From the Director

2019 marked a year of successes for the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, rewarding our commitment to presenting quality programs with some outstanding achievements for the Gallery.

The Gallery’s Curator: Margaret Olley Art Centre & Collection Manager, Ingrid Hedgcock was awarded the 2018 Gordon Darling Global Travel Grant. In conjunction with the 2018 Regional Public Galleries NSW Alan Sisley Memorial Fellowship, Ingrid carried out international and national research which informed the highly successful exhibition A Shared Obsession: Margaret Olley & Fred Jessup.

Also in 2019 the Gallery formed a partnership with the National Art School (NAS) to celebrate Margaret Olley’s legacy as a NAS Alumni and supporter of emerging artists. Each year this partnership will award a graduate of the NAS Masters of Fine Art a residency in the Gallery’s Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio and a solo exhibition in the Friends Gallery.

During 2019, the Gallery offered an expanded range of inclusive programming to meet the diverse needs of our visitors, including Deaf and hearing impaired, English as Second Language, blind and vision impaired, people living with disabilities and people living with dementia. These programs contributed to the Gallery’s impressive 99% Visitor Satisfaction rating for 2019.

Completion of the Line in the Landscape Gallery Walk capital project saw a paved walkway around the western side of the Gallery, enhancing the outdoor space for our visitors. The project acknowledged Gallery patrons Doug Anthony AC CH and Margot Anthony AM for their foresight in establishing the Gallery on this site, and their generous donation of land which enabled that vision. The project was funded by the State Government through the Stronger Country Communities Fund.

It was exciting to see the collection expand with some wonderful acquisitions, so many of which were donated through the generosity of philanthropists and artists. We remain indebted to the Friends and the Foundation for their support of the collection. In late 2019 the Foundation launched an appeal for the acquisition of a significant work by Michael Zavros.

The growing reputation of our collection is also evidenced in the number of loan requests from leading cultural institutions. For example, the major exhibition Margaret Olley: A Generous Life curated by Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art featured 12 works from our collection.

The Gallery strives to create exciting prospects for the artists of our region and practitioners of national and international importance through our exhibitions and complementary programs. Our aim is to create visitor experiences that engage and inspire. Our programs are designed to attract new audiences from far and wide. The highly regarded Olive Cotton Award for Photographic Portraiture, the Gallery’s flagship prize, attracted a record number of entries from across the nation, and offered us the opportunity to live-stream the opening event and announcement of the acquisitive winner and other awards. It has been a pleasure for us to connect with wider audiences via social media, and to read and respond to the many positive comments posted by our on-line audience.

The Gallery is fortunate to benefit from Tweed Shire Council’s vision, which recognises the importance of enhancing the region through supporting the growth of the Gallery. The financial assurance offered by Council is significant and I am proud that the Gallery’s reputation has rewarded Council’s commitment. The financial support of the State Government through Create NSW is also highly valued, as our recurrent program funds are supported by a financial assurance of $100,000 per annum towards our program delivery.

Council recognises the economic development impact that the Gallery has and seeks to foster this across the region. The Gallery DownTown is a unique initiative of Council, housed within the creative hub of Murwillumbah’s vibrant M|Arts Precinct. It acts as a driver of creative and economic development in the heart of Murwillumbah.

The Tweed Regional Gallery remains indebted to our volunteers who donate their valuable time to help us deliver the best service possible to our growing audiences. I am so often encouraged and amazed by how much time our volunteers are willing to offer us, and their level of enthusiasm. From our Front of House volunteers to our Gallery Guides, Committee and Board members, it is encouraging and gratifying to know that so many in our community are willing to give their time.

The success of the Gallery is very much a team effort, and I acknowledge the Gallery’s talented staff for their professionalism and dedication to their roles.

Susi Muddiman OAM

Gallery Director

I have been a volunteer at the gallery since the MOAC opened in 2014 and feel privileged to be a part of this wonderful regional gallery. I’ve always been a visitor to other galleries, enjoying art forms around the world, but feel that what we have to offer the general public in Murwillumbah is unique (and so do our visitors — great enthusiastic feedback!).

I think that we all feel honoured to be able to share in the feeling of pride with our wonderful building, terrific collection, changing exhibitions and inclusive support and ongoing education. I really love the opportunities to meet the artists and curators, and get inside glimpses of their practices and our introduction to each new offering.