Introduction: Forty Years

FORTY YEARS!

How does one represent forty years of exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, prizes, donations, acquisitions, renovations and natural disasters? How does one represent the divine highs and soul-destroying lows of arts workers, let alone artistic practice? The only way I could think of, the only possible way, was to invite people’s thoughts, suggestions, critiques and ideas.

While the project has changed since we first dreamed it up, streamlined for the sake of the team’s sanity to be a collection-only exhibition, the spirit of it is the same. This is not a ‘best of’ collection show, highlighting the most valuable or popular items of the collection (though there certainly are some of those included!). Nor is it a selection of my personal favourite collection items (though there are some of those too). Rather, in this exhibition we have attempted to sum up what it is about our collective story worth telling, through the people, places and art works of our community. The initial idea of the exhibition was to differentiate itself from the 30-year anniversary show, curated by Eric Nash, 30@30, which assembled thirty collection works, one representing each year of Perc Tucker Regional Gallery’s existence. I thought that by asking for curatorial suggestions and stories, we would be given a more nuanced, and perhaps unexpected approach to the Gallery, the collection, and what this would say about our corner of the world. One work that is shown again from 30@30 is Ian Smith’s Seaview Lunch (1981), for possibly obvious reasons, aside from simply being a great painting. It tells a story not only about Townsville, but its artistic community; a recollection of a lunch after the very first exhibition launch at the Gallery. Besides being a brilliant draftsman and painter, Smithy (apologies, ‘Smith’ just seems wrong after so many years) is a natural storyteller, and in this way his work embodies what I consider the kernel of this exhibition. For what are we, what is our art, without storytelling? In this way, Seaview Lunch kicked off this endeavour, and the rest of the curatorial really wrote itself. Another consideration was repetition. With recent collection and part-collection exhibitions, including Graphic Tendencies (2021), Object (2019), Drawn (2017) and Picturing Townsville (2016) as well as retrospectives for Connie Hoedt (2019), Glen O’Malley (2019) and Robert Preston (2021), I wanted to try to avoid showing works we had recently seen, but sometimes this is easier said than done. Artists such as Hoedt simply could not be left out of the exhibition, so a few exceptions were made. Luckily we had a few works of O’Malley’s in the collection that were not included in his retrospective, and there was a significant work of Bob’s that we held over from his recent retrospective. Other works almost demand to be shown as often as possible, and understanding that it likely won’t be so long until these are brought out one more, I have shied away from them, as I am sure they’ll be seen once again before too long. However, this has caused the absences of a number of artists who I think would fit very well into this exhibition. But with the curatorial suggestions that came in, I think we have managed to pull together a nicely balanced and even surprising selection. The truth of the matter is that with such a talented artistic community, it is a nigh-impossible task to include everybody that should be included.

This process has brought to light some key artists who are, in my opinion, underrepresented, or not represented at all, in the collection. I hope that this can be remedied in the coming years. What we ended up with is just a taste of the talent we have in our region, and a teensy smidgeon of our collection. The exhibition features many of our local heroes, and artists who have had a relationship with our Gallery and our community in some way or other over the years. There are too many to list here, but thank you to those who have donated works to the City of Townsville Art Collection over the years, making it the treasure that it is.

Thank you to all of those who have made curatorial suggestions, and thank you to those who have submitted writing. These contributors include Alison Annesley, James Brown, Shannon Chadwick, Barbara Cheshire, Jim Cox, Erwin Cruz, Rachel Cunningham, Donna Beningfield, Marion Gaemers, Councillor Ann-Maree Greaney, Julie Green, Jan Hynes, Bruce James, Judith Jensen, Jo Lankester, Anne Lord, Hugh J. Martin, Paul Martinez, Michael Marzik, Jenny Mulcahy, Eric Nash, Tony Mooney, Christine Papadimitriou, Ashleigh Peters, Barbara Pierce, Steve Price, Jake Robinson, Ross Searle, Anneke Silver, Ian Smith, Frances Thomson and Leonardo Valero. Your insights have made this exhibition a much better and more accurate reflection of our Gallery and our community, and I am truly grateful for your input. A special thanks to Jo Lankester, for her diligence and hard work in assembling all of these collection pieces and making sure they are documented and cared for. Behind the scenes, Jo has been rebuilding the collection database, a monster of a project which will take some time to complete, but is an investment in this Gallery and its bright future. In Government, we tend to be drawn into bright projects that capture the public imagination, which is great for a short term PR sugar hit, but all too often we are expected to put on hold the actual business as usual and infrastructure.

A lot of the work which is not seen by our community is devoted to such pursuits, and I am proud to say that this is a team that is thinking in the long term; the City of Townsville Art Collection is such a project, and this database will allow a much more functional use of the collection for the team, and an engaging resource for the public and researchers alike, but there is a lot of work to do first. This exhibition will be one of the first viewable online selections of work, which I think is incredibly appropriate, a selection of some of our best and brightest, and others who have contributed to the city’s cultural heritage from near and afar. Finally, I would like to thank the artistic community of Townsville for all that you have done for your city. Townsville would not be the place it is without its artists; they— you— have formed a key part of this city, and form a key point of difference in our community, not unlike the scientists, environmentalists, native title activists, the unionists, the defence force and the socialists. This stew of tastes (and sometimes aggressively anti-tastes) forms the character and colour of our city, for good or for ill, and our Galleries and our collections work best when they reflect this character, and speak to it. During my time here, I have been said to (not wrongfully) of being adverse to predictable blockbusters, turning away by-the-numbers tours, refusing to dumb down content, doing my best to foster Townsville and North Queensland content, and bringing in programming that speaks to our interests as a community, rather than the flavours of the month of Sydney and Melbourne. In my eyes, this is the purpose of the regional gallery model; we are not a revenue generator or a clubhouse for cultural gatekeepers and the elite. We are a service to the community— your community and mine. I look forward to the next forty!

Jonathan McBurnie Creative Director, Townsville City Galleries

Images Photos of the first exhibition at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery 1981 Photographer: Glen O’Malley

ON REFLECTION

When we came as a family to Townsville in 1972, there was only the Art Society, who had a couple of exhibitions a year in the main hall at the Art Centre, Walker Street. At that time, the Townsville Art Centre was the home of the Art Society, which was housed on the art centre’s Western veranda. The Potters, a theatre group, ballet, and a dance group all used the premises. The main hall was used for concerts and entertainment. Cyril Beale, a prominent local oil and watercolourist sold art supplies from his dry-cleaning shop. Later, he sold his shop and opened an art shop called, Townsville Art & Framing in Flinders Street, Townsville. The Art Society was strong and active with workshops and painting excursions.

At that time the President, Ron Kenny and others were very active in trying to get TAFE to include art classes in their curriculum. My introduction to the Art Society made it very clear to me that watercolour was not held in high esteem. In fact, it was not considered a worthy medium.

