St George Art Awards 2014

What's your favourite artwork?

Written by Iris, Hurstville Museum & Gallery volunteer

The St George Art Awards finalists’ show has a wide variety of different artworks, such as sculptures and paintings, ranging from colourful to black and white, and from big to small. Each of these artworks is unique in its own way and can captivate the eyes of any audience.

Selfie in Excess, by Amy Dynan, particularly appeals to me as it is a reflection of how people in society (mainly teenagers) are now taking pictures of themselves. It reflects our current society and culture. The black and white colour scheme stands out to me as it appears old-fashioned yet with a contemporary feeling at the same time. The medium of this artwork is charcoal powder printed on paper creating the black and white effect of the artwork. The white background makes the feature image stand out. Selfie in Excess is intricately detailed, with each accessory that the figure is wearing drawn with great care. The tones and shading are quite nicely blended together. It appears to be a photograph as Amy Dynan has succeeded in producing a very realistic artwork that looks like an actual ‘selfie’.

Selfie in Excess is a contemporary artwork with much attention to detail. It can appeal to many audiences as it is a reflection of today’s culture and society, allowing it to be easily understood by everyone.

Selfie in Excess by Amy Dynan
Image: Hurstville City Library Museum & Gallery collection

Don’t miss your chance to see Selfie in Excess and many other great artworks at the St George Art Awards on show until Sunday 14 December 2014. 

Vote for your favourite before Sunday 30 December 2014 and come along to our People’s Choice Presentation & Party on 5 December 2014 where we will reveal everyone’s favourite works.

Explore the Highlights of Hurstville Museum & Gallery

Why not escape the cooler weather this weekend and explore Hurstville Museum & Gallery's current exhibitions? This month's tour will look at:

Living on the Water's Edge: Stories of St George



Image courtesty Hurstville City Library, Museum & Gallery Collection.

Ceremony: An exhibition of artworks by senior Aboriginal men

Kapi Tjukula 2009, Dickie Minyintiri, acrylic on canvas. Image courtesy Sims Dickson Collection.

It's All Around US: Australian Wildlife

Photographs by Alexander Choi



Orange Palmdart Butterfly. Image courtesy Alexander Choi.

Highlights Tour on Saturday 8 June, 2.00pm to 3.00pm. Call us on (02) 9330 6444 or send us an email to book.

Keeping the Kids Entertained

With all the entertainment available these days on computers, portable devices, gaming consoles and the internet, it can sometimes be difficult to get kids interested in anything else! So why not take a look at the range of programs and events offered at Hurstville Museum & Gallery. Our programs are fun, interactive, and engaging, and are run by qualified staff.

Coming up, we have:

Explore Hurstville's History Kids Program
Saturday 11 May
10.30am - 12.30pm
This is a special program being run as part of the National Trust Heritage Festival 2013. Learn about important events that shaped the history of the St George region through a fun and interactive look at our exhibition Living on the Water’s Edge: Stories of St George. The program will include the chance to see items in our collection that will be on display for a limited time.
Ages 5 - 12 years
$10 per child

Wearable Art class for teens
Saturday 18 May
1.30pm - 3.30pm
Make an artwork that can be worn as a head piece, headband or hair clip.
Ages 12 - 18 years
$10 per person

Art Attack - Celebration and Tradition
Saturday 25 May
10.30am - 12.30pm
Art Attack is a fun filled program of art classes held on the 4th Saturday of the month. This month, take a snapshot of celebration and tradition in our own lives and those of other cultures.
Ages 7 - 12 years
$5 per child

Dragonflys Kids Club - Birds of a Feather
Saturday 1 June
11.00am - 12.30pm
Dragonflys Kids Club is a program of fun art and craft activities held on the 1st Saturday of the month. In June, construct and decorate your own flying bird.
Ages 4 - 10 years
$5 per child

Interested? All programs held at Hurstville Museum & Gallery, 14 MacMahon Street Hurstville and bookings are essential! Contact Hurstville Museum & Gallery on (02) 9330 6444 or via email now!

NB: Please ask about our cancellation policy when booking.

