art (be that a mural or graffiti) can pop up on a telegraph pole, alongside train tracks and adorn once-government issue grey buildings.  While some of it is fleeting, the vast, visually arresting murals from the Aboriginal Art Street Project are anything but.

Just this month, the project’s newest mural has been unveiled along the length of the Goulburn Valley Water (GVW) building on Welsford Street in Shepparton. The mammoth new piece pays homage to two highly regarded Yorta Yorta elders, the late Aunty Violet Harrison and late Aunty Mary James. Both women played significant roles in their local Aboriginal communities across their lifetimes; such as co-founding both the Rumbalara Cooperative and Bangerang Cultural Centre, among other important community-based work.

The mural comes from the hand of one of street art’s most influential big wall painters, Matt Adnate, which marks his fourth mural for the project. Adnate is well regarded in the local Aboriginal community for his culturally-sensitive arts practice and his incredible craftsmanship. His other murals can be found at GVW walls on Fryers Street and Stewart Street and the Department of Health and Human Services wall on Welsford Street.

An important part of a city’s expression, street art not only transforms the aesthetic of a city, it also leaves an imprint of the zeitgeist. Commissioned and delivered by Greater Shepparton City Council, in collaboration with Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation, the Aboriginal Street Art Project is making visible the vibrant cultural heritage local to Shepparton – an important gesture of social activism.

The project,  named by locals ‘Dana Djirrungana Dunguludja Yenbena-l’, means ‘Proud, Strong Aboriginal People’ in Yorta Yorta language, is a provoking, inspiring celebration and recognition of local Aboriginal history. Take a wander through the region; there are five murals to be found.

THE DETAILS
WHAT: New mural for the Aboriginal Street Art Project
WHERE: Welsford Street, Shepparton
WHEN: Open at all times
MORE INFO: Visit Shepparton

We wish to acknowledge the Yorta Yorta people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Under the Surface ready to be traversed in East Gippsland

Words: Amanda Kennedy
Images: Supplied

This May, Under the Surface, a multi-dimensional public art experience is launching across East Gippsland, encouraging visitors to ponder and deepen their connections to the natural landscape.

The site-specific art trail, which follows the East Gippsland Rail Trail from Bairnsdale to Orbost, begins with and builds on stories from the Gunaikurnai people, the Traditional Owners of much of Gippsland. Through a cultural awareness program, the Gunaikurnai artists collective and visiting artists shared traditional stories and land management practices, as well as artistic practices and skills. The result? Five unique, large scale works that draw attention to and honour the environment and its ecology.

Local Indigenous artist Alice Pepper, in collaboration with non-Indigenous artist David “Meggs” Hooke, who is well-known for his large scale murals interweaving nature and industry, have artwork showing at Nowa Nowa underpass/tunnel in Nowa Nowa. Further west, Yuin artist and Gippsland local Patricia Pittman is presenting work Nicholson River Bridge in Nicholson.

Visiting artists also include graffiti/street artist Ling and Minna Leunig, an accomplished painter and muralist whose work focuses on native Australian plants and animals (and yes, she is also daughter of acclaimed cartoonist Michael Leunig). Ling’s artwork can be found at Orbost Butter Factory in Orbost; Leunig’s at Partelli’s Crossing, Tostaree.

A fruitful cross-cultural exchange between the Gunaikurnai community and the visiting artists, Under the Surface posits a timely reflection of our connection to land within an era of climate change.  The event designers and producers, The Social Crew, say they hope “the works will draw attention to the natural environment, assist in visual storytelling and connect and grow human relationships with the land through art.”

Tracing across farmland and forest, Under the Surface weaves along the former Orbost railway line and joins existing public artworks at the beginning of the rail trail by Alfie Hudson, another in Nicholson by local artist Tracey Solomon, and the water tank in Bruthen by Alan Solomon.

The project has been created with support from Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, the Victorian State Government, East Gippsland Shire Council, and the East Gippsland Rail Trail Committee, and is now live and ready for to be experienced.

THE DETAILS
WHAT: Under the Surface art trail
WHERE: Bairnsdale to Orbost, East Gippsland
WHEN: Opens May
MORE INFO: Under the Surface

 

We wish to acknowledge the Gunaikurnai people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Pollen Coffee & Objects – the name says it all

Words by Amanda Kennedy
Images Supplied

If you’ve been in Kyneton’s busy commercial precinct recently, you may have noticed a shiny, new café right by the intersection of High and Mollison streets, Pollen Coffee & Objects. The newest café in town may not be about poached eggs and smashed avocado but it is about people coming together. The name was chosen to reflect that very idea of cross pollination, that basically ‘we all need each other in order to survive.’

