Gold Coast City Gallery was the only Queensland institution to receive awards in either the Museum and Galleries National Awards, and Museums Australia Publications and Design Awards presented at the 2011 Museums Australia National Conference this week.
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Early Days Bush Family 2009, Tjanpi Desert Weavers.
From KuruAlala: eyes open |
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Museums Australia Publication and Design Awards: Highly Commended |
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One of the works from the Collection featured in the education kit: Scott Redford, Surf painting/Black Palms
2001, resin over painted foam. Purchased 2001. |
The inaugural Museums and Galleries National Awards recognise excellent work nationally in the categories of exhibition, public programs and sustainability projects.
The exhibition KuruAlala: Eyes Open was presented as the winner in the category of Small Museum Temporary Exhibition (budget over $25,000).
The travelling exhibition was curated by Gold Coast City Gallery Curator Virginia Rigney, together with Joanna Foster of TjanpiDesert Weavers and has been on tour since 2009 when it was initially on display in the Gallery.
The exhibition, developed in partnership with the Tjanpi Desert Weavers is the product of residencies and art workshops in the NPY lands over 2008-09made possible by generous financial support from The Balnaves Foundation.
Contemporary installation artists Maria Fernanda Cardoso and Alison Clouston visited the Ngaanyatjarra and Pitjantjatjara Lands respectively to share ideas, experiences and skills with fibre artists from the renowned Tjanpi Desert Weavers.
They collaborated on the development of an exhibition with the aim to stimulate greater awareness and insight into concepts of culture, country and community.
The Gallery was also Highly Commended in the Museums Australia Multimedia and Publication Design Awards (MAPDA) in the Education Material category for its school resources kit, ART UNPACKED: LAND AND PLACE, produced by; Virginia Rigney, Curator and Writer Brendan Lee, Curriculum Writer Cameron Pirrie, Designer MAPDAs celebrate excellence in design and communication in the museum and collections sector across Australia.
Judges commented that the concept was ‘visually engaging and functional for target audiences’ as well as user friendly and durable.
ART UNPACKED is a major new education resource written for Australian schools drawn from Gold Coast City Gallery’s extensive collection. Each Gold Coast School is eligible to receive one free copy and additional copies are available for purchase at $50 + postage.