At our last Art Appreciation for the year we listened to a lecture by Jacqui Stockdale concerning her installation in the Simpson Gallery entitled The Outlaws Inn. This is a work that combines historical and fantasy. It depicts some members of the Kelly Family together with images of fantasy figures.

Jacqui gave an impassioned lecture that held everyone in its interest. The Kelly Myth is a large structure and is continually being explained by works like Jacqui's.

Jacqui spoke extremely well and everyone appreciated her interest.

​Neville Gibb

At our most recent Art appreciation we experienced something different. - a lecture in Auslan.  

​To comprehend a lecture in Auslan we needed an interpreter.  So we had an artist telling her story and we had an interpreter watching her symbolic hand and arm movements and explaining to us what she was saying.

What the artist was saying was interesting.   She did not hold back in telling us the difficulties a young deaf person experiences and what we can do to alleviate it.   There are many obstacles that a deaf person has to cope with that a hearing person never considers. 

Suffice to say there are real problems that are difficult to overcome.   Our speaker explained that the invention of the Auslan language was a revelation to her and she had to fight to learn it and to get other deaf people to learn it.   Apparently, it was not fashionable to learn Auslan in its early days.  

The basic premise of her lecture was that Auslan should be learnt by everyone.  It was interesting to experience listening to a lecture through an interpreter.   There was one slightly humorous moment when the sound system mal-functioned and the hearing people were subjected to a loud dose of reverberation coming through the speakers.   We had the experience of hearing a loud thudding electrical echo when of course our lecturer was not aware of the problem.   This was a perfect example of irony.

Coming up at First Mondays on Monday 5 December 10-11am: "Join artist Jacqui Stockdale for a compelling talk on her exhibition, ‘The Outlaws’ Inn’. Jacqui will share her process, practice, and dive deeper into her interest in the story of  Ned Kelly and other dominant narratives of Australian colonial folklore."


Neville Gibb

In early October we listened to a very interesting talk, ‘Curating Migrant Stories’, where History and Art came together.  The history of Sikhs in Benalla is not well known, and we were privileged to hear some of their story from the curator of the exhibition Amrit Gill. M/s Gill is extremely well versed in some of our local history, and we enjoyed every minute of her lecture.  She is an extremely competent and articulate curator.  We learned that a local Hawker Siva Singh organised the first complete reading of the Sikh Holy Text in Australia.  This took place at Reef Hills in the early 20th century and was attended by many notable Sikh figures.  And luckily a Press Photographer as well.  The reading took approximately 40 hours to complete and is now treated as Historic. Siva Singh came to Australia from Singapore before Federation as a British Subject.  Unfortunately, he was affected by the Federal Government putting into place the White Australia Policy after Federation and he had his citizenship and voting rights withdrawn.  He would have been threatened with deportation.  He objected to this and after many battles it ended in the High Court and his rights were restored.  Thankfully he persisted for many years against the forces of adversity.

My recollection of Indian Hawkers in the local area was that they were always held in affection and well respected.  Of course, they knew everyone, and everyone knew them.  I cannot recall anyone who would have objected to them being citizens.

M/s Gill also explained the meaning behind the exhibits on show.  The Art on exhibition is of a symbolic type and not normally shown in Art Galleries.  The exhibits are mostly craft inspired.  Punjabi women have a special skill in needlework and this method was incorporated in producing the Artworks on display.  The symbols shown in the Artworks are attempting to incorporate Punjabi Culture into western understanding.

​Neville Gibb

​Coming up at 'First Mondays' at the Benalla Art Gallery on Monday 7 November from 10-11am, 'I Wish I'd Told You' -  Presenters: Claire Bridge and Chelle Destefano

What I Wish I’d Told You, centres Deaf voices, identity, language and culture. Auslan storytellers affirm Deaf experiences and complex identities, in an immersive exhibition of large-scale video projections, which bring visitors into a Deaf world.

Claire Bridge and Chelle Destefano consider themes of Deaf culture, Deaf pride and decolonising audism. The artists discuss critical approaches to embedding social justice concerns into exhibition design and curatorial custodianship.