I was very concerned about this because of my recent residence in Philadelphia where I had been exposed to the huge range and versatility of watercolour. I took up the challenge and dreamed. I had the idea that a quality watercolour exhibition might be worthwhile in changing opinions. So I approached The Australian Watercolour Institute in Sydney, to see if they would consider the idea. They agreed. I raised this in an Art Society meeting and they gave their blessing, but promised not to be responsible or help in any way! Disappointed, but not deterred, I wrote to the Australian Arts Council requesting funding for a travelling watercolour exhibition, taking in Townsville, Mackay and Mount Isa. The funding was granted to the Townsville Art Society and the exhibition was very well received in the three centres. Ansett Airways gave us off peak back loading on the return loading of the paintings, and the Art Society was the recipient of the profit. The most important outcome of this exhibition was the developing interest in watercolour and eventually a category for watercolour was included in the Art Society exhibition.

I loved outdoor painting and pursued this on my own for a while, and then joined up with Joan Bunt who used to drive her campervan and stop and paint in the shade! When Joan left town, I asked Roslyn Reed and Del Baldock to join with me and we enjoyed outdoor painting for a while. Others joined us, and we all felt we needed a venue to exhibit our paintings.

At that time, The Pacific Festival was in need of interested clubs to assist, so the Watercolour Group applied and were given the Old Court House area in Sturt Street. It was a great venue. Given that there had been no history of “Clothesline” exhibitions in Townsville, we thought it would be novel, and draw a crowd (and it did). Council accepted our request and strong posts were placed in the ground and wire strung between them giving us three or four long rows to hang paintings.

We did not want to take the paintings down every night so we took 4-hour shifts, in pairs, and watched over them; “sleeping out” was quite an adventure for us all. The Pacific Festival eventually lost funding, and we were again looking for a venue. Since the group was painting weekly at Del Baldock’s home, it seemed natural to have the Watercolour Group’s Clothesline exhibitions, “Under the Mango Trees.” During this time I started my Master of Creative Arts at James Cook University and over some time, shared much of the information with the Watercolour Group. My longing for landscape painting, rather than the confines of a backyard, caused me to leave the group, but I reflect on those times with many happy memories of growth and fun together.

Alison Annesley

I was born in Townville five months before the Queen visited the city on her Royal tour in March 1954. Not that I remember ANYTHING about her visit as I had barely opened my eyes at that stage, but I was there! In fact, at the very moment that the Queen passed by what is now the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, I was inside the building cuddled in my mum’s arms as she fed me my lunchtime milk ration in dad’s office. I should mention at this point that the building now known as the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery was then the place where my dad worked as the manager of the local ANZ bank. To be honest I don’t know where his office was located in the building, but it must have been next to a window, because he told me that he used to have his lunchtime order of snacks delivered through his office window. Regarding the rest of the building when it was a bank, I don’t know much, but I understand that the centre space in the building held the bank safe and it now has the appropriate title of “The Vault”. The removal of this safe was a big mystery to my dad as he considered it far too massive to be disassembled.

James Brown

As an artist and teacher, my personal experience of the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery (and staff) over the last forty years was one that showed the Gallery to be central to our city’s identity and meaning. The tremendous, communicative support for our society, which includes educational institutions of all levels and surrounding regional communities, is one of sustenance and cultural growth. The Gallery exposes us to numerous diverse exhibitions that illustrate what and how men and women believe and disbelieve, mirrored in the art of the time. In essence, it brings into public perspective what is essentially very personal and private processes of many cultures and times.

This Gallery has also played a pivotal role throughout my artistic journey of 37 years. On reflection, commencing as a mature-age student and working mother of three, my personal path and perspective was seen as atypical. So, the journey required dedication, courage and persistent discipline. As I pursued art, teaching, Masters and Doctorate degrees, what was brought home very clearly was the developmental and exhibition support from Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and staff. The door was always open with suggestions and help for all. This saw me exhibit regionally, nationally and internationally with rewarding outcomes. However, although the Gallery is a wonderful landmark that has helped satisfy the artistic appetite for thousands of people, an additional purpose-built gallery should be a major focus. This would allow for a dedicated space to display the incredible permanent collection continually and nurture artistic needs.

Dr Barbara Cheshire

My association with Perc Tucker Regional Gallery began in 1990 studying at JCU. Reg Chappell, who was one of the Gallery’s early directors and responsible for developing its ceramics collection, if I’m not mistaken, was teaching some subjects I took, and it was during 1994 that Ross Searle got me started doing casual work on the side while working for Umbrella. Coming from a performance background, it was this break into the world of art that I owe largely to Ross - and Stephen Hall (then-director at Umbrella) who I was friends with at the time. Along with Stephen assisting Rob and George was the Gallery’s delightful and very stylish administrator Robyn. Looking back, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery delivered much more than the few staff it had the budget to employ. I remember the survey of contemporary art from Papua New Guinea that Ross curated causing a sensation. After Ross, the lovely Jacquelyn Murphy taking the Directorial lead. Technology was on the ascent at this time, and I recall her countering this with the remark “it’ll be good to see paint again”. The exhibition she put together of large-scale abstracts from the collection reflected the richness of cultural assets as much as the people who’ve played a role in producing it.

Shannon Chadwick

In March, 2000, Cyclone ‘Greta’ was some 600 kms off the coast, heading for Townsville. Four months into my Gallery Traineeship in Exhibitions and Collections, I found myself bunkered down with Robyn Walton (Exhibitions Coordinator) and Michael Beckmann (Queensland Art Gallery Head of Public Programs) in the main hall of Perc Tucker Regional Gallery. We were frantically boarding up glass doors and windows. Michael was in town to deliver a series of public programs as part of an exhibition. Instead we were carrying out Perc Tucker disaster management preparations whilst imminent extreme weather condition approached. It was cyclone time in North Queensland after all.

The exhibition on display was ‘Centenary’, a critically high-value Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) travelling exhibition celebrating QAG’s 100th year of touring exhibitions across Queensland. On this occasion, the exhibition was drawn from the state collection of French and British Art from 1850 to 1950. It included artworks by Camille Pissaro, Jacob Epstein, Auguste Rodin and Blanford Fletcher. In over a decade working for the Gallery, my experiencing Blandford Fletcher’s painting in the flesh, ‘Evicted’ still stands out for me. At almost two metres in height and two and a half metres across, ‘Evicted’ was an unnerving mixture of wonder and dread to have hanging in the main hall of a 136 year-old building.

Luckily the cyclone shifted more to the east and did not come inland. The evacuated artworks from the exhibition due to possible calamity were returned to the walls soon afterwards.

Erwin Cruz

Driving between TAFE, Pimlico Campus to City Campus I heard on the radio the following conversation: ’That Jim Cox who painted that obscene work Geronimo has an exhibition at the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery with the art students from TAFE. The College exhibition, which I am told is equally disgusting …blah blah blah. Why does Council allow such things?’

The speaker was a demonstrator and protester who liked to sit in pot holes and make negative comments as often as possible, to get her name in the Bulletin.

In response I rang the radio station and told them I would sue them if they did not get a retraction, pointing out that Geronimo was NOT my painting. It was by David Blackman, an art instructor at one time at the TAFE College. The painting was about graffiti (I would have been happy to have painted it) and one could have expected some obscene language in the context of graffiti?

The ‘college’ exhibition to which she referred was a COLLAGE exhibition, toured by a State Gallery. Another exhibition titled The Pope Cards was also being hung in the Gallery. None of these were anything to do with me personally or the TAFE College.

On being confronted on this, the radio station invited the original party to come in for a verbal retraction. She apologised. However, this type of criticism was the ‘normal’ level of abuse that art and the artists received in the Townsville of the 80s. She also admitted that she had never set foot in the Gallery!!

