Public Programs

The Gallery presented a series of creative, educational and stimulating events and activities to complement the exhibition program, aiming to engage and inspire new and current audiences. Public programs provided valuable professional development opportunities for artists, facilitators and Gallery visitors.

More than 3,000 people engaged with the Gallery’s public programs in 2019. From Pop-Up Artist Studios to ‘Artist at Work’ demonstrations, Gallery visitors were provided with unique opportunities to engage more deeply with the creative practice of exhibiting artists. Curator Talks and ‘Meet the Artist’ events, as well as practical drop-in art making sessions and specialised workshops for adults and children further supported exhibition engagement.

The Gallery’s creative workshops held in The Frances Mills Education Centre offered a range of specialised workshops, including printmaking, painting, gum bichromate and bush jewellery. These diverse programs continue to provide employment and professional development opportunities for artists and educators of the region and beyond.

As part of the NGA touring exhibition Art Deco from the National Collection: The World Turns Modern, the Gallery hosted walking tours in Murwillumbah to focus attention on the town’s Art Deco architectural gems. Tours were led by the Gallery Director Susi Muddiman OAM, and local artists Justin Ealand and Tamsin Ainslie, focussing on history, photography and drawing respectively.

Free exhibition-focussed ART PLAY sessions for children and families included ‘Selfmade: zines and artist books’, ‘Exploring Architecture’ and ‘All About Olley’, and a children’s ART MAKER holiday workshop with exhibiting artist Kate Rohde produced some imaginative sculptural outcomes.

Art prizes were well-represented this year with the Les Peterkin Portrait Prize for Children attracting over 4,000 entries from schools across the region and more than 500 people attending the award ceremony. The Olive Cotton Award for photographic portraiture received 431 entries, with guest Judge Marian Drew awarding the prize to Belinda Mason for her work Taken. Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc., Petrina Hicks’ Cleopatra was acquired for the Tweed Regional Gallery collection with Director Susi Muddiman OAM awarding it the 2019 Director’s Choice. With unanimous support from the Board of the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd., the portrait Tim Fairfax by Russell Shakespeare was also acquired.

Collaborative programs continued to engage new audiences. A partnership satellite event with Byron Writers Festival drew an enthusiastic crowd to the Gallery to hear writer Dominic Smith speak about his latest novel The Electric Hotel. Another popular event was the Artist Studios Bus Tour, held in collaboration with the Friends of the Gallery to complement the exhibition A Shared Obsession. The opportunities for community engagement and artist development from this program have inspired plans to program this as an annual event.

Specially devised public programs included an Illustrated Talk by MOAC Curator & Collection Manager Ingrid Hedgcock and renowned Australian photographer Greg Weight on the ‘Two Studios’ international research project that took them from Margaret Olley’s home studio re-creation to artist Fred Jessup’s studio in France. Gallery Foundation members were treated to an exclusive preview tour of Art Deco from the National Collection: The World Turns Modern by Lara Nicholls, Assistant Curator, Australian Painting and Sculpture, NGA. Guests at the official opening and ‘Heart on Your Sleeve Party’ for the exhibition Love enjoyed a talk by artist Michael Zavros, as well as a tango dance performance. Other program highlights in 2019 included: • artist Robyn Sweaney speaking with architectural and design historian, and mid-century aficionado Annalisa ‘Ms Modernism’ Capurro about their love of modernism and its influence on Robyn’s exhibition Dwell; • a panel discussion with Salient artists

Euan Macleod, Wendy Sharpe, Amanda Penrose-Hart, Paul Ferman, Harrie Fasher and gallerist Robert Linnegar sharing their experiences of visiting the

Western Front; • and Australian War Memorial

Indigenous Liaison Officer Michael Bell, a Ngunnawal/Gomeroi man who captivated the audience as he shared his insights into the AWM exhibition For Country, for Nation.

Learning & Engagement

In 2019 the Gallery continued to position itself as a valuable education resource for local and visiting audiences. More than 300 free, guided tours were delivered to visitors by the Gallery’s knowledgeable and passionate Volunteer Guides.

Tourism and community groups continue to travel to the region to experience the Gallery’s diverse program of exhibitions and to gain unique insights into the development of the Margaret Olley Art Centre, as well as this enigmatic artist’s life and career.

The Gallery’s education program trialled strategies to be more inclusive in 2019. These included working with a Deaf ‘ambassador’ to expand the Auslan program for deaf and hearing-impaired visitors, sharing more tactile experiences for blind and vision-impaired audiences, adapting public programs to cater for the needs of people with disabilities, and continuing to promote the Gallery as a destination for people living with dementia in the local community.

The Gallery plays a role in engaging schools with art and culture by connecting them with contemporary art and providing creative hands-on experiences. In 2019, the Gallery developed programs for students and teachers to engage them with the exhibition program, as well as contemporary artists and their practice. Regional artists Leith Walton and Holly English mentored students in a workshop program in conjunction with the State Library Victoria’s travelling exhibition Self-made: zines and artist books. The ‘KickstArt’ HSC Study was presented in partnership with the local T5 teacher network, with printmaker Christine DruittPreston as Guest Artist-Mentor. As part of this program students studied real works of art and participated in discussions and practical activities specifically designed to inspire the commencement of their HSC Visual Arts course. The Art AfterSchool program took inspiration from the major exhibition A Shared Obsession: Margaret Olley & Fred Jessup, and offered local teachers the opportunity to work with Guest Artist-Mentor Christine Willcocks and gain unique insights into the international research project undertaken by the Gallery’s Curator Ingrid Hedgcock. In 2019, the Gallery also worked closely with Queensland Visual Arts educators to respond to the new national curriculum and facilitate authentic experiences for school visits.

The Gallery has positioned itself as an important destination for local families, as well as those visiting the region. Children are catered for through early childhood programs, specially designed exhibitions, art activities and ‘interactives’ and school holiday programs. In 2019, the Gallery presented another successful series of ‘playdates’ for children up to the age of five, in recognition of the important role a gallery environment can play in early childhood development. The Gallery also delivered an important artist-led audience development initiative in conjunction with internationally-renowned artist Hiromi Tango. The exhibition Healing Circle – Home and complementary public program ‘Hiromi Hotel – Healing Wednesdays’ engaged families and diverse audience groups through an inspired series of creative and meditative programs focused on mental health and physical wellbeing.

The Gallery continued its outreach education partnership with Byron School of Art and Contemporary Art Space Education (c.a.s.e) to co-present the ‘Art in the Pub’ program. The Gallery supported this initiative by bringing contemporary practitioners Maria Kontis and Kate Rohde to the region, in conjunction with their respective Artist in Residence outcome exhibitions.

The Gallery presented the annual Community Picnic and Artist Paint Out event, featuring live music performances and creative activities for the local community. This opportunity for regional artists to paint and draw the landscape en plein air highlights the diversity of talent in the area, and has the potential to grow to be one of the region’s signature cultural events.