“In Auslan, we pass stories from hand to hand. Our stories cannot be put on a page, detached from us. Our signed stories carry culture. They are a site of resistance and pride.” Chelle Destefano

Access: Auslan/ English interpreters

Brenda Williams, the new curator at our Gallery talked about the wonderful ‘Salon Hang’ of about half of the Ledger Collection. This has given many of us, a detailed look at this foundation collection for the first time and appreciate the wide selection of well known artists of the 1920s to 1950s that the Ledger family collected. The exhibition is dedicated to landscape paintings and some of our North Eastern and local landscapes are evident.

At a time when State Galleries are scrambling to collect the works of more women artists from this period, the Ledger Collection includes a surprisingly large number of women artists, many of whom you will not have heard and you may be seeing their work for the first time.

Pick up a copy of the exhibition catalogue at the door and use it to find the works of such women as Elizabeth Parsons and Alice Rowen who arrived from England and were exhibiting and painting landscapes in the 1880s.

Later Dora Meeson and Jean Bellette were painting in the 1920s to 1950s. while Shay Docking was painting a generation later. Joy Hester and Lena Bryant are also represented.

Jason Smith, director of the Geelong Regional Art Gallery, gave a comprehensive talk about Clarice Beckett, an early twentieth century Victorian artist most prominent in the 1920s and 1930s.

Ignored or pilloried by her  critics and forgotten for decades, her works were rediscovered by art academic Rosslyn Hollinrake who held a retrospective exhibition of Beckett’s works in 1971. Public galleries across Australia bought extensively from this exhibition and a new appreciation of her work developed.

Beckett is now recognized as an important early modernist, trained by Frank McCubbin [National gallery Art School -Melbourne] and later in 1917 by Max Meldrum who opened an art school that trained students in tonal realism. Beckett’s paintings are mostly landscapes of scenes from local beaches and Beaumaris, which she painted out of doors in all weathers. A few late paintings from Nariyal in the Western district have survived, although most of these were burned by her father after her early death aged 48. A sister stored around 2000 of her paintings in a farm shed near Benalla. Of these about 300 survived the rigors of this type of storage. Others had been bought by private patrons during the 1920s and 1930s when she held annual exhibitions.

Although she remained unmarried and caring for her parents, she never gave up her art practice, working in the very early mornings or late evenings after her home duties were finished. Her soft, misty views of beaches and street scenes are a unique picture of suburban Melbourne as no other artist saw it.

You should go to our own Benalla Gallery to see one of her paintings on display [Spring Morning] in the salon hang of the Ledger Collection. In 2023 the Geelong Regional Art Gallery will have a major exhibition of her works which should be well worth seeing.

Meg Dillon

​'First Mondays' in September - 'The Ledger Collection - the curator's perspective' Brenda Wellman, Education & Public Programs Curator, Benalla Art Gallery will discuss the Gallery’s feature exhibition The Ledger Collection',providing insights into the exhibition’s development and some of the history and stories behind the art and artists.  Monday 5 September 10 to 11am.

Found on the internet - Reflections on Clarice Beckett by Eleanor Amor

Catching up after August's 'First Monday' presentation ..

Staying after ‘First Monday’ sessions for coffee at the Gallery café is a tradition for Art Appreciation group members–caught chatting in August are Meg, Terry, Heather and Keith; Pat, Bill, Corrie and Carole.

​This month we were extremely privileged to listen to Peter Wegner who is a recent Archibald Prize winner. Peter explained the series of circumstances around him that came together and resulted in him winning the prize.  This was most illuminating and thought provoking.  Sometimes serendipitous occurrences can just happen and provide a pleasing unexpected result.  This is what happened with him winning the Archibald Prize.

The exhibition in the Gallery however is not connected with his prize winning portrait.  The exhibition he has in the Gallery is of Centenarians.  Pencil Drawings of people over 100. Each pencil drawing is on the same sized paper with space at the bottom for some comments from the sitter.  The most frequent comment is that no one expected they would reach 100 years of age. Each drawing has been dipped in Beeswax.  This greatly increases the sensation of the drawing.

This exhibition should not be missed.  