Jim Cox

In 1981 Perc Tucker hosted works from the groups, Fibres and Fabrics, North Queensland Potters and Townsville Art Society. This exhibition was part of the Townsville Pacific Festival. Only the downstairs gallery was used and this was a bit of a squeeze. The following year, also part of the Pacific Festival, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery hosted the Art Society upstairs and downstairs the space was shared between Ceramics and Textiles. The following year Ceramics and Textiles were moved from the Gallery and were exhibited in the Council meeting rooms, while the Art Society continued every year to exhibit in Perc Tucker. Thankfully, a change in the arts movement, made it acceptable for “Craft” to be exhibited in Galleries. At that time there was a Craft Board as part of the Australia Council.

Fibres and Fabrics organised the several curated exhibitions in Perc Tucker over the years, including Craft Encounters- a decade of Fibre influences (1985), Reef Encounters; (1987) Romantics; (2000), and Totems, a competitive exhibition (2010).

In 2015 the Gallery curated an exhibition on the reef and asked Fibres and Fabrics to run a series of community workshops over 12 months that culminated in an exhibition. Weave the Reef Love the Reef was a fantastic project. Monthly community workshops were conducted at various locations including AIMS, Reef HQ, Museum of Tropical Queensland and the CBD. This community work was exhibited in Strand Ephemera and the Gallery in 2015, and Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney, 2016.

Marion Gaemers

I was delighted and honoured when Jonathan asked me to write a reflective piece about my involvement with the Perc Tucker Gallery, my only problem was where to begin….

When I started work at Council in 1998, I was responsible for organising quite a lot of Civic Receptions at the Gallery, fast forward a few years and I was so pleased to be able to take my two sons through the doors of the Gallery to experience Brick By Brick. One of my most treasured photographs is of my boys with Ryan “The Brickman” McNaught – Lego Master and one of our most popular exhibitions at the Gallery to date.

Time travels a few more years and I am the divisional Councillor that the Gallery resides in and the Chair of the Committee under which it sits (thank you to former Councillor Colleen Doyle for the passing of the Baton) and I am pleased to say it has not lost any of its charm, sophistication, sense of wonder and fun or of significance to the Townsville community.

The staff at the Gallery are nothing short of amazing and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for going “above and beyond, every single time”.

I am so proud of our achievements and am excited about our future.

Congratulations to everyone who, over the last forty years, has walked through the doors of the Gallery and contributed to our “Grand Dame of the Arts” in Townsville.

Sincerely,

Cr Ann-Maree Greaney Councillor & Chair of Community & Cultural Development Committee

It’s the air-conditioning that draws you in. It’s the art that keeps you there. On my first visit to Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, in 1983, the coolness of the place was a boon. But so was an imposing colour field canvas by Anne Willis that faced you on entry. Adjacent images by Anneke Silver, James Brown, Robert Preston and Ron McBurnie called, more quietly but just as compellingly, for attention. These painters and printmakers attested to the robustness of art in North Queensland. As I explored the two levels of the recently inaugurated Gallery, more names, more paintings and prints, and ceramics and sculptures too, came into view. The subject matter of most of the works was regional - landscapes, marine effects, birds and animals, all recognisably of the place - but the aspirations were wider. Here were artists keen to be judged by national, indeed international standards. Much had changed from the art scene I remembered leaving in the early 1970s. More has changed since. Despite the troughs and peaks which pepper the histories of most such institutions, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery has maintained a reputation for staging local and touring exhibitions of consistent substance and interest. Whether the product of youthful first-timers, old hands, white fella or Indigenous practitioners, women or men, and perhaps non-binary creatives too, these shows have the power to make one proud of North Queensland - prouder than usual, I should say. I don’t see them all (a hermit’s journey from Ayr to Townsville can be epic) but the many I do reassure me of the seriousness and depth of artistic practice in this region.

I had the luck to work for a while as a technical assistant (picture hanger and dogsbody) at Perc Tucker, and subsequently as an exhibitor, under director Norman Wilson and his colleague, Glen Betz. These two fiery and occasionally controversial figures - both now sadly deceased - helped steer the Gallery in its early years of operation. Their impact on me, as a 30-year old newbie struggling to make a living through art, struggling to find himself, really, was profound. Glen decided I was a genuine afficionado having observed me week after week staring at the Willis and the other works. She thought I was engaged in some very elevated form of art appreciation.

In truth I was just day-dreaming. But what is art, even at its most majestic, but a daydream?

I’m happy to join all the other dreamers of the north.

Bruce James

British art historian, Sister Wendy Beckett writes “A country that has few museums is both materially poor and spiritually poor … museums, like theatres and libraries, are a means of freedom.” When considering Townsville in this regard, we are enriched by the numerous museums, art galleries and libraries in our city. They provide the material that challenges our existing ideas and understanding and liberates our minds to new views and interpretations. The collections housed in these spaces are culturally significant for us as Townsville residents, and for those who come after us. Cultural material helps us understand points in time, it expands knowledge of an historical context and arouses aesthetic appreciation of creative processes. In these objects, housed in museums, galleries and libraries, we see the evolution of our society and envisage our future. These places are important.

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and its collection held by Townsville City Council for the community demonstrates the important place of the cultural and creative sector in telling the story of our city. The building itself tells a story of Townsville’s booming late 19th century economy through the classical façade designed by the prominent architect, FDG Stanley. Particularly memorable for me are the Gallery exhibitions that reflect the history of North Queensland. One such was the 1991, Artists in the Tropics curated by Ross Searle, which presented the responses of artists to the tropical environment since European settlement. While many of the works were loaned from other institutions, a couple of especially interesting works, that reveal Townsville’s beginnings, are held in the City of Townsville Art Collection. These are the Mark Watt Reid sketch of The Homestead at Woodstock, 1865, and the later (c.1885) Julian Ashton, Castle Hill, Townsville, Queensland.

Townsville itself has been the setting for the work of major national and international artists and their work in response to the Townsville landscape has been included in exhibitions in the Gallery as well as acquired for the city’s art collection. This includes the works of artists such as Arthur Streeton, Donald Friend, John Olsen, William Bustard and William Allom. Over the last 40 years the building has presented exhibitions by many local artists that illustrate the evolution of the artist’s creative process. Perc Tucker Regional Gallery has recognised the careers of these artists and their contribution to our local arts sector through retrospective exhibitions of their work. These have included Anneke Silver, Glen O’Malley, Connie Hoedt, Peter Lawson and Bob Preston, to name but a few.

Without the Gallery’s long-standing objective of supporting local artists, our local visual arts scene would not be so vibrant nor the Gallery so nourished and sustained with a diversity of ideas and artistic mediums. Just this year the Gallery has hosted exhibitions by new and existing local artists, Hannah Murray, Sylvia Ditchburn, Katya Venta and Lauren Carter. Through Lauren’s variations on print making techniques and Katya’s “steampunk futurism with a twist of neo-noir”1, work that pushes the boundaries of visual arts in terms of subject matter, medium and art context, the future of our local art scene is promising.

