General News
21 February, 2025
Exhibition opens Saturday
In their only Victorian stop, ceramics from Australia’s desert heart are coming to the Central Goldfields Art Gallery.
Clay on Country, an exhibition showcasing ceramic practice from central Australia, has been brought to Maryborough thanks to Central Goldfields Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s collaboration.
The works of over thirty artists, reflecting the cultural depth and region’s complexity, will be officially unveiled by Central Goldfields Shire mayor Grace La Vella at 2 pm at the Central Goldfields Art Gallery tomorrow.
Cr La Vella said she appreciated the partnership that made this exhibition possible within the shire.
“This is such a wonderfully, immersive exhibition of Australian artwork we rarely see. It’s so fantastic the exhibition can be brought this far so our local people and visiting tourists can experience something truly different and inspiring,” she said.
The Art Gallery of Ballarat was planned to be the exhibition’s only stop in Victoria until substantial renovations meant the gallery would be closed for most of 2025.
That’s when the gallery’s director, Louise Tegart, started considering smaller regional galleries they could assist with hosting the exhibition.
“We were really enthusiastic about this exhibition and about it being seen in Victoria, we were going to be the only Victorian venue, that we immediately started thinking about where else the show could go,” she said.
Having previously lived in the Northern Territory, Ms Tegart was especially excited to bring some of the work coming from central Australia to the local community.
“The work that’s coming out of the Northern Territory, not just ceramics but more broadly, it’s probably some of the most exciting work that’s been done in Australia,” she said.
From Art Gallery of Ballarat staff helping set up the exhibition earlier this week, to the layout being organised by their designer, Central Goldfields Art Gallery coordinator Helen Kaptein was at a loss for words in appreciation of the collaboration.
“To have the partnership with the Art Gallery of Ballarat to present such a major, powerful show that we know will be so inspiring for our local community and visitors is wonderful,” she said.
The benefits of the partnership don’t stop at the exhibition, however, but an exchange of information and skills between the two galleries.
“The fact that our staff across all levels are working with the Art Gallery of Ballarat is quite incredible so there’s all sorts of exchange and, for us, learning, from working with our peers.”
The free exhibition will be on display at the Central Goldfields Art Gallery until June 22, 2025.
“I can not thank the Art Gallery of Ballarat enough for their generosity, their commitment to us as a public art gallery, aspiring to reach really high standards, and their collegiality working with us and the community that we exist for. This partnership is incredibly powerful,” Ms Kaptein said.