Coming up - Coinciding with Benalla Art Gallery’s display of Clarice Beckett’s Spring morning within The Ledger Collection, join Jason Smith, Director and CEO of the Geelong Gallery, on Monday 1st August from 10 to 11am, as he explores the artist’s life and practice.

​Neville Gibb

​Restoration and Repair are very important and can be extremely interesting.  Victoria has a large collection of Indigenous artifacts, and these have to be maintained.   For instance, did you know that Captain Cook collected a large amount of cloth from all over the Pacific on his travels. Cook was interested in most things, no matter how mundane.  We were shown examples of both these collections, and both were of extreme interest.

At our next First Monday we will hear a talk by Peter Wegner coinciding with the presentation of his exhibition, The Centenarians, at the Gallery. This will be held on Monday 4th July at 10am.

Neville Gibb

There has been a late change of  topic and speaker for Monday's 'First Mondays' session at the Gallery on Monday 6 June.   The speaker was originally advertised as Jason Smith, Director and CEO of the Geelong Gallery who was to explore The Life and Work of Clarice Beckett.

At Monday's session leading art conservation industry expert Robyn Sloggett AM will present an Introduction to Artwork Conservation and explain the work of Grimwade Centre for Conservation Services at the University of Melbourne.  Find out more here.

Join us after the session for coffee at the Gallery’s Munro and Sargeant café. 

At our last Art Appreciation gathering at the Gallery we were fortunate enough to meet four interesting artists who have an exhibition of their work showing under the title Oculi:Acts I-VII.

This is made up of photos meditating on the seven stages of life loosely based on the philosophy Rudolf Steiner. Some photos are intensely personal and some reflect on the meaning of life.

The presentation was curated by Aishah Kenton, Abigail Varney, Alana Holmberg, and Rachel Mounsey and we enjoyed their short explanation of their work.

We also appreciated the presence of a number of High School Students who also attended the lecture. It is always invigorating to see young people taking an interest in Art.

Neville Gibb

At our last meeting on Monday 4th April, we enjoyed an exhibition in the Bennett Gallery of the work of Adrienne Doig entitled It’s All About You.

This exhibition featured several forms of Art - Painting. Embroidery. Sculpting. Video. Doll Making. Collage. In other words, Adrienne Doig works in many mediums.

One wall of the Gallery was devoted to smallish paintings on cardboard of various things that have happened to her and sees her in various situations both every day and important. Mundane and significant. When you study this wall, you think that she must have just about exhausted all that has happened to her, but in reality, it probably only just scratches the surface and there are much more paintings to be done before she is finished with this project.

Her exhibition has the title It's All About Me and Adrienne freely admits that this is what her work is all about. It’s all about her. 

The ultimate outcome is that she is assembling her biography through Art.

Adrienne grew up in Wangaratta.  So, we can claim her as a semi local.

Join us at the Benalla Art Gallery on Monday 2 May at 10 am for an introduction to the new exhibition, ACTS I-VII, by members of the Oculi Collective.  Oculi, a collective of 18 fine-art and documentary photographers, has been the leading influence in photographic documentary practice in Australia since 2000. 

Neville Gibb

At our last Art appreciation meeting we listened to Ivan Durrant talk about a painting he has on display in the Gallery. Ivan is always an entertaining speaker and is always willing to explain his passion for Art.  The painting in question is of two backpackers lying on a beach and entitled ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’.

In question time he was prevailed upon to make some comments about his reaction to his recent retrospective held at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Ivan has had a long and varied career in Art and a long association with this region.

​It is worth noting that the Gallery has a wonderful exhibition on at the moment in the Ledger Gallery.  A large number of Gallery owned works have been brought out and put on display. 

The Benalla Art Gallery is well worth a visit. 

Join us on Monday April 4th at 10 am for the ‘First Mondays’ artist talk by Adrienne Doig, which will close her stunning exhibition, It’s all about me!
​
Neville Gibb

Join us on the first Monday in March for an artist talk by Ivan Durrant. The talk coincides with the presentation of Durrant’s work, To kill a mockingbird (Backpackers) within the current Collection exhibition, The Human Figure.

