Friends of the Gallery Newsletter Spring Edition 2025
25th July 2025
WELCOME TO YOUR JULY NEWSLETTER
An Update From Our President
As winter descends on the Tweed Valley, the prospect of venturing out into the evenings is a little challenging. However, occasionally there is an event that overcomes all trepidation and entices you to frock up and step out. The recent celebration for the acquisition of Ben Quilty’s portrait of Margaret Olley was one such event.
Photo credit: Kate Holmes
The Friends of the Gallery were pleased to support the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation in its successful efforts to raise the funds required to acquire Ben Quilty’s Archibald prize winning portrait of Margaret Olley, a wonderful addition to the Tweed Regional Gallery’s collection. The Friends contribution of $30,000 was announced and we were recognised as one of the major donors.
If you were lucky enough to obtain tickets to the Gala event celebrating this acquisition, then you would have enjoyed a special evening, which included Bens Quilty’s entertaining talk, not only about his work and his connection to Margaret Olley, but also of his high regard for our Gallery.
I’m sure a great night was had by all, and members of the Friends Committee were again there to provide the bar service to 250 guests. This is a task we happily undertake to support the Gallery in a practical way, and it provides us with the opportunity to meet members face to face and say hello.
I am happy to announce our tour to the NSW Southern Highlands in November is sold out. We will be visiting Ben Quilty in his studio as well as visiting Bundanon, the Boyd family estate. Then it’s onto Ngununggula Gallery in Bowral where we will be welcomed by the newly appointed Gallery Director, Susi Muddiman OAM.
Finally, if you haven’t visited the Gallery to see the fascinating exhibition of Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s Spiders of Paradise, then I urge you to do so before it ends on 3 August. Take a moment to view the short video of these amazing creatures as they “strut their stuff”– you won’t be disappointed.
This newsletter contains a link to the Gallery’s Spring Program which has information on all the upcoming exhibitions and events designed to attract, enlighten and entertain you.
I hope to see you there.
Janice Jones
President
THE SPRING PROGRAM
Image: 2025 Olive Cotton Award Finalist Lauren Starr, I Love My Dog As Much As I Love You 2024, archival inject print, 75 x 95 cm. Image courtesy the artist © the artist.
2025 Olive Cotton Award
16 August – 2 November 2025
65 finalists selected for this year’s prestigious Olive Cotton Award for photographic portraiture will be on display at Tweed Regional Gallery from Saturday 16 August until Sunday 2 November. Guest Judges Sally McInerney, Glen Iseger-Pilkington, Angela Connor and Shaune Lakin will announce the $20,000 Award on Saturday 30 August. The Olive Cotton Award is funded by the family of Olive Cotton with additional awards funded by the Friends of the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margret Olley Arts Centre Inc.
Image: TRGMOAC Art Play
Art Play
Wed 24, Fri 26 Sept, & Wed 8, Friday 10 Oct | 11am – 1pm | Free
Join artist Nickolla Clark, winner of the 2024 WAA Bundjalung Award, in the Gallery foyer and create your own artwork. In this fun, hands-on workshop, children and families will explore images and language related to themes of river.
This is a family friendly activity. Children must be accompanied by an adult. All materials are included.
No bookings required.
Supported by Friends of the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc.
For more details on our Spring Program click here https://online.fliphtml5.com/txcax/buxn/
RAFFLE UPDATE
Image: Monica Rohan, What Will You Do 2020 Limited Edition Print
Our current raffle features a Limited Edition, Fine Art Print on Cotton Rag Paper by Brisbane-based artist, Monica Rohan and generously donated by Contemporary Editions. This luminous work, What Will You Do 2020 is typical of her approach that mixes realism with abstraction. It can be viewed in the Gallery shop area and will be drawn on 31 August 2025. To view more of Monica’s work, you can visit her Instagram page @monrohan
To see more limited-edition fine art prints visit Contemporary Editions website https://www.contemoraryeditions.com.au/
We would like to thank Corinne and Cameron Boxall, owners of Two Seas Creative who support the Friends with our custom framing needs. They are professional and passionate about everything they do, and you can visit them at their workshop in the Arts Precinct, Murwillumbah.
https://www.twoseascreative.com.au/
MEET HEATHER McLACHLAN
Image: Heather and granddaughter, Josie @ Tweed Regional Gallery, Art Play event.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Friend of the Gallery Life Member, Heather McLachlan and asked if she could share how she came to volunteering and what keeps her going. We hope you enjoy her story.
