ORANGE WALL GALLERY

Before the Looking Glass

Christopher Hulme

12 April to 19 May 2018

Mirrors both reflect the individuals standing before them and the environment in which they are placed. It is assumed that a mirror reflects the truth but the subject element in the equation makes this far from the case. The veils of our self image must make us doubt what we see.

This exhibition features a collection of mosaic mirrors, artworks and scultpures by Warwick artist Christopher Hulme.

MAIN AND FOYER GALLERIES

The 2016 Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award (JADA) 

Touring exhibition from Grafton Regional Gallery

29 March to 28 April 2018

The Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award is the flagship drawing prize of the Grafton Regional Gallery. With $30,000 first prize and further acquisitions to the value of $10,000 the JADA is one of Australia’s richest drawing awards. The JADA has built an impressive collection of contemporary Australian drawing at the Grafton Regional Gallery. This major cultural event in presented every two years by the Grafton Regional Gallery, a cultural service of the Clarence Valley Council, with major sponsor the Friends of the Grafton Gallery. The 2016 JADA is touring to eight venues across Queensland and New South Wales

The winner of the 2016 JADA was Adam Cusack with his drawing In plain sight. This year’s JADA judge Ken Done selected Adam Cusack’s drawing as the winner of the major award of $30,000.  Ken Done said Adam’s drawing impressed him with its combination of technical skill and concept. In plain sight, a charcoal on paper drawing, shows found objects presented in provocative ways. The unrelated objects are assembled to create relationships that challenge the perception of the original items.

Judge Ken Done also selected a further four drawings to be acquired through the prize.

• Betty Greenhatch’s Contemporary China – pencil and gold ink on paper –  a contemporary interpretation of a Chinese willow-pattern dinner plate.
• Jane Grealy’s Maria’s Garden, From the Back, a detailed look at a suburban garden as seen by the artist over her back fence.
• Becoming by Sandra Kiris looking at material and non-material realities, and
• Catherine O’Donnell’s Urban Dwelling Series #9 O’Donnell focuses on urban architecture.
• How to raise a siren – a hand drawn film by Todd Fuller – also won the JADA Packer’s Choice prize.

2016 was a record year for the Grafton Regional Gallery’s JADA – with this year’s prize attracting record entries from across Australia. The prize had a total of 568 entries from 418 artists.  258 of the entering artists were from New South Wales, 64 artists from Queensland, 62 from Victoria, 12 from Western Australia, 11 from ACT, eight from Tasmania, two from South Australia and one from the Northern Territory. The 47 finalists make up the 2016 JADA exhibition.