Ceremony: An exhibition of artworks by senior Aboriginal men

Regular visitors to Hurstville Museum & Gallery will recall our 2012 show Strong Women Strong Painting Strong Culture: Indigenous Women's Art of the Central and Western Deserts from the Sims Dickson Collection, a nationally touring exhibition from Cessnock Regional Gallery that explored the roles of desert women as custodians of cultural traditions and family life, community leaders, and artists. It featured works by a range of artists including Ruby Williamson, Tjampawa Kawiny and Yangi Yangi Fox, and was one of the first exhibitions to have brought together works by women artists of the Central and Western desert regions.

Given the success of this show, we are pleased to announce a second partnership with Deborah Sims and Matt Dickson in Ceremony: An exhibition of artworks by senior Aboriginal men. This exhibition of brings together paintings and 3D works, demonstrating the ceremonial knowledge associated with creation stories, body markings used in ceremonies, and the mythic landscapes inhabited by creation beings. Artists include Dickie Minyintiri, Fred Untjima Forbes, Hector Tjupuru Burton and Tiger Palpatja.

This colourful, innovative and profound show includes work from desert artists, from the Kimberley and Darwin areas, and a selection of historic men's Papunya Tula works. The artwork is sourced from Aboriginal-owned and run arts centres, which co-curator Deborah Sims describes as "crucial drivers of cultural renewal … and often the only viable economic enterprise in remote communities."

Don't miss Ceremony: An exhibition of artworks by senior Aboriginal men. On show at Hurstville Museum & Gallery from 20 April - 14 July 2013.

Hurstville Museum & Gallery
14 MacMahon Street, Hurstville
(02) 9330 6444

"The Stories, the Truth and the Law are in the earth and the heavens…. This land was here from the beginning of time, and we Aboriginal men are its custodians."

- Fred Untjima Forbes

Revealed! Treasures from the Hurstville City Library, Museum & Gallery Collections

Our latest exhibition Revealed! Treasures from the Hurstville City Library, Museum & Gallery Collections officially opened to the public last week. Over 60 guests enjoyed the event, including a fascinating speech from ABC presenter, author, and collector Claudia Chan Shaw. Claudia, who describes herself an 'obsessive collector', has written a book entitled Collectomania : from objects of desire to magnificent obsession.

Also, check out what the staff from Museums & Galleries NSW had to say about the opening.

Don't worry if you missed the event. We have many other events and activities coming up including:

Kids Activity

Be a museum detective
Get your detective investigation book from the Museum & Gallery service desk and explore the exhibition. There are many questions to answer and mysteries to solve. Available anytime during exhibition opening hours. Free activity.

Museum & Gallery Talks

Join us for a series of exciting talks exxploring the theme collecting, collectors and collections. Free events, bookings essential on 9330 6444.

Sunday 3 March, 3.00pm - 4.00pm
Michael Lea
Curator, Powerhouse Museum
Collecting collections - the Clements Cabinets at the Powerhouse Museum

Sunday 24 March, 3.00pm - 4.00pm
Dr Birgit Heilmann
Curator, Hurstville Museum & Gallery
Holy relics turn into history - the different lives of objects

Sunday 7 April, 3.00 - 4.00pm
Michael Vardakis
Pottery collector
My pottery collection

Seniors Week Program

Revealed! Show and Tell
Monday 11 March, 2.00pm - 3.15pm
Free event, bookings essential
Discover artefacts, oddities and treasures at the Revealed! exhibition. Join the curator and hear the stories of a selection of items from the exhibition, followed by show and tell with your own objects. Participants are asked to bring an interesting item of their own to discuss with the group. Afternoon tea provided. Bookings on 9330 6444.

Workshops

Make your own time capsule
Sunday 10 March, 2.30pm - 4.30pm
Ages: 15 to adult
Cost: $10.00
Bookings essential
Learn about time capsules and what they are used for and then make your own. Time capsules are a great way to mark a special family celebration. Bring some items to put in your time capsule, e.g. photographs, newspaper cuttings, special mementos.

Model Making
Saturday 13 April, 10.30am - 12.30pm
Ages: 7 - 14
Cost: $5.00
Bookings essential
See what interesting designs you can makeout of simple craft items.

Exhibition Finale
Sunday 14 April, 2.30pm - 4.30pm
All welcome, free event, bookings recommended
Don't miss your last chance to see the Revealed! exhibition. Come and have your afternoon coffee at the Museum & Gallery. Our staff will be on hand to give you insights into some of the objects on display.