Rene Spence and Ruth Laird Spence met 20 plus years ago at Edinburgh Uni and Melbourne’s hospitality scene wouldn’t be the same without them. Rene is part owner of Melbourne’s popular Uncle restaurants. Ruth worked at MoVida and Da Noi before jumping ship for a career in ceramics. Ruth’s Fork Ceramics have graced many a restaurant table and her joyous pieces will now be available from Pollen.

The café and store will celebrate a raft of other local makers, including Jess Wootten with his beautifully crafted leather aprons, Emily Dellios with her furniture and homewares, and Froni Binns with her porcelain jewellery to name but a few.

Of course, that Pollen exists at all is as much down to the stars aligning as it is to the couple’s grit. Like many hospo couples, the pair juggle work and a young family, and for Rene, a psychology degree.

Ruth and I have been speaking of doing a small coffee shop in Kyneton just to simplify our lives. We’ve been toying with it for years, backwards and forwards. Actually, we finally put the idea to bed then the space that we’d always wanted just came up.

Over the next several months, they transformed the shopfront into a light, airy and welcoming space. Upon entering, your eye is immediately drawn to the unique, hand-crafted counter crafted from hempcrete, an idea that’s been on Ruth’s mind for years.

‘It’s a building material that you usually use for houses so it’s really sustainable. You actually mix hemp plant with concrete-setting lime. The person that built it for us mixed through some ochres in different colours and tapped it down in layers.’

Initially, they will be just serving quality coffee (Proud Mary Coffee and Inglenook Dairy milk) and sweet treats. The menu will slowly extend over the next few weeks with a simple, yet scrumptious, selection of pressed sandwiches.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Pollen Coffee & Objects
WHERE: 5 High St, Kyneton
WHEN: Wednesday – Friday 9am to 3pm, Saturdays to come
MORE INFO: @pollen_kyneton

We wish to acknowledge the Taungurung people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Bluette on Bear, Inverloch’s new ‘it’ cafe

Words by Amanda Kennedy
Images Supplied

Bear Street Inverloch is home to artists and makers from many fields. Creators, like the rest of us, need caffeinating and feeding. Perfect timing then for new cafe, Bluette on Bear, to open in this burgeoning art hub on Bear Street.

Coffee is supplied by Maker Coffee Melbourne, a small roastery in Richmond who source from around the globe to create their unique coffee blends. It’s little wonder, their lattes are becoming renowned throughout the seaside town.

One quick glance at the Bluette on Bear Instagram will reveal the cafe’s commitment to presentation, not only in their food but also across the venture as a whole, from the ceramics for the chai by local Bass coast ceramicist Ship Wreck Ceramics to the carefully sourced preloved dining tables.

It’s an aesthetic borne of the owner’s previous incarnation Tasmin’s Table, a small-scale dining event company with such high demand it quickly amassed a year-long waiting list, as well as sister venue The Borough Dept. Store, a café/store in Korumburra.

After a soft opening, the crew have settled in and will be expanding the menu over the next several weeks.

‘We’ll be doing cocktails from the same concept with beautiful flowers and botanicals with homemade ingredients to make that a bit of a difference,’ explains the manager Amelia who also had a hand in the overall branding and design.

Choose from the cosy yet elegant main dining area or sit outside in the newly-established perennial flower garden while you sample the glistening buns and plump danishes courtesy of The Invy Baker.

‘Each week he uses different fruits on his danishes. This week we have nectarine and pistachio and last week it was cherries. The pastries come in warm and as soon as he walks in the cafe just smells like a bakery in Europe.’

Bluette is the kind of place you experience meal envy; you know, that feeling that the table next to you might have ordered better. Well, you’ll just have to make a return visit. After all, those lavender martinis, rosemary gin & tonics and rhubarb bellinis won’t drink themselves.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Bluette on Bear
WHERE: 17 Bear St, Inverloch
WHEN: Mon – Fri 7am – 2:30pm, Sat & Sun 7:30am – 2:30pm
MORE INFO: Bluette on Bear

We wish to acknowledge the Bunurong people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Gippsland’s Creative Harvest festival January 2022 – growing from strength to strength

Words by Amanda Kennedy
Images Supplied

Did you buy some indoor plants over the last couple of years? Maybe you planted out a window box with a few herbs for your pandemic cooking sessions?  Perhaps you got the kids out into the backyard and started a no-dig garden. Not for nothing, did garden centres sell out of seedling and potting mix in early 2020.

The Covid pandemic has highlighted the tenuous nature of our food systems, prompting many people to invest in growing some of their own food. Whether your harvest was small or grand, there’s no denying the simple joy of eating something you’ve grown.