There have always been local artists practicing their craft in Townsville. In the late 1970s Townsville was fortunate to have a Mayor who listened to the lobbyists and understood the social benefits of the arts for the community. Perhaps due to his own family connection to visual art and his profession as a draftsman, there was Council support for the development of a gallery in Townsville at an executive level. While Perc Tucker did not live to see the opening of the Gallery named in his honour, I feel sure he would be gratified by what has been accomplished in support of local artists and the local community over its forty year history. I am optimistic that the next forty years will be as productive and rewarding.

Dr Judith Jensen Team Manager Arts (Visual and Performing)

1 Kate O’Hara, Curiouser and Curiouser, Publication, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, 2020.

There was no regional gallery in the late 1970s when I came back to North Queensland after art school in Sydney. For me, Townsville is the nearest city or professional centre to North West Qld where I drew inspiration.

Then, Mayor Perc Tucker’s vision was embellished by people in the community who knew about art: Joan Innes Reid, Ralph Martin, Ron Kenny and many others. At the time the Gallery was established, the TAFE School of Art and Design was the art school in Townsville and for a large region to Mount Isa, as well as the wet tropics north and south. Art Instructors had a studio day usually once a week to practice and to develop work for art exhibitions. Some of us applied and showed at Perc Tucker Regional Art Gallery and Ralph Martin Gallery.

PTRG has always been vibrant, with openings filled with people from all walks of life, including art connoisseurs and for a long time tertiary art students. Each director brought a different strength. They documented and published the art during their directorship. These regional gallery catalogues and directories are significant records for North Queensland cultural history.

Anne Lord

Congratulations to Perc Tucker Regional Gallery on its 40th birthday. The Gallery is now an institution in Townsville and its reputation for supporting the arts community and sponsoring acclaimed touring exhibitions has continued to grow over the years.

Without question it is one of the premier galleries in regional Australia.

Thanks for the establishment of the Gallery and its subsequent success must go to leadership of the late Perc Tucker, numerous civic advocates and the vibrant and diverse arts community in Townsville. As a young councillor back in the day, I well remember the excitement and the challenges of making it all happen. In just a few years our community not only opened a Civic Theatre, it also celebrated the opening of Perc Tucker Regional Gallery.

The arts scene in our community has come a long way since the 1980s and I’d like to think the presence of the Gallery has played a part in this journey.

Finally, I’d like to recognise the professionalism and dedication of the small team at the Gallery, both past and present, for their efforts.

Tony Mooney AM

My relationship with the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery began with a small solo show in 1987. My first solo show after graduating from art school had been held at the Alfred Street Community Art Centre in Cairns in 1985. Buoyed by the success of this exhibition I got up the courage to approach the Perc Tucker Gallery. It is so very daunting approaching a gallery (as a newbie) with a wish to exhibit there for the first time, especially one with high ceilings, good lighting and thick carpet. However my proposal was accepted by then Director Ross Searle and so began my relationship with Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and Ross, who was very supportive of my practice during those early years.

Living on Magnetic Island I have always felt quite removed from mainstream influences, which has been great for the development of my work, but not so good when it comes to networking and professional development opportunities. I am grateful for the ongoing support I have received from the Gallery, which has been fundamental in growing my professional practice. This was especially true for me during Frances Thomson’s time as Director. A feisty person, she encouraged, critiqued and bossed, not just me, but the entire art community, making waves, pulling strings and getting things happening… determined to put Townsville and Townsville artists on the map.

The current amazing crew at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery continue with this support and encouragement of local artists, whilst also, through retrospective exhibitions celebrate the careers of artists who have contributed so much to the Townsville art scene.

Jenny Mulcahy

Frances Thomson’s passion for printmaking and works on paper, and particularly channelled through a friendship with Gallery patron Tate Adams, resulted in the acquisition of many works by notable Australian printmakers (Adams included). Shane Fitzgerald’s ability to secure significant gifts of works particularly through the Cultural Gifts Program saw key pieces by artists such as Tim Storrier, George Gittoes, and Richard Dunlop enter the collection, however the crowning achievement was certainly the Douglas Kagi Gift. The gift consisted of 454 individual artworks by 66 renowned Australian and International artists, with a particular focus on modern and contemporary works on paper created in the 1960s to early 2000s. Alongside the work by Hodgkin were pieces by artists such as Arthur Boyd, John Olsen, Sir Peter Blake, Richard Hamilton, Donald Teskey, Jorge Castillo, Joan Ponc, Peter Alexander, George Condo, and Larry Rivers.

I was privileged to get an opportunity as a young arts worker at the Gallery, beginning as a Trainee under the Directorship of Frances Thomson, and ultimately working there in a variety of roles for nearly a decade including as the Curator under Shane Fitzgerald. In that time I witnessed, and hopefully contributed to, a balanced approach of bringing amazing artists and experiences to our community; and identifying, nurturing and exhibiting the many talents that could be found within the region.

Eric Nash

I moved to Townsville in 1988 to start a Diploma of Visual Art at TAFE and was soon introduced to Perc Tucker Regional Gallery. It was common for us art students to attend exhibition openings and I was fortunate to have been present for many of my lecturers’ major solo exhibitions, including those of Anneke Silver, Robert Preston, Ron McBurnie, and later Barbara Cheshire; and it is particularly poignant to have attended Robert Preston’s retrospective exhibition this year.

My connection to Perc Tucker Regional Gallery is over thirty years long. In that time, I have attended some amazing exhibitions, the most memorable being World of Wearable Art from New Zealand, and the Brick By Brick exhibition. I have also exhibited my own work, and now, as an art educator, have had the pleasure of seeing my students exhibit theirs.

My more recent interactions with the Gallery (actually, since 2003) have been through my role as an art educator and occasional chairperson of the North Queensland Art Teachers Association (NQArT). The opportunities and education programs that have been provided to schools in our region have been greatly appreciated, including the Artist in Schools program, and support for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Project: People, Culture & Country.

A highlight for me is my school (in collaboration with 2 other schools) winning the 2015 Strand Ephemera People’s Choice Award for an artwork titled Grand Annual Winter Tour to Anywhere, which was facilitated by a PTRG artist-in-residence program with Ben Trupperbaumer. Woohoo!!! Happy 40th PTRG!!!

Christina Papadimitriou

On the afternoon of 2021’s first State of Origin match played in Townsville, a Brisbane ABC presenter (whose radio career began in Townsville) called the Seaview Hotel to savor the Rugby League fervor gripping the town. He knew the Seaview as a Rugby League bastion whose wide beer garden looks across The Strand to a Cinemascope vista of Magnetic Island, the harbour entrance to the south and in front a WWII memorial naval gun, typical of North Queensland seafront towns, warning off future invaders.

When the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery opened in 1981, the first upstairs exhibition was curated by Brisbane art dealer Ray Hughes, from his ‘stable’ of Australian artists with focus on Queenslanders: Davida Allen, Steven Killick (from Adelaide living in Brisbane), Sally L’Estrange, Robert MacPherson, Glen O’Malley, William Robinson, Ian Smith, Madonna Staunton and Bill Yaxley. The opening night was a grand event with a vital sense of a new age ahead for art in Townsville. The day after, Glen O’Malley, Ray Hughes and I convened for lunch at the Seaview Hotel with Reg Chappell (Perc Tucker’s first acting Director) and other close supporters including Peter Bell (James Cook University) and my previous school friend, Laurie Hammond (now marine biologist associated with AIMS) and his wife Cathy. The Hammonds had recently returned from 6 or 7 years of Laurie’s PHD in Jamaica, where I had visited them for two weeks over Christmas, 1978, as part of a six-week tour of USA I did, mostly on Greyhound Buses. So 1981’s events in Townsville just seemed to join on to the outward bound adventures of our young lives.

