Due to popular demand, this exhibition has been expanded and extended with ‘fifty something’.
Established in 1968, Ararat Gallery TAMA has a distinctive place amongst Australia’s public galleries through its longstanding commitment to supporting and promoting textile and fibre art – a curatorial and collection focus that began in the early 1970s.
Ararat’s decision to align itself with the fibre art movement at this time was a result of Federal and State Government support that provided a funding boost and a validation of craft. However, it’s the region’s historical association with fine merino wool production that ultimately secured the gallery’s fibre art specialisation.
The half century milestone of the Ararat Gallery provides a moment to reflect on the importance of the TAMA collection. An extraordinary repository that tracks the development of textile and fibre based practice from the early 1970s through to today; a legacy elevating the TAMA collection to one of the most significant of its kind in Australia.
A wide range of acquisitions including traditional quilts, tapestries, baskets and embroideries intersect with a visual arts practice that is increasingly challenging the demarcation of art and craft which blend artistic disciplines and blur the hierarchy of materials. Textile-based art has long been a broad field of endeavour transcending traditional craft media, but it is increasingly merging with painting, sculpture, performance and multi-media in unexpected ways.
Ararat Gallery TAMA now finds its home in a bespoke refurbishment of the iconic Town Hall. Spanning over a year and a half in build time, the Gallery has new, expanded, exhibition spaces to showcase its permanent collection and a dedicated contemporary textile space.
You, your family and friends are invited to the opening of Animalia Australis – An Art Gallery of Ballarat touring exhibition, with opening remarks by Louise Tegart, Director, Art Gallery of Ballarat
This exhibition, selected from the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s extensive collection, celebrates the first encounters between white explorers, scientists and settlers with the animals of the Southern Continent and highlights the prevailing perceptions and depictions of native fauna of the period.
Great News! – If you couldn’t make it to this event last week – you have another chance!
Join us to celebrate the very last day of the incredible ‘Kylie on Stage’ exhibition with a special workshop hosted by acclaimed art fashionista extraordinaire – Kat Pengelly of ‘Koshka’ Art Fuelled Fashion
Spend a day with fellow fashion fans amidst feathers, leather (or pleather!) and jewels creating unique, glamorous, stylish or theatrical accessories for your inner Diva!
Make a collar, cuffs or headpiece then wear them as we swan around the gallery at an exclusive post-workshop soiree where sparkling wine and cheese await, followed by a private viewing of the Kylie On Stage Exhibition.
Cost includes all materials, a light lunch and post workshop refreshments.
Bookings and Enquiries:
Phone: 5355 0220
Email: gallery@ararat.vic.gov.au
“Baudin saw no justification for dispossessing the Tasmanians of their land. His observations of their life and customs had not led him to believe that they would benefit from the çivilizing’influence of the Europeans, as Peron believed the Aborigines of Port Jackson had done. ‘Encountering Terra Australis’, J Fornasiero and J West-Sooby, 2004
Baudin, La Perouse and d’Enrecasteaux created a French imperial inheritance by exploring and recording Indigenous people, flora, fauna and landscape. The archaizing of Paul E Mason’s reliquaries attempt to bring the past and present together through a combination of traditional and modern materials This inevitably suggests ceremony and a romanticized image of Indigenous people and explorers. A zone between icon, trade reliquary and artefact is cross cultural in nature. These works reuse ancient and modern artefacts combined within a single image. Elements from different time zones morph into a new sculpture. We can ascertain something of the maritime explorers’ attitude to past and present cultures. It also enables us to appreciate the relationships between ancient and contemporary objects and understand the reasons behind their collection, extinction, reworking and revival.
Paul E Mason’s Looking for Baudin exhibition is present as a counterpoint to the presentation of Animalia Australis – an Art Gallery of Ballarat touring exhibition.
Mini Makers Art Club is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 11am. These sessions are designed especially for pre-schoolers and inspired by a different children’s picture book each month. Sessions include singing songs and a story reading followed by guided art activities in response to a theme. Creating art together is a wonderful opportunity for special time with your child while helping to develop creative expression and fine motor skills. At the end of each session our budding artists will have an impressive creation to take home that they can be proud of.
WHERE: TAMA Studio – Ararat Gallery TAMA
WHEN: First Wednesday of each month (From February to November)
AGES: Pre-schoolers
COST: Free
Mini Makers Art Club is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 11am. These sessions are designed especially for pre-schoolers and inspired by a different children’s picture book each month. Sessions include singing songs and a story reading followed by guided art activities in response to a theme. Creating art together is a wonderful opportunity for special time with your child while helping to develop creative expression and fine motor skills. At the end of each session our budding artists will have an impressive creation to take home that they can be proud of.
WHERE: TAMA Studio – Ararat Gallery TAMA
WHEN: First Wednesday of each month (From February to November)
AGES: Pre-schoolers
COST: Free
Mini Makers Art Club is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 11am. These sessions are designed especially for pre-schoolers and inspired by a different children’s picture book each month. Sessions include singing songs and a story reading followed by guided art activities in response to a theme. Creating art together is a wonderful opportunity for special time with your child while helping to develop creative expression and fine motor skills. At the end of each session our budding artists will have an impressive creation to take home that they can be proud of.
WHERE: TAMA Studio – Ararat Gallery TAMA
WHEN: First Wednesday of each month (From February to November)
AGES: Pre-schoolers
COST: Free
Mini Makers Art Club is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 11am. These sessions are designed especially for pre-schoolers and inspired by a different children’s picture book each month. Sessions include singing songs and a story reading followed by guided art activities in response to a theme. Creating art together is a wonderful opportunity for special time with your child while helping to develop creative expression and fine motor skills. At the end of each session our budding artists will have an impressive creation to take home that they can be proud of.
WHERE: TAMA Studio – Ararat Gallery TAMA
WHEN: First Wednesday of each month (From February to November)
AGES: Pre-schoolers
COST: Free
Mini Makers Art Club is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 11am. These sessions are designed especially for pre-schoolers and inspired by a different children’s picture book each month. Sessions include singing songs and a story reading followed by guided art activities in response to a theme. Creating art together is a wonderful opportunity for special time with your child while helping to develop creative expression and fine motor skills. At the end of each session our budding artists will have an impressive creation to take home that they can be proud of.
WHERE: TAMA Studio – Ararat Gallery TAMA
WHEN: First Wednesday of each month (From February to November)
AGES: Pre-schoolers
COST: Free