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JULY – DECEMBER 2014 SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM NEWSPAPER
program. Exhibitions Workshops Events Education
SAM is proudly provided by Greater Shepparton City Council.
John Perceval Delinquent Angel (detail) 1961 glazed stoneware 25.3 x 20.3 x 19 cm Shepparton Art Museum, purchased 1976 © the Estate of John Perceval
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JULY – DECEMBER 2014 SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM NEWSPAPER
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John Perceval in his studio at Canterbury, Melbourne Image courtesy the Perceval family
29 AUG 23 NOV 2014
delinquent angel. John Perceval’s Ceramic Angels Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is delighted to present Delinquent Angel: John Perceval’s Ceramic Angels from 29 August to 24 November 2014. This historically significant exhibition brings together approximately 40 of John Perceval’s ceramic angel sculptures for the first time since they were first exhibited in 1958 and 1959 at the Museum of Modern Art of Australia with texts by David Boyd and John Reed. Delinquent Angel: John Perceval’s Ceramic Angels is a landmark exhibition for SAM and a highlight of the 2014 exhibition program. The exhibition draws three works from SAM’s nationally significant ceramics collection. John Perceval AO (1923-2000) is one of Australia’s most celebrated and loved artists, renowned for his radicalism, expressiveness and prolific output, along with his complex personal life. As a member of the Angry Penguins avante-garde movement that began in the 1940s, Perceval joined with other Australian art luminaries Arthur Boyd, Albert Tucker, Sidney Nolan, Danila Vassilieff and Joy Hester to rail against the insular conservatism of Australian society and push for new voices and modes of expression. Perceval is largely known for his painting practice, however from 1957– 1962, during what is considered to be one of his most creative periods, Perceval produced a series of ceramic angel sculptures as a result of his involvement with Arthur Merric Boyd’s pottery studio at Murumbeena.
Perceval’s ceramic angels are often an overlooked aspect of his oeuvre despite their technical and conceptual sophistication, humour and beguiling charm. Perceval created more than 70 ceramic angels that range from self-portraits and tributes to friends and family, to figures that illustrate allegorical stories and comment on the threat of nuclear weaponry. Excerpt from the Delinquent Angel: John Perceval’s Ceramic Angels catalogue essay by Damian Smith: Perceval’s specific interest in angels began to take shape in the mid-1940s. His future father-in-law, the renowned studio potter Merric Boyd (18881959) in whose home Perceval lodged during 1944, was not averse to reading aloud from the Bible. As the senior figure in a family of significant Australian artists the religious impetus, imparted with vigor to most anyone who would lend an ear, was not without effect. Arthur Boyd (1920-1999), the son of Merric and destined to become the most famous of the Boyd clan, created during this period numerous significant paintings in which well-known biblical narratives were conflated with scenes of contemporary life. Angels were prominent in Boyd’s work and they were intended to convey spiritual sentiments, as we see in Arthur Boyd’s decorated plate, Angel and Ramox, 1948. Perceval was not immune to these familial influences though, neither as a man of ‘earthy’ and irreverent temperament, was he wholly swayed by religious zeal. Rather, Perceval saw from the outset how angels could embody the terrestrial and the heavenly, the ridiculous and the sublime, great suffering and also joy. Between 1957 and 1962 John Perceval produced an extraordinary series of ceramic sculpted figures encompassing angels, cherubim, infants, adults and animals. Inspiration came from the people and things around him: his four angel-haired children, the paintings of his closest peers and readings from the sacred scriptures. Viewed collectively, Perceval’s angels resplendent in their burgundy and emerald glazes, represent a remarkable body of work that must be rated as one of the significant serialised groupings within the epoch of Australian Modernism. The angels were Perceval’s only sculptural project, which despite attracting far less critical attention than his paintings were prized by the artist above any of his achievements. They are significant also when compared with other serialised groupings produced by the artist’s closest peers.
