News + Media Releases

John Gollings: the history of the built world.

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Final weeks until 9 May 2021 – a “must see” exhibition.

John Gollings is Australia’s pre-eminent photographer of the built environment. For the past 50 years he has been synthesising his joint interests in photography and architecture to explore the cultural construction of social spaces.

John Gollings: the history of the built world is the first major survey of Gollings’s photographic practice. While Gollings is well known for his documentation of new buildings and cityscapes, this survey exhibition situates these images within the broader context of his photographic practice. Alongside his commercial work, Gollings has always engaged in projects concerned with architectural history and heritage. This includes photographs of iconic modernist buildings, ancient sites of spiritual significance and the ruins of abandoned cities. Gollings’s interest in architectural heritage is also apparent in his documentation of places such as Melbourne and Surfers Paradise, where he has recorded the evolution of the built environment over extended periods of time.

Constantly innovating with photographic technologies, and investigating new architectural subjects with a restless enthusiasm, Gollings has developed a distinctive visual style. This style typically conveys a personal or physical connection with the structure being photographed. Rather than documenting buildings in a way that reproduces the impersonal elevation plans of an architectural diagram, Gollings embeds the viewer in face-to-face encounters with built environments. Using a range of compositional techniques and visual effects to invest architecture with personality, he portrays buildings as lively habitats rather than static monuments. John Gollings: the history of the built world is an MGA travelling exhibition. The exhibition closes 9 May 2021.

Cowra Regional Art Gallery is located at 77 Darling Street, Cowra, NSW, 2794
Open: Tues to Sat 10am – 4pm, Sun 2pm – 4pm – Admission free, www.cowraartgallery.com.au                                                 

…ENDS

For more information contact Brian Langer, Gallery Director, Cowra Regional Art Gallery on 0429072282.

2021 Summer Art Workshops for Children

Friday, November 27, 2020

Our school holiday art workshops are designed to inspire young artists to develop and explore under the guidance of local artist tutors. The workshop program includes a range of art activities in a fun environment, as well as allowing for the development of individual skills.

Registration Form | Download PDF

Thursday 21 January 2021
ABORIGINAL INSPIRED FIBRE SCULPTURES with Libby Murray

In this workshop participants will explore the craft of fibre sculptures, inspired by the woven sculptures by Tjanpi Central Desert Weavers. These artists collect desert grass (tjanpi), wool, raffia and other objects to create quirky animal forms and beautiful baskets.

Session 1: 10am to 12pm – 7 to 9 year olds
Cost $15 – limit 8 participants (includes all  materials).

Session 2: 1pm to 3pm – 10 to 12 year olds. 
Cost $15 – limit 8 participants (includes all materials).

Friday 22 January 2021                         
MOSAIC CREATIONS with Catherine Bennett

A mosaic is a picture or pattern made by arranging small pieces of stone, tile, glass, and ceramics. In this workshop participants will create their own mosaic mirror artwork.  

Session 1: 9.30am to 12.30pm – 7 to 9 year olds
Cost $25 – limit 8 participants (includes all materials).
SOLD OUT

Session 2: 1pm to 4pm – 10 to 12 year olds                     
Cost $25 – limit 8 participants (includes all materials).

General Information

Bookings can be made by telephone on 6340 2190, however, only a completed registration form and payment will secure a workshop place. Only one registration form per child. Forms can be photocopied or a new form can be obtained by contacting the Gallery.

Remember workshop numbers are limited (See registration information). Places fill quickly. To avoid disappointment REGISTER EARLY.

Mail your registration form and payment (cheque or money order by mail – no cash) to:

Cowra Regional  Art Gallery
77 Darling Street Cowra NSW 2794
or hand deliver your form with your payment.

Enrolments cancelled after Tuesday 19 January 2021 will forfeit the workshop fee unless the position can be filled.

The Gallery reserves the right to combine classes if minimum enrolments are not reached. If a session is cancelled due to low enrolments prepaid fees will be refunded.

Where: The Nguluway Room (formerly Multipurpose Room), 77 Darling Street

Car parking: Car parking is located next to the Art  Gallery off Darling Street.

What to Wear: All participants are advised to wear appropriate old clothing or a smock and enclosed shoes. Participants should bring a snack and drink.

The organisers will not be responsible for any damage to clothing or loss of personal property.

upstART 2020 Award Winners

Saturday, November 21, 2020

The region’s foremost annual youth art exhibition upstART open to students studying art in Stages 5 and 6 opened last week on Saturday 21 November 2020 at 2.30pm. For the first time in the history of an upstART opening and awards ceremony the event was live-streamed on Facebook with a recording of the event to follow on the Gallery website.  

Cowra Shire Council Mayor Bill West opened the exhibition acknowledging the exceptional talent of the young artists in the exhibition. This was echoed by the judge for upstAR 2020 Dr Rowen Matthews artist, lecturer and previous art teacher. Rowen commented that he was astounded by the quality of the work and there were two areas that stood out quite well for him, these were photography and sculpture.