Back in Brisbane I painted Seaview Lunch commemorating a great weekend. Reg Chappell (blue foreground figure) attended my late 1982 show (Ray Hughes Gallery, Brisbane) and, in his wisdom, purchased Seaview Lunch for the Gallery. It has become a valued historical attribute to the collection; and personally for me, since my beloved friends Laurie and Ray are no longer with us. At a 1996 Perc Tucker show, the newly formed Cowboys football team was invited to choose a favorite work in the collection. (Or, excuse my aging recall, was it the Crocodiles basket ballers?) AND THE WINNER WAS: SEAVIEW LUNCH! No doubt in honor of my accomplished portraiture and brushwork - or, hang on, could it have been their sporting love of that wonderful Strand venue? The Seaview Hotel!

Ian Smith

Imagine Townsville in the 1960s: no art galleries of any kind. Only a handful of enthusiastic artists ranging from internationally trained to self-taught enthousiasts; having exhibitions in whatever venue was available; department store or foyer— between mixed merchandise or ticket offices.

Imagine the immense sense of isolation; no internet; TVs in shopwindows (black and white); people on the footpath watching!! To know what went on elsewhere we had to see the actual works here.

Enlightened and influential individuals at JCU managed to attract southern works to the JCU refectory. Grateful as we were, it was not a good venue with its hessian panels, galvanised stands and overhead fluorescents.

It was perfectly clear that a gallery was desperately needed for another vital reason. Townsville was in the middle of a veritable explosion of art practice in a variety of media, often sparked by one influential person. Plus, the Art Society had lobbied for an art course at TAFE. A tiny private gallery started. We loved seeing work from elsewhere, but we were not seen in the wider world.

Finally, after a decade of lobbying we had a Regional Gallery. What a difference it made!! A fully equipped gallery. With insightful and proactive Directors, it not only attracted shows from ‘down south’ but created shows from the Townsville arts community, with printed catalogues, essays and publications, which toured the country. Townsville took its place in the greater art world; we became known for our lively, diverse and highly professional arts community, thanks to that Perc Tucker Regional Gallery.

Anneke Silver

As public programs for children became a focus in galleries, and with a background in education and gallery management, I introduced a number of innovative programs for kids. All of my programs, such as Strand Ephemera— developed to give artists an opportunity to hone their public art skills as well as provide a cornucopia of outdoor art for the public— offered multiple benefits. Inspiring kids through art classes, artists-into-schools program, the stairwell gallery exclusively showing children’s work, guided tours for kids and a focus on specific works in the collection had the potential to develop a life-long audience for the visual arts. The Allom painting of historical Townsville proved popular with kids and adult visitors; a teacher commented on the clouds as being those that formed during the mango winds— local knowledge! Kids were encouraged by their teachers to write thank you letters. It was after a tour of the Piccinini show that a primary aged girl wrote that she had wanted to be a princess, until her visit to the Gallery convinced her to become an artist.

Frances Thomson

LOGIC CAN TAKE YOU FROM A TO B, IMAGINATION CAN TAKE YOU ANYWHERE!!!!

And that ‘Imagination’ leaps off the walls of Perc’s Place and grasps your senses, and more often than not changes your world, for the moment, or for the memories. I love the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, I always have. From the glorious days of our Mall when we could look out on the throng of tropical pleasure during the Sunday morn market, or a glass of champers at a council function right on sunset, watching and listening to the lorikeets in the magnificent Milkwood trees which were right outside. I’ve had the honour of launching many a function over the last 38 mango seasons here at the Gallery, and I’ve loved every one of them, from Chamber Music and the Percivals, to even my own display from the Antarctic, this has been the centre of Art in Paradise, and always will be. The magic continues today with the wonderful opportunity for local artists, and the great kids activities; it is our artistic past, and will be our sensational artistic future! This wondrous building represents the tropics perfectly, almost as an artistic piece itself, the high ceilings, the surrounding Champaign balcony, and of course the steep stairs where many a masterpiece would appear as well. From the idyllic seascapes of Denis Hardy, the beaches of Noel Wood, to wearable art and Lego, the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery has been home to it all, and will be for generations of ‘Imaginations’ to come.

Happy Days.

Steve Price OAM

Tate Adams Pandanus XX 2011 Silkcut linocut printed in black ink from one block on BFK Reeves 300gsm paper 80 x 120 cm Gift of the Artist, 2011 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2011.0112.000 ©Tate Adams

Valerie Albiston Timana Island 1945 Oil on composition board, 86.6 x 69 cm Purchased, 1986. Perc Tucker Memorial Art Collection Appeal Fund City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1986.0008.000 ©Valerie Albiston

William Jamieson Allom Townsville [painted from David Brands Slipway, Ross Creek] 1884 Oil on canvas, 61 x 107 cm Purchased, 1995. With the assistance of Mr Paul Martinez of wilson/ryan/grose Lawyers City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1995.0095.000

Bruce Anderson Vase 1984 Raku, thrown and handbuilt, 47.3 x 28 x 15 cm Purchased, 1984, Perc Tucker Memorial Art Collection Appeal Fund City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1984.0020.000 ©Bruce Anderson

Garry Andrews Untitled 1980 Synthetic polymer paint, pastel and charcoal on paper, 67.2 x 56 cm Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Arthur and Michelle Collins, 2010 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2009.0053.000

Left: Andrew Arnaoutopoulos Industrial surfaces on large canvas no 5 1989 Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 203 x 203 cm Purchased, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0038.000 ©Andrew Arnaoutopoulos George Baldessin, Personages and Gothic 1969 Etching and aquatint printed from 2 plates, 51.5 x 76 cm Purchased with funds from the Perc Tucker Memorial Art Collection Appeal, 1985 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1985.0014.000 ©George Baldessin

Bandarrpi Wurrpan (emus feeding), no date Ochres on bark, 72.5 x 26 cm Acquired before 1985 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1987.0035.000

Tadek Beutlich Two Suns circa 1960 Woodblock printed in red and black ink, from multiple stencils on thick cream laid paper, 88 x 58.4 cm Gift of Ross Searle, Brisbane, 2015. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2015.0039.000

James Billy Star bowl 2009 Ceramic, sawdust fired, 17.3 x 8 cm diameter Gift of the Artist, 2020 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2020.0147.000 ©James Billy

David Blackman Geronimo 1976 Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 121 x 155.5 cm Purchased, 1976 Townsville Pacific Festival City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1976.0014.000

G.W. BOT The Keeper 2002 Linocut printed in black ink from one block, on Magnani paper, 91.5 x 51.5 cm Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Sascha Grishin, 2013 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2013.0011.000

Frank Boyden (Untitled), 1988 Salt and wood fired earthenware, 37.5 x 19 cm diameter Gift of Vincent Ray, 2008 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2008.0045.000

Vincent Bray Stacks and ventilation 2000 Etching printed in black ink, from one plate on rag paper, 22.1 x 25.8 cm Gift of Tate Adams, Lyre Bird Press, 2002 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2002.0098.000 Right: James Brown The Estuary, Townsville Common 1983 Watercolour on Paper, 40 x 39 cm Purchased, 1983 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1983.0021.000 ©James Brown

