Remarkable women on show
REGIONAL art galleries play an important role in their communities by showing works by local artists, encouraging interaction between different groups, and in providing a welcoming space in which to enjoy arts-related events.
The Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery is a communityoriented venue as exemplified by its current exhibitions.
Each of the discrete shows is distinct but connected by the theme of saluting remarkable women.
The glass-cased display area promotes Remarkable Women of the Granite Belt, an initiative by the local chapter of the Zonta Club to preserve the history and acknowledge the contribution of women in the district.
As part of the celebrations marking Stanthorpe’s 150th Anniversary plaques will be installed in the Quart Pot Creek Parklands commemorating the first twelve women selected.
In the main gallery Remarkable Women: Artists from the Granite Belt, shows the work of more than twelve women who share their vision through ceramics, fibre art, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
The variety testifies to the creative versatility that allows individual expression under the collective imprimatur of “remarkable women.”
Highlights include ceramic vessels by Maryke Miller, fibre work by Sue Jurd and Fay Roselt, and clay sculptures of birds cleverly wrought by Maggie Brockie.
First Nation heritage is given dramatic presence in the installation Dinawan (Emu) Dreaming by Maria DeVries, the decorative dot paintings such as In the Night Sky by Jen Martin, and the shieldlike panels of painted bark by Arora DeVries.
A series of striking watercolours by Karen Johns and photographs by Sandra McEwan convey a haunting nostalgia.
The exhibition on the mezzanine floor, Remarkable Women: I am a survivor, features paintings by Anne Collins.
The works are expressive, colourful, and densely surfaced.
Landscapes, such as Rainforest Tamborine 2 with its gestural intensity, recall works by American Abstract Expressionist, Joan Mitchell.
Still life studies of flowers, portraits like The Old Man, and We Love Dogs, the charming, lyrical self-portrait, Myself When Young, and the vibrant abstract, Bubbles, attest to a vigorous, emotionally charged approach to subject.
There is a sense of spontaneity, an innate curiosity, and feelings of joy communicated by the paintings.
The exhibition is made more memorable by the fact that Anne Collins is 98 years old.
This ‘force of nature’ was born in Guernsey and following the financial catastrophes of The Depression she emigrated with her parents in an old 15-metre French fishing boat.
The trip took an eventful two years before the family finally arrived in Australia.
In the Pamela Bell Artspace, Remarkable Women: Artists from the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery Collection includes still life paintings by Margaret Olley and Vida Lahey, a fibre assemblage by Inga Hunter, miniature woollen saddlebags by Solvig BaasBecking, recycled newspaper scrolls by Catherine K, a handmade paper construction by Christine Ballinger, and paintings by Pat Jenkins and Helen Lancaster.