Chair’s Report Art Acquisition Working Group

As Chair of the Art Acquisition Working Group, I have had the great privilege in 2013/2014 of seeing first-hand the considerable growth of our treasured City of Townsville Art Collection. The year has seen 88 acquisitions in total, with the vast majority of these works entering the Collection as donations [76 in total], either directly from artists and collectors, or via the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program.

The Cultural Gifts Program is an invaluable incentive for Australians to donate items of cultural significance to their public art galleries, museums, libraries and archives for the enjoyment of future generations. Works that have entered the City of Townsville Art Collection via the program in 2013/2014 include prints and paintings by noted Australian contemporary artists such as Ken Done, Ann Thomson, June Tupicoff, and former Archibald Prize winning artist Euan Macleod, and the prized tapestry Bedarra Garden by Fred Williams and Bruce Arthur. It is without doubt that, without the encouragement offered by the Cultural Gifts Program, Townsville’s collecting institution would not be in a financially competitive position to acquire such pivotal works.

I offer my thanks to all the donors who have contributed to the City of Townsville Art Collection’s continued development in 2013/2014; Brigid Brock (from the Angus and Mary Norrie Estate), Sylvia Ditchburn, Ken Done, James Jensen, Euan Macleod, Bronwyn McBurnie, Ron McBurnie, Alice Pate-Stout, Ann Thomson, Maureen Treacey, June Tupicoff, and Lyn Williams AM. Your kindness and generosity in helping grow the Townsville region’s art collection is gratefully acknowledged, not only by myself and my fellow members of the Art Acquisition Working Group, but by the community at large.

Acquisitive exhibitions were also instrumental in 2013/2014, with two works acquired. The first of these acquisitions was the winning work of the 2013 Townsville Open Art Award – Mt. Isa artist Vince Bray’s Mine Side Town Side. This stunning black and white print was the tenth work by the artist to enter the City of Townsville Art

Collection. In June 2014, a second work was acquired following the May announcement of the winner of the $40,000 Glencore Percival Portrait Painting Prize. The winning work, which proved extremely popular with viewers whilst on display at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, was Francis Giacco’s immaculately detailed painting, entitled Charles Blackman, depicting the noted artist surrounded by details of works from his Alice series.

10 astute purchases were also made in 2013/2014, adding to the Collection’s holdings of works by significant local and national artists, and works which are historically relevant to our region. Such works include four large scale prints by Ron McBurnie; paintings by William Yaxley and Peter Browne; a ceramic wall installation by Jeff Mincham; an 8 metre long drawing by Sandi Hook; Ryan ‘The Brickman’ McNaught’s scalemodel LEGO® brick recreation of the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery building; and Harry Memmott’s watercolour work Townsville Army Camp, September 1942, which was displayed as part of the 2014 Perc Tucker Regional Gallery war art exhibition The Line of Fire

I would also like to offer my profuse thanks to the Gallery Services team, led by Manager Shane Fitzgerald, and my fellow Working Group members; Councillor Gary Eddiehausen, Councillor Colleen Doyle, Mr Casper Schougaard, Ms Margo McOmish, and Ms Gail Mabo. In this reporting period we also bid a fond farewell to Mr Casper Schougaard, and welcome new members to the Working Group for 2014/2015; Mr Steve Price, Mrs Stacey Morrison, and Mr Paul Martinez.

2013/2014 has been a truly exciting year for the Art Acquisition Working Group, and I trust the community will take great pleasure from viewing those works acquired through various exhibitions and projects conducted by Gallery Services in the years to come.

Art Acquisition Working Group