Bungguwuy Lorrkon (Hollow log repository for the spirits of the unborn), no date Ochres on bark, 112 x 57 cm Purchased, 1984 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1984.0026.000

Robert Burton Dodo, 2000 Ceramic; Earthenware reduction fired with crackle-glaze 40.5 x 56.8 x 22.5 cm Purchased, 2000 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2000.0005.000 ©Robert Burton

William Bustard Castle Hill, Townsville 1936 Watercolour on paper, 31 x 41.5 cm Purchased, 1995 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1995.0101.000

Laura Castell This is what I think 2011 Woodblock printed in black ink, from one block on thick cream laid paper with Chine Colle’. 80.5 x 62 cm Purchased from the Artist, 2020 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2020.0066.000 ©Laura Castell

Barbara Cheshire White towel progression 1990 Mixed media on paper, 108 x 148.4 cm Purchased, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1999.0145.000 ©Barbara Cheshire Right: Jock Clutterbuck The Moon 2000 Etching, aquatint and colour stencil on rag paper, 40 x 40 cm Gift of Tate Adams, 2003 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2003.0249.000 ©Jock Clutterbuck

John Coburn Garden of desire 1976 Screenprint, printed in colour, from multiple stencils, 56 x 89.8 cm Purchased with funds from the Townsville Art Society and the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council, 1976 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1976.0010.000 ©John Coburn

Len Cook High tide 1997 Locally dug clay (Paluma), woodfired, with fishscale glaze, 8 x 26.5 cm Purchased with the assistance of the VACB of the Australia Council, 1997 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1997.0021.000 ©Len Cook Jim Cox Lotus bird 1983 Gouache on paper, 19.5 x 19.5 cm Purchased from the Artist, 1984 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1984.0004.000

Ray Crooke Study for ‘The Departure’, 1980 Oil over synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 137 x 164 cm Gift of the Artist, 1997 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1997.0052.000 ©Courtesy of The Estate of Ray Crooke Right: Lawrence M. Daws Interior - Owl Creek, 1978 Etching and aquatint, printed in black ink, from one plate on white C.M.Fabriano paper, 49.8 x 50.4 cm Gift of Ray Crooke, 1994 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1994.0014.000

Right: Cor and Jan de Veth [Vase] 1977 Stoneware, thrown and altered, pressed additions, incised, 23.5 x 8.5 cm diameter Townsville Pacific Festival, 1977 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1977.0009.000

Above: Sylvia Ditchburn, Fan Palm Series lll 2000 Gouache on paper, 56 x 76 cm Unknown province City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2021.0081.000 © Sylvia Ditchburn Left: Carolyn Dodds Names have power 2000 Linocut hand printed in black ink from one block on Mulberry paper, 37.2 x 59 cm Gift of the Artist, 2002 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2002.0018.000 ©Carolyn Dodds

Russell Drysdale Yorkey’s Knob, circa 1957 Pen, ink, wax and watercolour on paper, 24.5 x 37.3 cm Gift of Ray Crooke, 1994 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1994.0005.000

John Firth-Smith Cajun 1972 Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 175 x 243 cm Purchased, 1974, Townsville Pacific Festival City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1974.0003.000

Shane Fitzgerald Giya III 2006 Duraflex print, 213.5 x 104 cm Gift of the Artist, 2012. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2012.0061.000 ©Shane Fitzgerald

Donna Foley Head in the clouds or in a book: Portrait of the artist Ronald McBurnie 2018 Oil on canvas, 123 x 163 cm Gift of the Artist, 2019. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2019.0017.000 ©Donna Foley

Neville French Helmet bowl 1997 Porcelain, 14.5 x 18 cm diameter Purchased with the assistance of the VACB of the Australia Council, 1997 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1997.0034.000

Donald Friend Tropical Landscape, Townsville 1954 Ink and watercolour on paper, 62 x 72 cm Purchased, 2003 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2003.0039.000

Marion Gaemers Held High 1990 Mixed media; coconut fibre, pine needles, twigs, 19.5 x 20 x 18 cm, 33 x 21 x 17 cm, 36.8 x 29 x 24 cm Purchased, 1991 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1991.0021.000 ©Marion Gaemers

George Garawun The people dancing, 1982 Ochres on bark, 61 x 22 cm Acquired, 1982 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1982.0022.000

Cyril Gibbs, Farmhouse, Queensland [Gordonvale] circa 1950 Watercolour on paper, 32 x 49 cm Purchased, 1993, with funds from an anonymous donor City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1993.0042.000

George Gittoes The night brief, Baidoa, 1995 Oil on canvas, 152 x 183 cm Gift of Mrs Joyce Gittoes under the Cultural Gifts Program, 2002 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2002.0119.000

Mini Graff with Kurt Iveson Equality series 2016 1 colour screen print, 74.9 x 49.8 cm Gift of the Artist, 2020 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2020.0023.000 ©Wendy Murray

Steven Grainger Orbiting love funnel 1986 Mixed media on paper, 24.7 x 32 cm Purchased from Milburn + Arte, 1989 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1989.0031.000

Above: Paul Haefliger Townsville 1936 Woodcut printed in colour in the Japanese manner, from multiple blocks on thin cream laid paper, 17.5 x 24 cm Purchased from Josef Lebovic Gallery, Sydney, 1991 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1991.0028.000 Left: HAHA Maori Chief ‘Natai’ 2013 Aerosol on paper, 26 x 22 cm Gift of the Artist, 2013 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2013.0012.000 ©HAHA

Richard Hammond Decaying form 1977 Screenprint on paper, 45.5 x 39.5 cm Purchased, 1977, Townsville Pacific Festival City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1977.0044.000

Gwyn Hanssen Piggott Still life 1990 Wood fired porcelain, 21.5 x 50 cm Purchased from Margaret Francey Gallery, 1991 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1991.0001.000

Seppo Hautaniemi Post 1976 Mixed media on composition board 124.4 x 103 cm Purchased, 1976, Townsville Pacific Festival City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1976.0002.000 ©Seppo Hautaniemi

Jane Hawkins (Bottom) circa 1981 Ceramic, 35 x 35 x 26 cm Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Arthur and Michelle Collins, 2010 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2009.0066.000 ©Jane Hawkins

Frank Hinder Advance circa 1950 lithograph, 37.5 x 27 cm Purchased from Josef Lebovic Gallery, Sydney, 1994. Funded by the Corporate Membership Program City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1994.0015.000

Connie Hoedt Group of two forms 1974 Stoneware, thrown, altered, dry glazes, slashed tops, 20.5 x 14 cm, 22 x 16.5 cm diameter Townsville Pacific Festival 1974 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1974.0008.000

Above: Laurence Hope Interior Townsville Pub / Cane Farmer 1951 Oil on paper, 38 x 54 cm Purchased from Heiser Gallery, Brisbane, 2015 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2015.0161.000 Left: Jan Hynes, Pruning the Palms on The Strand 2007 Oil on canvas, 80 x 90 cm Purchased from the Artist, 2008 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2008.0021.000 ©Jan Hynes

Robert Jacks [ A family of Forms by Robert Jacks.] 1999 Serigraph printed on printmaking paper, 53 x 121 cm Gift of Tate Adams, Lyre Bird Press, 2002 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2002.0073.000

