Steel, sculpture, tapestry and textile are all in the mix at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.
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Gallery staff are busy preparing for the opening night of its biennial Art Award Exhibition, the winner of which will be announced on Friday.
With over 60 finalists, about 75 works will be on display. Without a theme, the award is open to any and all artists from the region.
We want our audiences to feel engaged, we want locals to feel we are part of what we do.
- Gina Mobayed
The open nature of the art award allows it to support an unlimited range of artists, says Gallery director Gina Mobayed. It also gives audiences the chance to experience the sheer breadth of artistic talent within the region.
Judge this year is David Broker, director of Canberra Contemporary Art Space.
With Ms Mobayed, Mr Broker will announce the prize-winner, and highly commended. The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000, and an exhibition in the gallery’s 2019 program.
The Young Artist Award prize-winner will also be announced on the night. This award accepts submissions from school children, with nine finalists this year.
The award is part of the gallery’s two pronged approach to its role in the Goulburn region. Internally, the gallery works towards supporting artists, while always ensuring audiences get a different experience when they enter the space.
“Everything that we do is geared towards supporting artists, fostering creative practises in the region and beyond, but also building connections within our audiences for contemporary art,” Ms Mobayed.
“We want our audiences to feel engaged, we want locals to feel we are part of what we do. We are only as relevant as our community thinks that we are.”
Ms Mobayed encouraged the community to come along to the event, which Mayor Bob Kirk will officially launch.
“In supporting our artistic community, our openings are also a community event, where people can come, get to know each other,” she said. “There will be other directors of other galleries there, writers, curators, other artists, and that dialogue is really important to us.”
The night also marks the launch of an inaugural exhibition of the gallery’s Outreach program, designed to improve accessibility to the Gallery.
- Goulburn Art Award launch begins at 6pm on Friday April 20, at 184 Bourke Street, Goulburn