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JULY – DECEMBER 2014 SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM NEWSPAPER
John Perceval, Angel, 1958, glazed ceramic 25 x 10 x 10 cm Collection Shepparton Art Museum, purchased with the assistance of funds from the Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation and Carrillo Gantner, 2013. Acc. No. 2013.12 © the Estate of John Perceval
John Perceval, The Kiss, c. 1960, earthenware 67 x 38 x 33 cm Collection National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, gift of Loti Smorgon AO through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2011. Acc. No. 2011.30 © the Estate of John Perceval
Arthur Boyd is well known for his Love, Marriage and Death of a Half-Caste Bride grouping, dating from 1951; Sidney Nolan is known internationally for his Ned Kelly series of 1946-47 and Albert Tucker produced Images of Modern Evil between 1943-48. The four men were friends and in each of the series mentioned we see an intermingling of social, political and personal concerns. In contrast Perceval’s ceramic angels are decidedly more whimsical in sentiment and in this they stand apart as a series. They are discernable also from Perceval’s more pointedly socio-political compositions from the 1940s. In Survival, 1942, for instance a mother is depicted vainly attempting to feed her emaciated child. It is a profoundly haunting painting and a harrowing summation of urban Australian poverty during WWII.
emerge: autobiographical reflections and also spontaneous contemplations of Perceval’s own children’s formative years. They speak of innocence and companionship and also of wildness and neglect; they run the emotional gamut from darkest pathos to rollicking bathos; they are playful in the full sense of the word but their amniotic glazes point to more potent natural forces. That the majority of the sculptures possess some of the finest copper lustre colourations ever fashioned by an Australian ceramic artist merely adds to their dramatic impact and their undeniable status as objects of immense visual poetry.
By 1957 however, as the angels absorbed Perceval as a project, the zeitgeist of the previous war-afflicted decade had all but evaporated. 1956 saw the staging of the Olympics in Melbourne and the new medium of television was launched across Australia. The nation was entering an exciting period of prosperity yet one that was overshadowed by Cold War anxieties. Nolan and Tucker had both decamped to Europe and Boyd would move there shortly. Perceval, now married with children, was making a stab at family life, but with alcoholism and recurrent mental health issues already taking a hold the scenario would not end well. It is from this period that the angels
Catalogue available for purchase from the SAM Shop from 29 August 2014. You can also find out more about John Perceval and his ceramic angels in SAM’s blog for the exhibition: www.percevalsangels.com. Images of the angels have been published here alongside contextual information, interviews and guest blog entries, making it a valuable education resource.
sam out late!
Thursday 16 October 2014, 6pm (free event) Former Shepparton Art Gallery director Joe Pascoe presents a floor talk on the exhibition.
The Friends of the Shepparton Art Museum Inc. Present
a toast to the angels. Gala Dinner & Wine Auction With guests Celia Perceval and Mirka Mora Saturday 30 August 2014, 7.30pm The Eastbank Centre, Shepparton $95 per person* Sponsored by Jill & Bernard Hayes, the Victorian Wines Show and Greater Shepparton City Council. Mark Strizic, John Perceval with ceramic sculpture of an angel, 1986, image courtesy State Library of Victoria © The Estate of Mark Strizic
For bookings, phone the SAM Shop, open 10am to 4pm, or ph: (03) 5832 9860. *Includes invitation to the official exhibition opening, exhibition catalogue, three course meal and all drinks. Please book early as places are limited.
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JULY – DECEMBER 2014 SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM NEWSPAPER
sam. public program. SAM runs a series of workshops, talks and events throughout the year. For more information or to make a booking contact (03) 5832 9861.
july & august.
september & october.