Call 9330 6444 or email us to book.

Lunar New Year: One Celebration, Many Traditions

Exhibition on show 2 February – 3 March 2013

Next time you’re at the Museum & Gallery, make sure you take a look at our new exhibition Lunar New Year: One Celebration, Many Traditions. This exhibition looks at the symbols, customs and traditions of Lunar New Year across Asia. While you’re there, don’t forget to write a greeting, message or wish for our Lunar New Year tree.

You Are Invited!

All are invited to attend the official opening of Lunar New Year: One Celebration, Many Traditions. This exhibition explores the diversity of Lunar New Year celebrations across many different countries.

Cr Jack Jacovou will open the exhibition on Saturday 9 February at 1.00pm, and our guest speaker will be Dr Thomas Berghuis, Lecturer in Asian Art from the University of Sydney. Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP on (02) 9330 6444 or by email.

The exhibition will run from Saturday 2 February to Sunday 3 March 2013.

Dragon’s Lair Gallery, Hurstville Museum & Gallery, 14 MacMahon Street, Hurstville

The Museum and Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.00am – 4.00pm, Sunday 2.00pm – 5.00pm, and other times by appointment

The exhibition is proudly sponsored by Westfield Hurstville.

Forever Dreaming - Works by local Aboriginal Artists

Visit our new exhibition Forever Dreaming at Hurstville Museum & Gallery. On display in our Dragon’s Lair Gallery from 6 September – 23 September are over 35 colourful acrylic paintings. The works were created by local Aboriginal artists who are passionate about their art and their culture. Many of the artists are part of the Gnarra HACC Project. The Gnarra HACC Project is a Home And Community Care service run by Kurranulla Aboriginal Corporation.


All welcome to attend the free official exhibition opening on Wednesday 12 September, 1.00pm at Hurstville Museum & Gallery, 14 MacMahon Street.

Don’t miss your chance to see the artworks!
 

Artwork credits Clockwise from bottom left: Tracie McNally, Elizabeth Homer, Kylie Vanzyl, Deanna Schreiber, Cherylene Smith, Sandra Noy. Top right: Annette Webb. Bottom right: Ann-Maree Webb.

Museum 2 You – Kid’s Craft Activities

Look at some of the great projects the children made at our recent Kid’s Craft Activities program! This session was held in conjunction with our current display Museum 2 You, where visitors can learn about climate change, sustainability and biodiversity, and in keeping with the themes, the children made vases our of old water bottles, bugs out of egg cartons, and bird feeders out of milk containers.

There are lots more exciting programs coming up in conjunction with Museum 2 You. Check out our website for more information.

Image courtesy Hurstville City Library, Museum & Gallery

Visit our new exciting exhibition Sydney’s Italian Fruit Shops – The Original Green Grocer

Visit our new exciting exhibition Sydney’s Italian Fruit Shops – The Original Green Grocer.

Colourful photographic panels tell the story of Italian migrant families who came to Australia in the early decades of the 20th century and opened small fruit shops. These shops were important places for intercultural exchange and they changed Australian eating habits. At that time some of Sydney’s residents met Italian families for the first time and learned about eggplants, sundried tomatoes and spaghetti. The travelling exhibition was created by Co.As.It., (Italian Association of Assistance) in collaboration with the Australian Centre for Public History (ACPH) at the University of Technology, Sydney. Check out the Online Fruit Shop Register and find your local Italian fruit shop.

Join us for the Official Opening this Friday 17 August , 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start. The event is free and refreshments will be provided. Call 93306444 or email us to reserve your spot.

The exhibition will be on show at Hurstville Museum & Gallery from 11 August – 30 September. Our opening hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm, Sunday 2.00pm - 5.00pm. 14 MacMahon Street, Hurstville.

Image: The Firenze family fruit shop in Cronulla NSW 1955. Image courtesy of the Firenze family.

Drawing for Illustration

Have you always wanted to illustrate your own work? Come and learn how at Hurstville Museum & Gallery’s next workshop, Drawing for Illustration. Our tutor, Felicity Gardner, is a professional free-lance illustrator. You can check out her work here. The class will be held this Saturday 21 July from 1.30pm - 3.30pm. It's for 12 to 18 years olds and costs $10 per person, bookings are essential. Call 9330 6444 or email us to book your place!

