The Northern Rivers Times
8
January 25, 2024!!!
NEWS
JADA entries open for 2024 By Tim Howard Australia’s richest regional drawing prize has begun accepting entries ahead of this year’s judging. Grafton Regional Gallery has announced entries have opened for the 2024 Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award. The competition is open to artists from all over Australia aged 18 and above. Entries for this year’s prize judging close on June 30. Gallery director Sarah Gurich said the JADA sought to encourage and promote innovation and excellence in drawing, and played a vital role in fostering Australian drawing practice. She added that the JADA has a history of providing an opportunities for artists to further their careers’. “Over the years the JADA has documented the development of contemporary drawing practice in Australia, and has captured how drawing has changed and
evolved,” she said. Ms Gurich said at the official opening of the exhibition on September 27, two prizes would be awarded. They are the acquisitive prize of $35,000 proudly sponsored by the Friends of Grafton Gallery (FoGG) and a nonacquisitive prize of $5000 for an early-career Artist. The exhibition of works by selected finalists will be on show at Grafton Regional Gallery from September 28 to November 24. The JADA has been an important addition to the gallery since the first drawing acquisition prize in 1988. It began a process that has allowed the gallery to gather a unique and impressive collection of contemporary Australian drawing with more than 100 works acquired from leading, established, and emerging Australian artists. The unique, and impressive JADA collection exemplifies the developments and changing parameters of contemporary drawing
2022 JADA winner Catherine O’Donnell with her winning work ‘Glenbrook Window #1.
since 1988. This collection explores the way that drawing remains a contemporary medium, demonstrating its relevance as a form of artistic expression. The gallery’s collection contains varied, and extensive drawings, ranging from highly resolved articulate works to spontaneous expressive works that are mostly on paper. In 1988 the Jacaranda Art Exhibition Prize was presented for the first time with the support of the Jacaranda Art Society, as a specialised acquisitive Australian
drawing prize. The inaugural director of the gallery, Julian Faigan, made the decision to change the dynamics of the Jacaranda Society Art Prize from a various medium, open prize with four sections, to a specific award for drawing. This decision recognised the need for regional galleries to specialise in their collections to allow for the development of identity, to reflect regional and historical difference, to encourage diversity and to reduce competition with other public institutions. In 1994 the Jacaranda
Art Society exhibition became the Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award (JADA) and formed into the structure it still holds today; a biennial award with entries selected by a panel of art professionals for exhibition, from which the judge selects the acquisitive first prize. The Friends of the Gallery became the sole sponsors of a $5000 first prize in 1998, with the gallery JADA fund enabling $5000 of further acquisitions for each award. Over the years the prize value has increased to its
current value of $35,000 for the winner, with a further $10,000 allocated to acquire works as recommended by the judge. Since 1998 the JADA Exhibition has toured throughout Eastern Australia, travelling to several regional and metropolitan galleries for up to 18 months. The award seeks to encourage and promote innovation and excellence and plays a vital role in fostering Australian drawing practice while providing artists with a unique opportunity to explore the complexity of drawing. By allowing this award to be the major focus of the gallery’s acquisition policy, the collection has attractively developed through the tastes, opinions and approaches of the various judges into a collection that is compelling, thought provoking, innovative, exuberant and diverse. The preferred form of entry and payment is online at www. graftongallery.nsw.gov. au .
Council court matter withdrawn By Tim Howard A court case involving Clarence Valley Council and the developer of an $80 million manufactured home estate in West Yamba has been withdrawn at the last minute. The case, listed for hearing on Monday morning was brought by Clifton Yamba Lifestyle Pty Ltd . The 216-dwelling estate development, DA 2023/0241 for 110-120m Carrs Dr,
must be determined by the Joint Regional Planning Panel, which has concerns about the development. The appearance of the matter in the Land and Environment Court worried members of a Yamba community group. The Yamba Community Action Network was concerned the hearing could be an attempt to bypass the State Government’s planning panel process. YambaCAN secretary
Lynne Cairns said her group had received a tip off from inside council with concerns about the way the process was being handled. She said her informant said the LEC case mentioned was a “deemed refusal of DA 2023/0241.” “It came up to the JRPP a few months ago,” the informant said. “Deemed refusal means they are saying we (JRPP) haven’t determined it quickly enough.”
Because the JRPP were considered to be acting for the council as the determining body, the developer takes the council to court, not the panel. The panel listed concerns it had with Carrs Dr development when it met to discuss the DA in May. Mrs Cairns said instead of working to fix these matters, the developer “let the clock run down and then said it wasn’t determined in time”. “It means they are
Please, remember! School’s back next week. Slow down and keep our children safe! Have a great year, kids!
Richie & Leonie clarence@parliament.nsw.gov.au Tel: 6643 1244 www.richiewilliamson.com.au
Richie Williamson MP
Authorised by Richie Williamson. Funded using parliamentary entitlements.
trying to get a LEC judge to make the decision rather than councils,” MRs Cairns said. “They might also hope to bypass local objections.” NSW planning laws have a time limit of 40 or 60 days for a DA to be determined. But the legislation also includes provisions to “stop the clock” after the process was underway. Reasons for stopping the clock include the determining
body seeking further information or the applicant modifying the DA within the assessment period. The Northern Rivers Times makes no assertion that either party has acted improperly in the matter. Clifton Lifestyle has been contacted for comment, but its office was unattended. The council said it was up to the applicant to provide information about why the court case had been withdrawn.