If that has left you hungry for more, Creative Harvest Festival (January 22nd  & 23rd ) could be the weekend event you’re looking for. Now in its fifth year, the group behind the event – Baw Baw Sustainability Network – are hoping to top last year’s record-breaking number of attendees, and they’ve pulled out all the stops to get you there.

There are 15 gardens open to visitors, from small suburban backyards to larger family-run farms. But it’s not all about growing your own food. The weekend also brings together more than 30 local artists and producers across a number of locations, showcasing their work and practice. Because as we also all learnt over the last couple of years to tap into our own creativity, when we’re not buried under the day-to-day busyness of commuting, working and socialising.

Creative HarvestGIVEAWAY

To celebrate the launch of Creative Harvest 2022 – the first weekend pass ticket purchases, will receive a tote bag designed by Helen Timbury Design valued at $30.

 

Creative Harvest Committee Chair, Wendy Savage sums things up perfectly.

Making our event more accessible to broader communities is a celebration of connectedness and creativity in all forms. It is fundamental to our wellbeing, especially in these uncertain times, and it is wonderful to see how a day out in the garden can inspire and create positive change.

So, here’s a taste of just some of the growers, makers and producers featured across the weekend.

  • AgriSolutions will be on hand to help gardeners get the most out of their soil and composting with their targeted approach to soil health management.
  • Join Come Fly With Me Beekeeping with their hives at Green Hills Farm in Yarragon South and learn what bee colonies have to teach us if only we pay attention.
  • Green Hills Farm produces grass-fed beef and garlic, as well as an orchard and vegetable plot that supplies local cafes & restaurants.
  • Based at the Butler Garden in Warragul, print-maker Helen Timbury will be displaying her work which celebrates the Australian landscape in all its wild, natural beauty.
  • Paul Stafford, self-taught tree craver and chainsaw sculptor will be on hand at Paul & Maureen’s Patch in Warragul, along with Kouark Wines and their wild-ferment pinot noir.
  • In Neerim South, you’ll find Kay Lancashire and her permaculture garden creating all manner of jewellery and wearable art, inspired by the natural shapes and textures she finds in her garden.

Children 17 and under are free and what better way to encourage the next generation of gardeners to get their hands dirty. There are plenty of treats and refreshments to keep you going throughout the day.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Creative Harvest
WHERE: Various locations across West Gippsland
WHEN: Saturday & Sunday 22-23 January 10am-4pm
MORE INFO: creativeharvest.org.au

We wish to acknowledge the Bunurong and Gunaikurnai people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Conjuring happy dances for makers – Sarah Jane Jewellery

Words by Della Vreeland
Images supplied

The health pandemic resulted in the cancellation of markets and the closure of retailers everywhere. This hasn’t just been devastating for businesses, but also for those who showcase their works and products within these spaces.

According to teacher and maker Sarah Johnson, however, there is still a multitude of ways consumers can support artists and creators. One half of the creative duo that is Sarah Jane Jewellery, the Gippsland resident says supporting small businesses isn’t just about making purchases.

‘We know that everyone is struggling at the moment, whether it be mentally or financially,’ Sarah says. ‘Small businesses thrive on word of mouth referrals and feedback and sharing or liking of social media posts. Any sales are an added bonus and let’s be honest, always welcome. When you make a purchase from a small business, it makes our heart happy and we do a little happy dance!’

Sarah and her friend of 15 years Jane Irwin have lived in Gippsland their entire lives. As teachers, they say they are grateful to live in a region that is not too far from the city and which boasts premium services and programs catered specifically for children.

‘We are blessed,’ Jane says. While the ladies spend most of their days in the classroom (COVID life notwithstanding), they say they have always enjoyed dabbling in arts and craft ventures – including painting classes, workshops and cooking lessons. But it was during a period of family leave that the pair decided to take this dabbling to the next stage.

‘We began designing pieces by hand, painting every individual wooden bead in addition to hand-rolling each clay bead. We have retired our hand-painted pieces now, (but) we still roll all of our clay jewellery by hand, fingerprints and all,’ Sarah explains.

The current range includes necklaces made from a variety of mediums including clay, felt, wood and silicone, as well as earrings, lanyards, key-rings and DIY kits, with new pieces added regularly – including works for mini fashionistas.

‘We first began our business predominantly through local markets. After we started to create a little interest amongst the locals, we began an online store,’ she says. ‘Seven years later, we are blessed to have our work featured in local galleries and stores across Australia, in addition to being listed on various online platforms.’

As is the case with all artists during this time, there’s no denying Sarah Jane Jewellery has faced its fair share of trials.