Durrant’s talk will discuss the work specifically, how it fits within his broader practice, as well more recent achievements such as his momentous National Gallery of Victoria survey exhibition, Barrier Draw, staged in 2021.

Monday 7 March, 10-11AM
Registration essential: T 03 5760 2619 or gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au
Cost: $2

At our last well attended meeting at the Benalla Art Gallery we listened to a lecture from Anna White titled My Father's Garden. Anna is a local Artist who we hope will agree to talk to us again in the future.

Anna showed a short film actually shot in her Father's Garden with her doing a dance in the modern idiom. The film had extracts of what it was like after the last bush fire and the degree that the plants and trees can revegetate.

Anna also explained her development as a painter and her interest in colour and technique. She showed various examples of her paintings. Some of these paintings were done using an unusual method of putting paper down over paint already applied to canvas and the resultant paper after being peeled off becoming the work of art.

The session finished up with a vigorous question and answer period.

Neville Gibb

At our ‘First Monday’ session at the Benalla Art Gallery on 7th February from 10 to 11 am we will view a screening of Anna White’s recent film project, In my father’s garden, and hear Anna speak about her multidisciplinary art practice.  Anna is a Melbourne based artist with a PhD in Fine Art from Monash University (2015), and has been the recipient of and finalist in numerous notable awards.

"Speaking about In my father’s garden, White says, “In May and June 2020 I spent time with my 87 year old father in his garden in the Strathbogie ranges in Victoria. This video captures this time. It represents the culmination of a lifelong relationship with my father and with his garden, that has been an inspiration for my artistic practice.” In my father’s garden was her first video work, a self-taught piece resulting from a City of Melbourne COVID-19 Quick Response Grant...

In my father’s garden is a poetic exploration of family, human connection, the impacts of COVID-19, creative expression, lifelong learning, and a love of gardens, and as such bridges the themes of Benalla’s most recent Collection exhibitions, Re-gathering and Re-generation."*
​
Registration: T 03 5760 2619 or gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au   Cost: $2
Join us after the session for coffee at the Gallery’s Munro and Sargeant café.  

Neville Gibb

*Source:  Benalla Art Gallery Website

There will be more detail in the next newsletter, but here's the link for a 'sneak peek'!  

​We are able to go ahead with ‘First Mondays’ on Monday 6th December.  However, there is a ‘one-off’ time change in December due to the artist’s availability that day.   Our catch up for coffee will start from 10 am, while the session will run from 11am – 12pm in the Bennett Gallery.  The café will not be open, however an urn will be available from 10 am, providing a chance for us to have a coffee and chat before the session. 

​At 11 am artist, Nick Selenitsch will speak about his latest exhibition, Form & the Universe of Colour.  The exhibition brings together a collection of recent works and an ambitious new project specifically developed for Benalla Art Gallery. Thematically, the exhibition focuses on the most basic of artistic characteristics: Form and Colour. Works from recent solo exhibitions & (2020) and The Nature of Things (2016) will be presented alongside a site-specific chalk drawing, Ο.  Ο will consist of several large single-colour circles executed by the artist and members of the community. Visitors to the exhibition will be asked to participate in the making of the work – essentially a large-scale colouring-in project. 

Let the Benalla Art Gallery know if you would like to book into the session by phoning or emailing them -  03 5760 2619 or gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au  Price $2.  Attendees will need proof of double vaccination.
​
Neville Gibb

There will be no ‘First Monday’ sessions at the Benalla Gallery in November.  No session has been advertised on the Gallery’s website. 

Keep an eye on the Gallery website for details of December’s ‘First Monday’ session. 

​Hopefully Art Appreciation group members will be able to meet in December and once again enjoy a post session follow up catch up at the gallery’s café. 

