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On the make: A Collection story
If the artworks in the MRAG Collection could speak there would be 4000 plus stories to tell about their makers, their supporters and critics. The works in this exhibition are all part of the same story. It begins before Cultural Director, Joe Eisenberg’s time at this gallery and its legacy will continue on long after he departs. It is a story of generosity, collaboration and relationships. It speaks of the entrepreneurial opportunities for galleries like ours to raise funds to make significant projects possible. It is a story with Joe at its centre and pays homage to the collectors who have helped to shape the collection to what it is today. In 1999, Joe as Director of the New England Regional Art Museum needed to raise money to support a planned redevelopment of the art gallery in Armidale and imagined a folio of original artists’ prints to inspire donations to the cause. Joe secured the assistance of 20 artists - Nora Heysen, Jeffrey Smart, Robert Klippel, Judy Cassab and John Coburn among them – and well regarded print maker Michelle Perry at Marnling Press Sydney. All that was left to do was secure the dough - as the old adage goes ‘one needs money to make money’. One thing led to another and Joe met avid supporter of the arts, Pat Corrigan, who backed the project. The suite of prints raised much needed funds for a new gallery space, supported 20 artists and 10 other public galleries across NSW and Queensland. The prints in this exhibition are a selection of the artworks that were created as a result of the original 1999 collaboration. Michael Hobbs kindly donated two portfolios of 10 prints each to MRAG in 2012. Their lasting value is as a source of education and inspiration. Pat Corrigan’s generosity to MRAG, its artists and collaborators continues to this day.
by Maree Skene Gallery Officer