Learn Ceramics at SAM Angels in Your Garden Dates: Every Tuesday from 29 July to 26 August (five-week program) Time: 11am to 4pm (with one-hour lunch break) Venue: SAM Workshop Room Age: Adults Cost: $160 (Friends of SAM $150), includes cost of materials and firing Bookings are essential (03) 5832 9861 Tutor: Angie Russi Due to popular demand for classes in ceramics, Angie will be teaching basic ceramic skills over a five-week course. Participants will learn basic hand building techniques, identification of different clays and their uses. Discussion and written information about glazes and firing techniques will be covered. All works made in the workshop will be fired.
An Angel On Your Shoulder Dates: Time: Venue: Age: Cost: Tutor:
Saturday 30 & Sunday 31 August 10am to noon & 1.30pm to 3.30pm SAM Workshop Room 12 years + $20 (Friends of SAM $15), includes textile Angel Making Kit Bookings are essential (03) 5832 9861 Judith Roberts, textile artist
Do you have an angel on your shoulder? Or would you like one? I wonder what it would look like? What colour and how big it would be? What would it say to you? In honour of John Perceval’s famous ceramic angels, SAM is encouraging members of the community to make their own textile angel which will be put on display in the art museum during the Delinquent Angel: John Perceval’s Ceramic Angels exhibition. Come along to one of the weekend workshops to make ‘your angel’. Angel making textile kits will also be available in the SAM shop for $5 each until they run out. Each kit includes instructions and materials that will enable you to make your own angel. SAM will exhibit all completed angels on the ‘angel shelves’ in the art museum.
special events at sam. Strings, High Tea and Perceval’s Angels Enjoy heavenly and ethereal sounds while viewing the exhibition Delinquent Angels: John Perceval’s Ceramic Angels.
Classical Strings
Date: Saturday 4 October Time: 1pm to 3.30pm Goulburn Valley Concert Orchestra musicians will play four 30-minute duets or solos in the art museum. They will feature pieces by Bach on viola and violin. Performers include Carole McGregor and Melody O’Meara.
Electric Strings
Date: Saturday 1 November Time: 1pm to 3.30pm
School Holiday Workshop Date: Thursday 25 September Time: 10.30am to noon (7 to 11-year-olds) and 1.30pm to 3.30pm (12 years + ) Venue: SAM Workshop Room Cost: $15 (Friends of SAM $12) Bookings are essential (03) 5832 9861 Tutor: Eloise Mitchell, visual artist
Venue: Cost: Tutors:
SAM Workshop Room $12 per child (Friends of SAM $10) Bookings are essential (03) 5832 9861 Rhonda Chrisanthou and Mimi Leung (artist/illustrator)
Angels come in many guises that span cultures and time, look over or protect us. Looking at John Perceval’s famous ceramic angels, children will consider what their own ‘guardian angel’ might look like and draw and paint their own heavenly being. Please bring an art smock.
Discover playful uses of colour and composition through creating an original work on canvas. Explore the heavenly colours of spring, alongside the earthy tones of life beneath the soil whilst painting the angels in your garden. Please bring your own smock.
Clay Bodies
Hand-build an Angel, inspired by Perceval Dates: 22, 23, 29 & 30 Sept and 27 Oct (5 days) Time: 10.30am to 3.30pm Venue: SAM Workshop Room Age: Adults Cost: $100, includes cost of materials and firing Bookings are essential (03) 5832 9861 Tutor: Angie Russi This five-day workshop is for those who wish to learn advanced hand-building techniques and be guided in designing and building a large ceramic angel inspired by the work of John Perceval. Participants will be required to design works on paper and make a marquette prior to embarking on a full size clay construction. This workshop is perfect for secondary school art teachers and those interested in advancing their ceramic skills. Works will be fired and participants will return for a oneday glazing and decorating session.
Art Angels: Drawing & Painting School Holiday Workshop Date: Thursday 2 October Time: 10.30am to noon (6 to 9-year-olds) and 2pm to 4pm (10 to 15-year-olds)
Experimental music duo Wildebeest comprises of Luke Lewis and Ash Beks. They will perform original ‘dream pop or ambient’ music on electric guitars with drum machine. During both afternoon High Teas, which includes savoury and sweet selections, teas or expresso coffee will be available from the Eastbank Café in the Eastbank foyer. Advance bookings are required, please phone (03) 5832 9529. Cost is $10 per person. Alcoholic beverages available at bar prices.
