7 minute read
Meet Our New Director
ASHLEIGH WHATLING
By sharing our stories, our similarities and differences we draw people together.
– Ashleigh Whatling
The new Hervey Bay Regional Gallery Director, Ashleigh Whatling, is driven by storytelling. No matter the media (painting or sculpture) or style (modernist, abstract or impressionist), it’s the story behind the work that she finds fascinating. Ashleigh sees the gallery, which is just finalising its multimillion-dollar refurbishment, as more than just a space where touring exhibitions could call home for a short while. “I would like it to become a destination, an attraction, by combining our local stories with the stories of the visiting exhibitions,” she said. “Our stories from the Fraser Coast will be on display at the same time as visiting national exhibitions, so they provide context. “For example, an exhibition planned for June this year will reflect the impact of the Walk-Off at Wave Hill Station. The strike for better pay and conditions is a significant moment in the Aboriginal Land rights story. “I am working in consultation with the Butchulla community to develop a display that shares the story of land rights and native title here on the Fraser Coast. “Sharing local narratives, especially those of the Butchulla People, is the difference between the gallery being just a building and a becoming a destination, a place people want to visit; not just locals but a place that attracts people to the region to see the world from another perspective. “There are so many wonderful stories here.” Before Hervey Bay Ashleigh was the Senior Curator Visual Art and Design at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) in Launceston. OUR STORIES She has two masters – one in Art History, and one in Museum and Curatorial Studies from the University Of Adelaide. In the time Ashleigh has been on the Fraser Coast she has had a “wonderful introduction to the Bay.” “Fraser Coast people are very generous,” she said. “I bought a bike from Gumtree to cruise the Esplanade. The seller brought it down from Maryborough and as he was putting it together on my front lawn my neighbours came over to introduce themselves and invite me to dinner.” "Taking up the position as the gallery is under construction has presented many opportunities. “My top priority is to re-establish a team and set up the gallery ready for the April 2022 opening. “The gallery has been closed since March 2020 so I want to reconnect with the community and launch new programs. “I am passionate about increasing accessibility and inclusivity, so everyone feels at home in the gallery and feels pride in seeing stories that belong to the community on the walls." Jodie Clough 27
OUR VISION
Upon reopening we will be reinvigorating the Hervey Bay Regional Gallery (HBRG) as a destination gallery, featuring a curated programme hosting national touring exhibitions alongside our own internally curated shows, focusing on hyper-local themes with a universal meaning for contemporary audiences, local and visiting alike.
We will be building our national profile with a number of exciting initiatives commencing with the inaugural Fiona Foley Residency in December of this year and followed by the launch of the Fraser Coast National Art Prize in 2023. In addition to touring exhibitions we will be focussed on exhibiting – and building – the Fraser Coast Regional Council Fine Art Collection featuring works by artists working in the region alongside some of the nation's top artists.
In 2022 Hervey Bay Regional Gallery will launch the Fiona Foley Residency Program. The residency will run biennially and will provide an opportunity for creative development across the visual arts. The program consists of an intensive retreat on K’gari followed by an additional two weeks’ residency on the mainland and ongoing opportunities for engagement across the Fraser Coast community. The program is managed by Hervey Bay Regional Gallery and will work closely with QAGOMA’s Asia Pacific Triennial to link the institutions’ audiences and attract internationally renowned artists to the Fraser Coast.
Each residency will produce a different outcome which may vary from the generation of new work, an exhibition, a public program, a published work or a performance – the opportunities are only limited by the inspiration and creativity of the resident. All artists will be invited to respond to the unique historical, social and environmental impact of K’gari and the wider Fraser Coast region. The inaugural recipient of the Fiona Foley Artist Residency will be announced upon the opening of the Hervey Bay Regional Gallery. THE FRASER COAST NATIONAL ART PRIZE
The Fraser Coast National Art Prize is a biennial, acquisitive art prize open to emerging and established artists working in any medium across Australia. The inaugural prize will be launched in early 2023 with finalists being invited to display their work at the Hervey Bay Regional Gallery in September that year. The initiative supports Council’s ambition to establish a significant art collection and will provide a high profile opportunity to showcase the work of local artists, alongside the work of artists across Australia. THE FINE ART COLLECTION
The Fraser Coast Regional Council Fine Art Collection will be strategically developed through HBRG’s programs, the biennial acquisitive Fraser Coast National Art Prize, and a best practice approach for the acquisition and management of art collections. The Fine Art Collection will be regularly displayed at the Gallery and the Civic Collection displayed in appropriate municipal buildings, alongside interpretative information to further engage and inform our broader audience. With a focus on themes relating specifically to the Fraser Coast, the works will be acquired based on the forthcoming FCRC Collection Policy and include works in any media by established artists whose work relates to hyper-local themes and represents the diversity of culture within the region.
Wildflowering by Design (Wild/flower Women IV)
Curated by Dr Susan Davis.
SAT 16 APR - SUN 29 MAY Women’s connection to nature has long been explored through art and design, beginning with Traditional Custodians and the women artists who helped document Australia’s native plants with colonial botanists. This exhibition seeks to explore contemporary responses to our botanical and wildflower heritage with female artists creating new work across the art and design spectrum. Artists from Bundaberg, the Fraser Coast and beyond have taken a fresh look at the historical legacy, engaged with local landscapes, and extended their practice to create new, re-imagined works, and a dynamic exhibition experience.
Marni Stuart, The Paths, The Women [detail] 2021, pattern design. © The artist.
Featuring artists Julie Appo & the WildCrafters, Nicole Jakins, Marlies Oakley, Shelley Pisani, Edith Rewa, Cara-Ann Simpson, Marni Stuart, Emma Thorp, Annette Tyson and Cate Verney.
The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Fraser Coast Regional Council. 31
SAT 16 APR - SUN 29 MAY An exploration into the interconnectedness of life on earth – between human, animal, and plant beings, this exhibition featuring Angela Valamanesh is part of the Jam Factory’s Icon series. This life view, first felt intuitively by the artist; is reinforced through her ongoing research at leading libraries and
Presenting Partner
Government Partners
scientific institutions both in Australia and abroad. Her drawings, ceramic objects, and watercolours are the result of an incredible depth of research, referencing complex scientific, historic, and philosophical ideas. Angela’s imagery stems from micro- and macro- biology, historical anatomical and botanical illustrations, natural history collections, and rare books. Valamanesh’s oeuvre is populated with the animal, vegetable, and mineral with glimpses of microbes, bacteria, pathogens, and spores. The works elicit ambiguity and present a strong sense of personal investigation.
For a Long While There Were Only Plants 1997. © The artist.
JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here is a JamFactory touring exhibition. JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here has been assisted by the South Australian Government through the Department for Innovation and Skills and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, Contemporary Touring Initiative. Angela Valamanesh acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts. Angela Valamanesh is represented by GAG PROJECTS, Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide. 33