‘The biggest challenge is definitely time constraints,’ Sarah says. ‘We have had to make the change to almost solely selling online, so we have had to photograph our entire stock for online stores, keeping up with quantities, orders, enquiries, making and creating, and post office runs while also working full time, engaging our classes in online learning and also just being mums. We have also experienced delays with postage, ordering supplies, sourcing supplies – the list goes on.’

That being said, Sarah says there were some positives associated with the pandemic due to people being confined to isolation. ‘In a ‘normal’ world, we would be attending regular markets and any online sales would be a bonus,’ she says.

But our online business drastically increased throughout the pandemic. We hope that our online sales continue to flourish, with the support of local businesses and online platforms such as One Hour Out, who have enabled small businesses to continue trading during this time.

As well as managing their own side hustle, Sarah and Jane serve in a volunteer capacity on the Gippsland Creators Collective, which operates the largest market in the region.

‘We would love to get back to the market scene,’ Sarah says. ‘We are currently in the process of organising a Creators Collective Christmas Market in Gippsland but, understandably, in a pandemic world, there are many hoops to jump through and boxes to tick to see any large scale events come to life.’

As COVID continues to create endless obstacles for those in the arts industry, they will continue sourcing motivation from their love of making and from connecting with their beloved community. Sarah says. ‘While jewellery making can be relaxing at times, it is also time-consuming. For us, we really value the networking and friendships we have made along the way.’

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Sarah Jane Jewellery
FIND OUT MORE: made.onehourout.com.au

We wish to acknowledge the Gunaikurnai people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

$50 million Shepparton Art Museum finally unveiled

Words by Della Vreeland
Images supplied

The time has finally arrived. The state-of-the-art Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is set to open this month following multiple delays due to the COVID pandemic.

Dubbed a landmark cultural destination, the $50 million awe-inspiring museum has been designed by internationally renowned architects Denton Corker Marshall. The design was unanimously selected from an architectural competition in 2017 and endorsed by the Greater Shepparton City Council.

According to Denton Corker Marshall founding director John Denton, SAM represents an important cultural contribution to a regional city.

‘Sitting between the lake and the main road into town from Melbourne, it presents a strikingly bold signal – a new contemporary building added to the fabric of the city,’ he says.

The structure is designed to act as a ‘live’ building, the space is characterised by simplicity and clarity, with every surface presenting an opportunity for display, event or installation.

Conceived as a land sculpture immersed into the surrounding landscape, the museum is the tallest building in Shepparton and acts as a beacon in the town’s low, flat topography.

The museum houses over 4,000 artworks, four main gallery spaces including a dedicated Kids Space, Visitors’ Information Centre, Kaiela Arts Aboriginal community arts centre, outdoor amphitheatre and Art Hill, as well as a cafe and 150-person event space and terrace.

‘The building is about hope and aspiration, with a range of welcoming spaces and places designed to invite all members of the public to meet, enjoy, and call their own through arts and culture,’ SAM artistic director and CEO Rebecca Coates says.

‘There’s a play of theatre, performance and comfortable reflection with natural light and views to the landscape connecting people to context and landscape.’

SAM only recently transitioned from working under the council to operating as a not-for-profit independent model.

It was also during this time that the museum started moving into the newly-constructed building. Nestled upon the banks of Victoria Park Lake, the museum was to open earlier this year had it not been for the extended lockdowns.

‘It’s been very challenging this year,’ Rebecca says. ‘It’s meant we’ve had to reschedule, rethink, and look at timelines. But all-in-all, given what’s happening in other sectors, it could be so much worse.’

One of Australia’s leading art museums, SAM is renowned for its significant connection to ceramics as well as indigenous artists and works. Located in a regional town with a rich multicultural landscape, the museum serves to further the town’s flourishing community through welcoming, inclusive and engaging spaces for all.

The new museum’s inaugural suite of exhibitions will feature works by emerging and established Australian artists, spanning sculpture, painting, video, photography, ceramics and installation. It is also set to showcase Australia’s most significant collection of south-east Australian Aboriginal art, presented alongside a dynamic lineup of world premiere Australian exclusives and commissions celebrating artists from across Australia and around the world.

‘SAM holds a special place in the hearts of Australians, presenting work by some of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists, locating their work within a global context,’ Rebecca says.

‘These first exhibitions speak to our unique people and place and acknowledge and celebrate our local Yorta Yorta people and shared culture.

‘This is the most significant and exciting moment in SAM’s history as an organisation. I look forward to sharing this new chapter that will build on its past legacy and create a new vision for the future.’

THE DETAILS:

WHAT: Shepparton Art Museum opening
WHEN: Saturday, November 20
FIND OUT MORE: sheppartonartmuseum.com.au

We wish to acknowledge the Yorta Yorta people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.