The upstART 2020 exhibition was supported by nine high schools from the region and the Gallery received over 90 artworks including paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, mixed media works and photographic works.  The participating schools for 2020 are Boorowa Central School, Canowindra High School, Cowra High School, Dubbo School of Distance Education, The Henry Lawson High School, Molong Central School, St Raphael’s Catholic School, Cowra and Young High School.

The award section of upstART 2020 received financial support from several local businesses, these were Webster Optometrists, The Vineyard Mote and Yellow House Cowra. Supplier of art materials to schools in the region eckersley’s Art and Craft provided gift vouchers for six winners. Finally, community donors were the Friends of the Gallery and the Cowra Art Group Inc. as well as a private benefactor.

This is a “must-see” exhibition and visitors will be delighted by the showcase of vibrant and interesting artworks on display. Visitors are also invited to vote for their favourite work and at the end of the exhibition the student whose work has the most votes will receive the People’s Choice Award supported by the Friends of the Gallery.

UpstART 2020 exhibition and awards for students in stages 5 and 6 from high schools in the region continues to Sunday 6 December 2020. The Cowra Regional Art Gallery is located at 77 Darling Street Cowra NSW 2794. Gallery hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm, Sunday 2pm – 4pm. Admission is free.

upstART 2020  Award Winners

Years 9/10, 11 & 12

Highly Commended Year 9/10: Louis Johnson, Cowra High School, Year 10

Winner Year 9/10: Sarah Richardson, Cowra High School, Year 10

Winner Year 11: Corey Beath, Cowra High School, Year 11

Winner Year 12:  Belle Wallace, Canowindra High School, Year 12

Open Section

Winner – Drawing:  Tillie Nottingham, Cowra High School, Year 12

Winner – Mixed Media: Camille McKenzie, Canowindra High School, Year 12

Highly Commended – Photography: Morgan Romer, Molong Central School, Year 12

Highly Commended – Photography: Arvin Mendoza, Young High School, Year 12

Winner – Photography: Brianna Hindmarch, Cowra High School, Year 12

Winner – Digital Art: Harry Hoolahan, Molong Central School, Year 12

Winner – Ceramics: Jayden Millar, St. Raphael’s Catholic School, Year 11

Highly Commended – Painting: Lilly Matthews, Molong Central School, Year 12

Winner – Painting: Korro Bangoura, Cowra High School, Year 12

Winner – Sculpture: Elliot Roberts, Cowra High School, Year 12

For more information contact the Gallery on 63402192

Calleen Art Award 2020: People’s Choice Winner Announcement

Sunday, November 15, 2020

The votes are in and the winner of the People’s Choice for the Calleen Art Award 2020 is Orange-based artist Jane Tonks for her painting It is written but they do not read, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 250 x 75cm.

The Calleen Art Award 2020 exhibition consisted of an amazing range of 52 outstanding paintings selected from over 300 entries received by the Gallery from around Australia.

Congratulations to Jane Tonks who receives $1,000 courtesy of the Friends of the Gallery.

Cowra Regional Art Gallery
77 Darling Street, Cowra NSW 2794
Phone: (02) 6340 2190
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am–4pm, Sunday 2pm–4pm
Admission free

Email: cowraartgallery@cowra.nsw.gov.au

Calleen Art Award 2020 winner announced

Saturday, October 10, 2020

The Calleen Art Award is always an exciting and popular exhibition and definitely a favourite cultural event in Cowra and the region.  For the first time in the history of the Calleen Art Award the winner was announced via a virtual opening event which took place on Saturday 3 October 2020. Guest speakers were Cr Bill West, Mayor, Cowra Shire Council, Jenni Fagan, The Calleen Trust and the Award Judge, Mr Steven Alderton, Director and CEO, National Art School, Sydney.

This year the Cowra Regional Art Gallery received 330 entries from around Australia and the works of 53 finalists were selected by a panel of art professionals including the Award Judge for exhibition.   

Southern highlands based artist Zoe Young has taken out this year’s $20,000 Calleen Art Award for her work On the Farm, 2020, acrylic on Belgian linen, 120 x 160cm.

This painting … “is a significant work, it’s a turning point in my practice where I moved from using a paint brush to incorporating a palette knife to apply paint” said Zoe Young. She did this work especially for the Calleen Art Award to express the fun she had during her childhood when she use to spend time with her cousins in Cowra.

Judges comments

“ … I see in this painting great optimism, and I see in this show so much optimism and as much as there’s a pandemic and we’ve had bushfires and we’ve had floods, this is a great example of how artists can translate the future, how we can talk about optimism for the future and bring that forward…” Steven Alderton.

The exhibition continues to 15 November 2020 at the Cowra Regional Art Gallery, 77 Darling Street, Cowra Open: Tues – Sat, 10am – 4pm and Sun 2pm – 4pm. Admission free. Tel: 63402190.

For more information contact Brian Langer, Gallery Director, 0429072282 or blanger@cowra.nsw.gov.au