​EXHIBITIONS
•    SIMPSON GALLERY | TEMPORAL ARTEFACTS
•    BENNETT GALLERY | FEM-AFFINITY
•    LEDGER GALLERY | RE-GENERATION
•    UPCOMING | VCE SHOWCASE
•    MUNRO & SARGEANT | STRONGER TOGETHER
•    ONLINE | IN AND OF THIS PLACE

​The 'First Monday'program postponed in June will now be held on Monday 5 July from 10 to 11 am in the Bennett Gallery - “An insight into Robert Jacks Rhythmic Compositions with Independent Art Curator & Writer, Kirsty Grant”  Rhythmic Compositions focuses primarily on Robert Jacks guitar-inspired work of the 1990s and 2000s and includes paintings, sculptures, artist books and works on paper.  To secure your place, phone or email Benalla Art Gallery:  03 5760 2619 or gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au.

Neville Gibb

​At our last gathering in the Gallery we listened to three local artists - Ralph Bristow, Frank Burgers and Anthea Kemp - explain their work and their philosophies surrounding Art. This was most informative and enjoyable, and we have to thank The Gallery for organising it.    All have examples of their work on show in the Simpson Gallery and are well worth a second look.

Our next First Monday will be on 7th June frm 10 to 11 am in the Bennett Gallery - “An insight into Robert Jacks Rhythmic Compositions with Independent Art Curator & Writer, Kirsty Grant”  Rhythmic Compositions focuses primarily on Robert Jacks guitar-inspired work of the 1990s and 2000s and includes paintings, sculptures, artist books and works on paper.  To secure your place, phone or email Benalla Art Gallery:  03 5760 2619 or gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au.

Neville Gibb

U3A Art Appreciation members are once again participating in the Benalla Art Gallery’s ‘First Mondays’ program of curated talks and tours, a wonderful way to see and learn about the latest exhibitions.

In March we gained an an insight into the PHOTO 2021 International Festival of Photography with the organisation’s founder and artistic director, Elias Redstone. The session coincided with the Benalla Art Gallery’s presentation of Damien Shen: A Stone from Another Mountain.  

There was no 'First Mondays' session in April as it fell during the Easter break.  

Next session: Monday 3 May 2021, 10AM
Topic: Northern Abstraction
Speakers: Ralph Bristow, Frank Burgers and Anthea Kemp

Join us after the session for a coffee at the Gallery’s ‘Munro and Sargeant’ café.

As numbers are limited, please don’t forget to phone or email the Benalla Art Gallery to secure your place - T 03 5760 2619 or gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au. 

Neville Gibb

​Join Benalla Art Gallery staff and other members of the community on the first Monday of every month at 10 am for an eclectic and ever-changing curated program of talks and tours.  The program for 2021 begins on Monday 1st February at 10 am in the Ledger Gallery with an informative lecture exploring the history and highlights of the RACV Art Collection with Mardi Nowak, Head of Visual Arts, RACV.  Price $2. 

Eric has asked me to let members know that this year they need to phone or email the Benalla Art Gallery on 5760 2619 or gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au before each session to book a place. 

Neville 

In early March we were fortunate to be able to listen to and question Phillip Edwards who had an exhibition of water colour/mixed media paintings showing the ecology and geography of Mount Buffalo entitled The Mountain's Quiet Heart on display. 

Mount Buffalo in the winter has its own special attractions and beauty and Phillip has managed to capture the ecology quite well.  These water colour/mixed media paintings have been skillfully produced and do not look like normal water colours. Most are painted with wide brushes and thick paint. The colours are realistic rather than romantic.

Phillip told us something of his private life, how he currently finances his art - and his previous career and history.  This exhibition was well worth seeing.

While the gallery is closed until further notice, a virtual tour of The Mountain's Quiet Heart is currently available on the Benalla Art Gallery's website. 

​We thank Eric Nash for organising our meeting.
​
Neville Gibb

On Monday 3 February we were welcomed by the Benalla Art Gallery's new Director Eric Nash.

Eric introduced himself and expanded on his hopes and dreams for the gallery. He advised how the Gallery has been digitally recording unframed prints and paintings and showed us one painting held in the gallery’s archives by Russian Painter Danila Vassilieff who spent some time in Australia in the middle 20th century.  He also showed us other examples of this artist’s work and explained his influence on several Australian Artists.
​
We thank Eric for his efforts and look forward to the March ‘First Monday’ where he has organised a lecture by the artist Phillip Edwards who has a number of paintings of Mount Buffalo in the Simpson Gallery.

Neville Gibb