High school students – looking for something to do this school holidays?

Why not come to the Museum & Gallery for a 2-session workshop on Stencilling, where you will create stencilled graffiti style artworks on canvas or paper. The workshop will run over 2 weeks on Wednesday 4 July & Wednesday 11 July, and each session runs from 10.00am to 12.00pm.

Where: 14 MacMahon St, Hurstville
Ages: 12 - 18 years
Cost: $10 per session ($20 for the workshop)

Places are limited! Contact the Museum & Gallery on 9330 6444 or via email to book. Booking information and conditions available here.

Hieroglyphs at Hurstville

Our popular classes on ancient Egyptian culture and symbols are back! Join us on Sunday 1 July for a lecture on Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt. On Sunday 29 July, we will he hosting a workshop on Reading Hieroglyphs. Our presenter is a teacher and museum educator who holds a Masters in Egyptology. Details for these events are as follows:

Lecture: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt
Learn about life after death and funerary beliefs in Ancient Egypt as described in The Book of the Dead.
Sunday 1 July
3.00pm – 4.00pm
Free event, bookings essential

Workshop: Reading Hieroglyphs
Learn to read simple hieroglyphs with the use of an alphabet.
Sunday 29 July
2.30pm – 4.30pm
$10 per person, bookings essential
Ages 15 +

Hurstville Museum & Gallery
14 MacMahon St, Hurstville

Plase contact us on 9330 6444 or via email to book.

Knitting is for everyone!

The Knitted Garden is proving to be a very popular exhibition. Visitors young and old are fascinated by the wonderful creations of Griffith Natty Knitters - the vegetable garden, flower beds, and Griff the dog. Even the gents are getting into the spirit and practising their knitting!

 

Image courtesy Emma Williams

 

Don't miss your chance to see this exhibition at Hurstville, as it must close this Sunday 24 June. The Museum & Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm and Sunday 2.00pm - 5.00pm. We will have volunteers on site on Sunday - why not come along and knit with us! And after the exhibition closes, you can enhance your skills with a number of books available at Hurstville Library, including:

How to knit by Debbie Bliss

Big book of knitting by Katharina Buss

Knitting over the edge by Nicky Epstein

The Knitted Garden has arrived!

The Dragon’s Lair Gallery has been transformed into a magical garden display, which includes flowers, vegetables, animals, and teddy bear’s picnic scene – and they are all knitted! The exhibition was created by the Griffith Natty Knitters group, and was first exhibited at Griffith Regional Art Gallery in 2010. It took 2 years, over 25,000 grams of yarn, and the input of hundreds of people to complete. The Knitted Garden is artwork of a different kind – and you can see the hours of painstaking work that went into creating each design. Some patterns were developed through trial and error, or were sent through from friends and relatives overseas.

The exhibition will be on show until Sunday 24 June, and volunteer knitters will be onsite most afternoons and weekends. Why not join Penshurst Purlers as they knit squares for Wrap With Love on Thursday 21 June from 2.00 – 3.30pm? For bookings or further information, please contact the Museum & Gallery on 9330 6444 or by email.

You can see the exhibition during our opening hours Tuesday – Saturday 10.00am – 4.00pm, Sunday 2.00pm – 5.00pm, and other times by appointment.

Dragon’s Lair Gallery
Hurstville Museum & Gallery
14 MacMahon St, Hurstville

Photographs courtesy Griffith Regional Art Gallery

Painting With Collage at the Museum & Gallery

Participants at our recent Painting With Collage workshop created ‘paintings’ of a very different kind. Our presenter Annabelle demonstrated how to use recycled coloured paper to create a bright and colourful work, and you can see the lovely results in Lisa P’s creation shown below.

What kind of creative workshops would you like to do at Hurstville Museum & Gallery? Post your suggestions below or contact us on 9330 6444 or via email.

