Recent Acquisitions - City of Port Phillip
19 November - 18 December 2005
Launch by City of Port Phillip Mayor Darren Ray, 6pm Thursday November 24
Sixteen new art works acquired by the City of Port Phillip in the past year go on exhibition at
Linden from November 19 to December 18. The exhibition, to be launced by the city's Mayor Darren
Ray marks the 25th anniversary of the City of Port Phillip Contemporary Visual Art Collection.
Artists have made their home in this area for over 150 years - inspired by stunning vistas of the
bay and nourished by the flush of the gold rushes. Later, cheap rents and a bohemian, cosmopolitan
community proved the big draw cards. Under the urging of Cr Mary Lou Jelbart, the former City of
St Kilda started a contemporary art collection in 1980 to both reflect and support the local art scene.
Twenty-five years later, the City of Port Phillip Contemporary Visual Art Collection boasts 292
artworks in various media. As a body of work, the collection stands as a survey of artists with
connections to Port Phillip, stretching back a generation. The works speak volumes about the changes
in contemporary art practice and in the imagery used to portray people, landscapes, places and ideas.
The city has been fortunate in acquiring works by artists with national and international careers,
many of whom still maintain links with Port Phillip. There is a constant population of artists who
move about but choose to return to a home or studio here, or exhibit in one of the area's galleries..
The art works - a mixture of paintings, photographs, posters, digital prints, sculptures and
installations - were primarily purchased by the council but two were donated this year by artists
Janenne Eaton and Mary Lou Pavlovic. The other artists represented are Gavin Brown, Penny Davis,
Alex Danko, Sue Ford, Julie Gough, Jason Hartcup, Mirka Mora, Callum Morton, Vera Möller, Stieg Persson,
Andrew Sibley and Darren Sylvester.
Cr Ray said that the council allocates $20,000 annually for the purchase of artworks but that this
year was a bumper year as $40,000 had accumulated over two years and a one-off injection of funds from
the Rupert Bunny Foundation $49,400, meant a total of $89,400 was available to make purchases.
The Rupert Bunny Foundation was set up in 1993 with the $170,000 insurance payout after Bunny's painting,
The Forerunners (c.1894), was irreparably damaged during the 1991 St Kilda Town Hall fire. Its mission
has been to develop the visual arts and to enlarge the council's visual arts and urban art collection.
In the nineties, the foundation funded an Artist Assistance Award and this year it established the
inaugural Rupert Bunny Visual Arts Fellowship, worth $15,000, to offer a professional development
opportunity for an established artist who shows talent and a commitment to contemporary visual arts
practice. Cr Ray will announce the winner at the launch on 24 November.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a panel discussion at Linden entitled
Public Collections or Corporate Indulgences? Councils and Collecting on Monday November 28 at 6.30pm.
Former St Kilda Ward councilor, David Brand, will chair the panel which includes Jane Scott, Director
of Monash Art Gallery; Geoffrey Edwards, Director of Geelong Gallery; Ben Divall, Senior Program Coordinator
at the National Gallery of Victoria and Evan Lowenstein, Director of Lowenstein's Art Management.
Cost is $8/ $6(concession)/$5(Linden Subscribers). Bookings are essential: phone 9209 6794
Linden is open Tuesday to Sunday 1.00pm - 6.00pm.
For further information and images please contact Melissa Hayes, Curatorial Coordinator,
City of Port Phillip on 03 9209 6231 or Jan Duffy, Programs Manager at Linden, on 03 9209 6794.
Linden is assisted by the City of Port Phillip and Arts Victoria and supported by business partners
Cummins & Partners
Public Collections or Corporate
Indulgences? - Councils and Collecting
The City of Port Phillip
Collection is a municipal collection of over 10,000 art and
heritage items, gathered together from the former Cities of St
Kilda, Port Melbourne and South Melbourne. 2005 marks the
Council's 25th year of collecting contemporary art. This reflects
the city's commitment to the area's living culture as well as the
significant number of high calibre artists, who have lived and
worked locally.
Municipal collections vary greatly
in their focus, allocation of funds and their relationships to
other public galleries and the wider community. Join our panel of
curators and collectors for a discussion on the many issues that
influence the acquisition of works by local councils. What is the
impetus for collecting? Who are we collecting for? What is the
relevance and value to the local and wider community?
Guest speakers:
The evening will be chaired by David
Brand, a former Deputy Mayor and member of Port Phillip
Council's Art Acquisition Committee. David, who was also an
active member of the council's Cultural Programs Board for 5
years, has recently returned to his civilian life as a practicing
architect and urban design consultant. He also lectures in
architecture and urban design at Melbourne University.
Monash Gallery of Art Director, Jane
Scott, combines a fine art background with museum
qualifications. Jane began locally as the Municipal Recreation
Officer for the South Melbourne City Council, and has extensive
experience including her time as the Senior Curator - Access
Gallery at the National Gallery of Victoria. Jane has curated
over 100 exhibitions in her 20 year career and is currently
President of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria.
Geoffrey Edwards is
Director of Geelong Gallery and advisor to various public and
corporate collections. Formerly a Senior Curator at the National
Gallery of Victoria, he is author and contributor to numerous
journals in Australia, US, Europe and Japan. He is affiliated
with a wide range of professional associations, boards and
committees here and overseas.
Ben Divall is Senior
Programme Co-ordinator at the National Gallery of Victoria. He
has an MA in Art History and Curatorship, and a passion for
developing audience engagement in the visual arts. His previous
gallery experience includes work at the Goulburn Regional
Gallery, the Drill Hall at the University of Canberra, and in
various roles at the National Gallery of Australia including
fundraising, curatorial and programs.
As a certified practicing
accountant, Evan Lowenstein is a director of Lowensteins
Art Management, where he specialises in taxation and financial
advice for over 1500 artists and other clients involved in
creative fields. He has a deep interest in collecting, and is
responsible for the works of young and emerging artists currently
in the company's collection. Evan's interest in the arts has
extended to his participation on a wide range of boards,
including those of Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Theatreworks
and the Centre for Contemporary Photography.
Date: Monday 28th November
2005
Time: 6.30pm
Place: Linden
Cost: $8 full $6 concession $5 Linden subscriber (includes
glass of wine)
Bookings essential, Tel 9209 6794 or email admin@lindearts.org
For further information please
contact Melissa Hayes, Curatorial Coordinator, City of Port
Phillip on 03 9209 6231 or Jan Duffy, Programs Manager at Linden,
on 03 9209 6794.
Linden is assisted by the City
of Port Phillip and Arts Victoria and supported by business
partners Cummins & Partners and Little Creatures Brewing.
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