Bruce James Norman Wilson, founding director, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, 1981-1985 1985 Pencil, 30 x 21 cm Gift of the Artist, 1986 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1986.0017.000

Jenuarrie Jowalbina 1988 Linocut on paper, 47.3 x 33.5 cm Purchased, 1993 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1993.0012.000

Ian Kaddy Malo 2010 Linocut, 78 x 50 cm Purchased, 2010 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2010.0102.000

Ronald Kenny Totem I, 1968 Ink and watercolour on paper, 45.8 x 30.1 cm Gift of the Barbara Douglas Estate, Townsville, 2015 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2015.0004.000

Sheree Kinlyside Mr Cook thought it best to put the art out with the cat 2010 Etching and aquatint printed in black ink from one plate, 14.7 x 12.7 cm Gift of the Artist, 2010 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2010.0130.000 ©Sheree Kinlyside

Catherine Lane No burden 2011 Anagama fired, 50 x 14 x 10 cm Acquisitive Prize, 2012, North Qld Potters Association Awards City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2012.0074.000

Richard Lane, Hervey Range 2014 Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 75 x 100 cm Purchased from the Artist, 2015 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2015.0006.000 ©Richard Lane

Jo Lankester Stormy 2002 Collagraph printed in black ink over conte, from multiple plates on rag paper, 57 x 79 cm Gift of Private Donor, 2002 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2002.0060.000 ©Jo Lankester

Peter Lawson Untitled [Bohle Abbatoirs], no date Oil on canvas panel, 50.5 x 75.7 cm Asset transfer from the City of Thuringowa Art Collection City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2001.0061.000 ©Peter Lawson

Sean Leathers Scrub Turkeys 2003 Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 60 x 201 cm Purchased ATSI TAFE exhibition, 2003 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2003.0002.000

Kevin Lincoln Untitled self portrait 2011 Oil on canvas, 95 x 155 cm Acquisitive Prize, 2012, Xstrata Percival Portrait Award City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2012.0065.000

Top Left: Anne Lord Into the deep 1988 Wood-engraving, printed in black ink, from one block on white Arches 88, 300 gsm wove paper, 4.8 x 5.2 cm Purchased with the assistance of the Perc Tucker Memorial Collection Appeal Fund, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0014.001 ©Anne Lord

Centre Left Anne Lord Reflections 1988 Wood-engraving, printed in black ink, from one block on white Arches 88, 300 gsm wove paper, 4.2 x 5.3 cm, Purchased with the assistance of the Perc Tucker Memorial Collection Appeal Fund, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0014.002 ©Anne Lord

Bottom Left: Anne Lord Strings 1988, Wood-engraving, printed in black ink, from one block on white Arches 88, 300 gsm wove paper, 4.1 x 5.1 cm Purchased with the assistance of the Perc Tucker Memorial Collection Appeal Fund, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0014.003 ©Anne Lord Top Centre: Anne Lord Tunnel 1988 Wood-engraving, printed in black ink, from one block on white Arches 88, 300 gsm wove pape, 4.3 x 5.4 cm Purchased with the assistance of the Perc Tucker Memorial Collection Appeal Fund, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0014.004 ©Anne Lord

Centre: Anne Lord The nixie 1988 Wood-engraving, printed in black ink, from one block on white Arches 88, 300 gsm wove paper, 4.6 x 5.5 cm Purchased with the assistance of the Perc Tucker Memorial Collection Appeal Fund, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0014.005 ©Anne Lord

Bottom Centre: Anne Lord Animal 1989 Wood-engraving, printed in black ink, from one block on white Arches 88, 300 gsm wove paper, 6 x 7 cm Purchased with the assistance of the Perc Tucker Memorial Collection Appeal Fund, 1990, City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0014.006 ©Anne Lord Top Right: Anne Lord Doorway 1988 Wood-engraving, printed in black ink, from one block on white Arches 88, 300 gsm wove paper, 4.6 x 5.6 cm Purchased with the assistance of the Perc Tucker Memorial Collection Appeal Fund, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0014.007 ©Anne Lord

Centre Right: Anne Lord Slant 1988 Wood-engraving, printed in black ink, from one block on white Arches 88, 300 gsm wove paper, 5.1 x 6.3 cm Purchased with the assistance of the Perc Tucker Memorial Collection Appeal Fund, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0014.008 ©Anne Lord

Bottom Right: Anne Lord Parting 1989 Wood-engraving, printed in black ink, from one block on white Arches 88, 300 gsm wove paper, 4.6 x 5.3 cm Purchased with the assistance of the Perc Tucker Memorial Collection Appeal Fund, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0014.009 ©Anne Lord

Left: Stewart MacFarlane North 1998 Oil on canvas, 183 x 152 cm Purchased, 2000 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2000.0053.000 ©Stewart MacFarlane Euan Macleod Painting with shovel 2009 Oil on canvas, 137 x 180 cm Gift of Euan Macleod, 2014. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2014.0076.000 ©Euan Macleod

David Malangi [Untitled] [egret, mangrove, snake] no date Ochres on bark, 80 x 31 cm Purchased, 1984 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1984.0027.000

Claudine Marzik Mesh, 2004 Etching and aquatint; printed in colour from two plates on paper, 29.9 x 44.7 cm Gift of Ron McBurnie from the Ron and Bronwyn McBurnie Collection, 2014 Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2014.0013.000

Ron McBurnie Giant man fern 1983 Etching and drypoint on paper, 94.4 x 49.7 cm Purchased, 1984 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1984.0005.000 ©Ron McBurnie

Above: Alison McDonald Under Aber Royal Pier 2015 Recycled copper and timber, 53 x 130 x 4 cm Purchased from the Artist, 2020 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2020.0072.000 ©Alison McDonald

Ryan McNaught Perc Tucker Regional Gallery 2013 ABS Plastic bricks [Lego], 33.0 x 76.5 x 76.5 cm Commissioned and purchased from the Artist, 2014 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2014.0067.000

Harry Memmott Townsville Army Camp, September 1942, circa 1942 Watercolour on paper, 24.7 x 33.5 cm Purchased from Heiser Gallery, Brisbane, 2014 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2014.0068.000

Candace Miles Secret ascidium 1999 Clay, handbuilt, raku fired, 40 x 56 cm Commissioned for Viewpoints: Images of Thuringowa, 2000 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2011.0174.000 ©Candace Miles

George Milpurrurru Djakaldjirrparr 1983 Ochres on bark, 112 x 60 cm Purchased, 1983 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1983.0005.000

Milton Moon Bottle, no date Wheel thrown, low-fired, with dry glaze, 13 x 11 x 11 cm Gift of Vincent Ray, 2008 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2008.0048.000

Left: Daniel Moynihan King of the south-west 1996 Lithograph, 100 x 75 cm, Purchased, 1999 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1999.0123.000 Jenny Mulcahy Open cut 2006 Ceramic and glass, 32 x 54 cm diameter Gift of the Artist, 2012 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2012.0075.000 ©Jenny Mulcahy

Maryanne Mungatopi Untitled, 1999 Hard-ground etching in 2 colours, printed from 1 copper plate with colour roll-up, 44.9 x 34.5 cm Purchased from the Australian Print Workshop, 2000 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2000.0016.000