Changing Horsemen Midapocalypse: Kate Auty In Conversation with Penny Byrne Date: Wednesday 17 December, 6pm to 7.30pm Cost: free event, please RSVP by 12 December. The Four Horsemen of the 21st Century Apocalypse, 2009 alerts us to the century’s looming environmental and political disasters: water shortage, peak oil, over population and control of nature’s seed-stock. From the stainless steel pot scourer, ceramic bowls, eyeless doll heads and plastic swords to the multitude of tiny people, seeds, glass and other embellishments, the reproduction Tang Dynasty horses symbolise the great challenges
Image by Mimi Leung
Rainbow Kids
Art for Small Hands Dates: Every Tuesday, 7 October – 11 November (six-week program, excluding 4 November) Time: 10.30am to noon Venue: SAM Workshop Age: 3 to 6 years Cost: $60 per parent/child Bookings are essential (03) 5832 9861 Tutor: Aysa Tamiri
This program provides an opportunity for very young children and their parents (or carers) to join in creative activities at SAM. Designed to enhance and build relationships between one adult and one child, this program shows parents how to provide low-cost, accessible art-making experiences which can be repeated at home with their children. Morning tea is provided at each session and children are given a show bag of goodies to take home at the end of the program. Please bring your own smock.
of this century and warn us that an inadequate response might result in an apocalypse that is not quite what the Revelation envisaged. Friends of SAM and Slap Tomorrow Inc. invite you to a special presentation on Penny Byrne’s artwork The Four Horsemen of the 21st Century Apocalypse, 2009 (pictured). In conversation with University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow Professor and former Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability Victoria, Kate Auty, Penny Byrne will explain why she was driven to create the artwork. Penny Byrne, The Four Horsemen of the 21st Century Apocalypse, 2009 mixed media, dimensions variable Shepparton Art Museum, 2009 Photo by Jeremy Dillon © the artist
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JULY – DECEMBER 2014 SHEPPARTON ART MUSEUM NEWSPAPER
Artist Reko Rennie created the Drawing Wall #15, Regalia, 9 May to 27 July 2014, acrylic wall painting, 4 x 12 m
meet our drawing wall artists. drawing wall #16. Shane Haseman
drawing wall #17. Linda Botham
Friday 8 August - Sunday 2 November 2014
Friday 14 November 2014 - Sunday 1 February 2015
Shane Haseman completes the 16th Drawing Wall with a text-based ‘signage painting’ that responds to the fluctuating decline and renewal of industry in Shepparton. Drawing on the elegance and craft of traditional hand-painted sign-writing, Haseman’s work revises conversations about the history of painting and its contemporary condition.
Shepparton-based artist Linda Botham uses charcoal and pencil to produce elaborate, free-wheeling drawings that speak of the complexity and beauty of the human condition. Her work for The Drawing Wall #17 combines the artist’s ongoing fascination with the skeletal structure of birds with a simple sculptural form.
Morning Tea with Shane Haseman Wednesday 6 August, 10am @ SAM
Morning Tea with Linda Botham Wednesday 12 November, 10am @ SAM
Coffee Morning Program August to December 2014 To become a member of the Friends of Shepparton Art Museum or to RSVP to an event listed, please contact SAM on (03) 5832 9861. You can also visit the SAM website at www.sheppartonartmuseum. com.au for more information on the Friends, or to download a membership brochure. 20 August We visit our friend Anna Maas at Montsalvat, Eltham by bus to see an exhibition of contemporary ceramics.