Home front: wartime Sydney 1939–45 exhibition now on at Museum of Sydney

Home front: wartime Sydney 1939–45 is an exciting exhibition which will be on display at the Museum of Sydney until 9 September 2012. This exhibition explores the experiences of Sydneysiders living on the home front during World War II and how they coped with the uncertainty, loneliness, fear and excitement of war to their changing city. These stories aretold through text, drawings, photographs, objects, film, costume and personal memorabilia. As part of this exhibition, objects were selected by Museum of Sydney staff from Hurstville City Library, Museum & Gallery’s war collection to form part of this exciting new exhibition. Stay tuned for updates...

‘Why not check out some more of our war collections in our exhibition, 'Living on the Water’s Edge: Stories of St George’. 

Image caption: 'Change over to a victory job' (detail), artist unknown, 1943. Australian War Memorial ARTV01060.

Mitchell Library: 100 Years

David Scott Mitchell was born in 1836 to a wealthy Sydney family. Educated at the University of Sydney, Mitchell was a prolific collector of works on Australia and the surrounding regions. In 1898, Mitchell offered his collection of 40,000 volumes to the State Library of NSW, on the condition that a new building was created to house it. Work on the new building began in 1906, and Mitchell’s collection was bequeathed on his death in 1907. The Mitchell Library opened on 9 March 1910.

The Mitchell Collection, along with the Dixon Collection, has now swelled to some 800,000 items, including manuscripts, pictures and maps. An exhibition entitled Mitchell Library: 100 Years was mounted at the Mitchell Library in 2010 to celebrate its centenary, and showcase 100 remarkable items from the collections. A travelling panel display, highlighting 25 of these items, is now on at Hurstville Museum & Gallery. On show in conjunction is a display recounting the history of library services in the Hurstville municipality, and showcasing rare and interesting items from the Hurstville City Library Museum & Gallery collection. Mitchell Library: 100 Years is on at Hurstville Museum & Gallery until 27 May.

You can explore the State Library’s vast collections further here.

Visit Hurstville Library to learn more about the Mitchell Library in these and other publications:

• Magnificent obsession: the story of the Mitchell Library, by Brian Fletcher
• Treasures of the State Library of New South Wales: the Australiana collections, by Anne Robertson

References
Biography – David Scott Mitchell
Mitchell and Dixon Collections
David Scott Mitchell and the Mitchell Library

Henry Lawson and his journey through NSW in 1892

On 6 May the Museum & Gallery hosted Paul Brunton, Senior Curator at the Mitchell Library, for a fascinating talk on Australian poet and writer Henry Lawson. Paul talked about Lawson’s harrowing journey through drought-affected NSW in 1892, which was a seminal event in his life. Lawson experienced first hand the difficulty of bush life, and the experience informed his writing for years.

Though Lawson had a sad and troubled life that was plagued by alcoholism and mental illness, he was the first writer to be given a state funeral. His work lives on through such classics as The Drover’s Wife. Thanks to Paul Brunton for bringing the story of Henry Lawson to Hurstville! You can read some of Lawson’s work at Hurstville Library.

Strong Women Strong Painting Strong Culture

Indigenous Women’s Art of the Central and Western Deserts from the Sims Dickson Collection

Contemporary Indigenous women’s art from remote central and west Australia is the focus of a new exhibition at Hurstville City Museum & Gallery. Strong Women Strong Painting Strong Culture was originally developed to celebrate the Centenary of International Women’s Day at Cessnock Regional Gallery in 2011, and is touring Australia with the support of Visions of Australia funding. The exhibition will tour venues across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.

The exhibition explores the role of desert women as artists, community leaders, and custodians of cultural traditions and family life, and demonstrates the important role of Aboriginal owned and managed arts centres. Works on display include Kapi Tjukula by Tjampawa Katie KAWINY (pictured). The exhibition includes large scale works on canvas, woven baskets and soft sculptures.

Strong Women Strong Painting Strong Culture is on display at Hurstville City Museum & Gallery from 21 April – 5 August 2012. A curator floor talk will be held on Friday 4 May 2012at 6.00pm, followed by the official opening at 7.00pm. All welcome, bookings essential on 9330 6444 or via email.

For further information visit our website, telephone us on 9330 6444, or send us email.

96 year old artist Tjampawa Katie KAWINY from Amata, South Australia. Photo by Skye O'Meara, courtesy Tjala Arts.

Kapi Tjukula by Tjampawa Katie KAWINY (c. 1921). Image courtesy Deborah Sims.