Glen O’Malley Untitled (triptych from ‘Listening to Skin’), 1998 Silver gelatin photograph, 36.5 x 46.1 cm Purchased, 1999 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1999.0065.002 ©Glen O’Malley

Glen O’Malley Untitled (triptych from ‘Listening to Skin’), 1998 Silver gelatin photograph, 20.1 x 50.2 cm Purchased, 1999 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1999.0065.001 ©Glen O’Malley

Glen O’Malley Untitled (triptych from ‘Listening to Skin’), 1998 Silver gelatin photograph, 46.3 x 36.6 cm Purchased, 1999 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1999.0065.003 ©Glen O’Malley

Tim Page Australian 105 Artillery firing from Núi Ðat into the Horseshoe 1966 Fuji metallic pearl monochromatic print, 34 x 51 cm Purchased from the Artist, 2015 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2015.0022.000 ©Tim Page

Roy Parkinson Magnetic Island, north Queensland, no date Watercolour on paper, 26.5 x 34.7cm Purchased with funds from the Perc Tucker Memorial Art Appeal Fund, 1987 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1987.0036.000

Tommy Pau Sia (Carina Nebula), 2015 Linocut printed in black ink from one block on paper, 54.6 x 90.7 cm Purchased from Umbrella Studio of Contemporary Arts, 2019 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2019.0013.000

Susan Peters Nampitjin Bush honey and water dreaming 2005 Synthetic polymer paint on canvas 120 x 180 cm Purchased from the Artist, 2004 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2004.0014.000 ©Susan Peters Nampitjin

Susan Pickering Fluent 3 1999 Aquatint, 55.7 x 56 cm Gift of Ralph Martin, 2005 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2005.0010.000

Left: Barbara Pierce Gully, 2004 Collage, synthetic polymer paint, 6.2 x 6 cm Gift of the Artist, 2005 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2005.0016.000 Above: Dr Robert Preston Versa-tile pool, no. 1 1976 Synthetic polymer tempera and vinyl on canvas, 155 x 183.5 cm, Acquired, 1976 Townsville Pacific Festival John Raggatt Acquisitive Award City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1976.0015.000 ©Dr Robert Preston

Tom Risley Still life on paper 1993 Mixed media, 32 x 44 cm Purchased, 1993 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1993.0057.000

William Robinson Farm self portrait V 2004 Lithograph, 21.5 x 33 cm Purchased from the Artist, 2010 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2021.0080.000

Arthur Rosser, Storage jar circa 1985 Earthenware; wheelthrown, glazed, 45 x 35 cm diameter Purchased from Martin Gallery, 1985 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1985.0028.000 Carol Rosser Flat sided bottle 1997 Stoneware, Anagma fired, with natural wood ash deposits from Blue Gum, 27 x 25 x 11.5 cm Townsville Ceramic Award with the assistance of the VACB of the Australia Council, 1997 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1997.0044.000

David Rowe Symbiosis, 2007 Oil on canvas, 179.6 x 129 cm Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, by the Artist, 2013 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2013.0001.000 ©David Rowe

Jorg Schmeisser Palmetum print, 1998 Etching on printmaking paper, 46.5 x 76.5 cm Gift of Tate Adams, Lyre Bird Press, 2002 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2002.0129.000

Jan Senbergs Studio table 2003 Black pastel on thick wove paper, 49 x 69 cm Gift of the Artist, 2008 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2008.0031.000 ©Courtesy of Jan Senbergs and Niagra Gallery

Mitsuo Shoji [Blue vase] no date Wheelthrown stoneware, 30 x 18 cm diameter Gift of Vincent Ray, 1995 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1995.0045.000

Anneke Silver Enthroned Goddess I 1989 Charcoal and synthetic polymer paint on paper, 145 x 110 cm Gift of the Artist, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0017.000 ©Anneke Silver Anneke Silver Enthroned Goddess II 1989 Charcoal and synthetic polymer paint on paper, 145 x 110 cm Gift of the Artist, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0018.000 ©Anneke Silver

Ture Sjolander King of New York 1973 4 colour screenprint on rag paper, 65 x 63 cm Gift of the Artist, 1990 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1990.0024.000

Ian Smith Seaview lunch 1981 Oil on canvas 180 x 168 cm Purchased from Ray Hughes Gallery, 1982 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1982.0001.000 ©Ian Smith

Madonna Staunton Untitled 1981 Collage on paper, 9.4 x 12 cm Purchased, 1984 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1984.0035.000 ©Courtesy of The Estate of Madonna Staunton

Madonna Staunton Untitled 1981 Collage on paper, 8.8 x 13.3 cm Purchased, 1984 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1984.0031.000 ©Courtesy of The Estate of Madonna Staunton

Madonna Staunton Untitled 1981 Collage on paper, 9 x 12 cm Purchased, 1984 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1984.0030.000 ©Courtesy of The Estate of Madonna Staunton

Right: Jimmy K. Thaiday Weku Lu 2019 Walkers White Raku, 37 x 24 x 8 cm Purchased from Onespace Gallery, 2020. City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2020.0073.000 ©Jimmy K. Thaiday

Eric Prentice Anchor Thake Camouflaged workshop, 14 ARD, Gorrie (14 Aircraft Repair Depot, Gorrie Airfield, Northern Territory) 1945 Watercolour and pencil on card, 37.3 x 49.2 cm Gift of the Estate of Laurie Stratford, 2008 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2008.0065.000

Ann Thomson Requiem I 2005 Intaglio and computer generated; drypoint, electrical engraver and digital print on rag paper, 44.1 x 29.1 cm Gift of Ron McBurnie from the Ron and Bronwyn McBurnie Collection, 2014. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2014.0001.000 ©Ann Thomson

Ben Trupperbaumer Tent in my Garden 2007 Acacia cedar (Albiza Toona) wood & polyurethane, 58 x 30 x 20 cm, 39 x 138 x 3 cm Purchased, 2007 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2007.0025.000 ©Ben Trupperbaumer

Alan Valentine Oh my* Where did the years go 2016 Kinetic sculpture. Calved native wood, metal, plastic, 28.3 x 8.7 x 8.7 cm Gift of Robert Henry, 2019 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2020.0002.000 ©Alan Valentine

Shaun Wake-Mazey Face, 1986 Conte, 53.5 x 70.3 cm Purchased with the assistance of Robert Keane, 1987 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1987.0004.000

Judy Watson Sacred ground 1989 Lithograph, printed in black ink, from one stone on dark cream wove Lana paper, 27 x 32 cm Purchased, 1995, City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1995.0003.000 ©Judy Watson

Left: Jane Wege Untitled 1986 Oil, encaustic wax and collage on canvas, 150 x 136 cm Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts program by Richard Lane, 2009 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2009.0021.000

Right: Margaret Wilson Black River blue basalt 2000 Hand-coloured aquatint from zinc plate, 54.5 x 46 cm Acquired for the City of Thuringowa Art Collection, 2003. Asset transfer, 2011 City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 2011.0088.000

Rick Wood Bowl 1995 Stoneware; thrown, fish scale crackle glaze, 6.8 x 20 cm diameter, Purchased, 1995 With funding assistance from the Australia Council Visual Arts Craft Board City of Townsville Art Collection Accession No: 1995.0124.000