3 September Acting Senior Curator Joe Pascoe will introduce the Friends to John Perceval’s angels at SAM. 1 October Tour a variety of artworks in Tatura with Tatura Creative Artists and participate in a silk painting workshop. 5 November We visit ceramic artist Angie Russi’s studio in Rushworth and enjoy morning tea in her garden.
3 December We visit local artist Glenda Cornell at Cockatoo Island, Nathalia. Also mark on your calendars... 7 January 2015 Hear what works were inspired by and how they were created in the Best of Friends exhibition at SAM. Lunch with Carrillo Gantner was a Friends of SAM event held in August 2013 during SAM’s exhibition Speaking in Colour. Pictured from left are Greater Shepparton Mayor Jenny Houlihan and Friends of SAM President Barb Gray with Carrillo Gantner.
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education.
Visitors enjoyed works by primary and secondary school students in The Art Room 2013.
online galleries. SAM’s New Education Resource Schools, teachers, artists and others interested in learning and experiencing the visual arts will not only have the opportunity to view an impressive range of artworks and exhibitions in our gallery spaces, but selected artworks from award exhibitions and the permanent collection will now feature in our new online galleries. Launched in June 2014, the first gallery displays all short-listed entries into the 2014 Indigenous Ceramic Art Award. Images are accompanied by relevant details and text. Other artworks to be included are from the Carrillo Gantner collection of Indigenous art and SAM’s permanent collection of Australian art and ceramics, including artworks from the collection display in Paradise Again, which incorporates a range of art media including photography, painting, printmaking and ceramics. SAM’s Online Galleries can be accessed via our webpage at: www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/collection/onlinegalleries
visual art learning links. Professional Development for Teachers Free Educator Art Previews SAM invites primary and secondary teachers to preview the following exhibitions with education staff. Each Educators’ Preview session will be followed by refreshments. Bookings are essential for catering purposes, please phone SAM on (03) 5832 9520. Thursday 9 October 4.30pm Delinquent Angel: John Perceval’s Ceramic Angels.
Ceramic artist and SAM community and cultural development worker Angie Russi will explore different ways of learning and communicating through art making. Teachers will have a hands-on experience during this workshop which provides practical learning methods and tools for use in the classroom. For all bookings and further information, please contact SAM on (03) 5832 9861 or email rhonda.chrisanthou@shepparton.vic.gov.au.
Contemporary Art in Education: VCE Art and Studio Arts Date: Thursday 4 December Times: 10am to 4pm Cost: Free Presented by Melissa Bedford (Monash University of Modern Art, MUMA) Deb Kunda (Gertrude Contemporary ), Rhonda Chrisanthou (SAM), Angie Russi (Gallery Kaiela), Kathryn Hendy-Eckers (Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority, VCAA) and artist Emily Floyd. This program will provide an opportunity for teachers to look at art industry contexts and curriculum needs. It also considers the role of public galleries and artist spaces in context of metropolitan and regional galleries in Victoria. Teachers are also invited to participate in a workshop with Melbourne-based artist Emily Floyd. Education and knowledge are key themes in her work and her practice encompasses public art, sculpture and printmaking. Interaction and engagement is also a strong component of her work. Frequently working with language and texts in unexpected ways, Emma meticulously considers elements such as font and colour, shape and size, material and movement to create works that not only engage the senses but also serve to initiate discussions about contemporary social, cultural and political ideas.
the art room. & self/expression. 6 December 2014 to 20 January 2015
Thursday 18 December 4.30pm The Rennie Ellis Show: A Monash Gallery of Art Travelling Exhibition. The 2014 school art exhibition at SAM will be presented in two categories under the titles of The Art Room and Self/Expression.
Indigenous Art and Culture in Early Years Curriculum New Challenges and Opportunities Date: Friday 25 July Times: 10.15am to 12.45pm Cost: Free Presented by Mandy Christoe (St Mel’s Primary School) and Julie Ferguson (Koori educator), Angie Russi (SAM educator/ceramic artist). Mandy Christoe and Julie Ferguson are working on integrating the crosscurricular priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures into mainstream curriculum through the ‘8 Ways of Learning’. Their teaching practice incorporates creation stories, different ways of knowing, story-telling, Aboriginal signs and symbols and promotes understanding and acknowledgement of and around Aboriginal culture in the context of place and one’s local identity.
Senior visual art, including VCE Art and Studio Art students from the Goulburn Valley are invited to submit applications for Self/Expression. Selected artworks will be exhibited in SAM’s ground floor gallery. Primary and secondary school teachers from local and regional schools are also invited to submit applications for The Art Room. Selected artwork will be displayed in the Eastbank Centre foyer. Due to restrictions in the use of the foyer space, all submissions for The Art Room must be for 2D artwork. To allow schools and families to view student artwork, both exhibitions will be on show together from Friday 23 January to Sunday 22 February. All artworks are to be delivered to SAM on Monday 15 or Tuesday 16 December 2014. For further information, please contact SAM on (03) 5832 9861 or email rhonda.chrisanthou@shepparton.vic.gov.au at the beginning of Term 3. To keep up-to-date with SAM’s educational events and more, you can sign up to an email list at www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/subscribe.asp.
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Rennie Ellis, My son Josh learns to swim 1972, selenium-toned gelatin silver print, 26.7 x 40.7 cm, courtesy of the Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive The Rennie Ellis Show: A Monash Gallery of Art Travelling Exhibition, 12 December 2014 to 23 February 2015
the tree of giving. For a New SAM
An initiative of the Shepparton Art Museum Foundation The SAM Foundation has been formed to raise funds for a new Shepparton Art Museum. You can pledge your support for a new SAM in buying a Gold $250, Silver $150 or Bronze $75 leaf with your name inscribed on the giving tree. Alternatively you can buy a new SAM lapel pin and talk to friends and family about why an expanded Art Museum would be beneficial for Shepparton. All proceeds will go toward the SAM Foundation for the capital fundraising drive for a new SAM.
visit sam. 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton VIC 3630 mail Locked Bag 1000, Shepparton VIC 3632 p +61 3 5832 9861 e art.museum@shepparton.vic.gov.au w sheppartonartmuseum.com.au
sam. program. Entry into SAM is FREE. SAM is an all ability access venue. Open 7 days 10am to 4pm Public holidays 1pm to 4pm Closed Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Good Friday. SAM is proudly provided by Greater Shepparton City Council.
Published by Shepparton Art Museum July 2014 978-0-9874636-6-1 © 2014 Shepparton Art Museum, the artists and authors. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. No material, whether written or photographic, may be reproduced without the permission of the artists (or their estates), authors and Shepparton Art Museum. Details were correct at the time of printing this newspaper. Check out SAM’s website for up-to-date information.
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drawing wall #16. Shane Haseman Shane Haseman Recto/Verso (detail) 2013 enamel paint on glass dimensions variable University of Technology Sydney, 2013 © the artist photograph: David Lawrey
8 August to 2 November 2014
delinquent angel. John Perceval’s Ceramic Angels 29 August to 23 November 2014
John Perceval Fighting Angels (detail) 1959 earthenware with copper oxide glaze Courtesy National Gallery of Australia, Canberra © The Estate of John Perceval
drawing wall #17. Linda Botham 14 November 2014 to 1 February 2015
Linda Botham What the Flock (detail) 2012 charcoal, carbon pencil 119 x 91 cm © the artist
best of friends. The Annual Friends of SAM community exhibition 12 December 2014 to 11 January 2015
Silvi Kadillari Untitled #2 (detail) 2013 oil on canvas © the artist
the rennie ellis show. A Monash Gallery Travelling Exhibition 12 December 2014 to 23 February 2015
Rennie Ellis Mr Muscleman, Albert Park Beach (detail) c.1986 chromogenic print 26.7 x 40.7 cm courtesy of the Rennie Ellis Photography Archive