“Great fortune, I call it, having the opportunity to be involved in the work of the Friends and the Gallery.
High on my retirement bucket list was a resolve to visit our gallery more often and to participate in Friends activities. I hadn’t planned on becoming involved so quickly or directly just weeks after retiring in 2009. It was a good friend and Friends Committee member who suggested that I could be useful if I joined and so I did. This decision was terrific in many ways, from being at the Gallery more often I was able to see more exhibitions as well as meet new people and learn about the workings of the Committee and Gallery.
In 2010 I took over as Editor of Artifacts, the Friends newsletter, a role that involved learning new skills and spending valuable time with Gallery staff, exhibiting artists and curators.
In late 2011, it was all systems go, focusing on fundraising for the building of the Margaret Olley Art Centre. It was two and half busy years of events that included Games days, Melbourne Cup functions, high teas, and many tours. We all worked hard investing many hours while building a great team and having loads of fun along the way.
2011 was also the first year of the Gallery guiding program and a new opportunity for me to get involved, expand my knowledge of art and to volunteer in another sphere of Gallery life. The visiting Archibald Prize was our training ground. Guiding is both a pleasure and a privilege; being educated about each new exhibition, often learning directly from the artists and curators and then sharing that knowledge with our visitors, many of whom have their own interesting backgrounds and contributions. And another bonus is the knowledge I have acquired enhances my visits to other galleries so it’s a win-win situation.
The Friends have an important support role at the Gallery, one that is valued by past and present Gallery Directors and their teams.
I chose not to stand for the Committee last year as I believe renewal is critical.
It’s been a pleasure to see new members join and bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm.
I was interested to hear at a recent meeting with the other Guides that so many of us were drawn to this role after hearing from others of the enjoyment they get from their volunteering experiences at the Gallery. I intend to continue my involvement in the Friends activities and in guiding because I thoroughly enjoy it. I would whole heartedly encourage anyone thinking of volunteering to check out the opportunities with both the Friends and the Gallery.”
LISMORE GALLERIES TOUR
Image: The tour team @ Lismore Regional Gallery.
On July 11, The Friends visited the recently re-opened Lismore Regional Gallery and along with 2 local exhibitions, viewed the Archibald 2024 Portrait Prize featuring 57 finalists' works.
Our well researched guide, Barbara, added valuable insights as she led us through the Archibald exhibition. Along with technically accomplished work, the Archibald Prize has increasingly included 'naive' or 'outsider art', raw, untutored painting marginalised in the artworld until the postmodern era. An example was the Thom Roberts painting, “Big Bam Bam “, a depiction of artist Ken Done with two sets of eyes, triggering my speculation about the artist's message and about differently understanding and seeing.
The Lismore Regional Gallery also offered two local exhibitions. The first, ”Dream Vibrations”, by Bundjalung artist, Peter Faulkner reflected his “mixed relations” heritage and featured bold, symbolic forms of mainly red, black, and yellow. Following this was Jacklyn Wagner’s “Through the Heart”, which presented dozens of photographs of Lismore flood survivors in their post-flood environments, a display receiving strong visitation.
Next, we travelled to the Serpentine Community Gallery and viewed the, “Go Figure “exhibition.The group exhibition, 'Go Figure' presented 28 emerging and established district artists. Their human figure themed works included diversely styled and scaled painting, drawing, mixed media and sculpture. Curator, Steve Giese explained that in a time of digital disembodiment and curated identities, “Go Figure”, brings us back to the raw, the real, and the tender mess of being human.
In all, it was stimulating day full of memorable images.
Kerry Stelling
Image: Lismore Regional Gallery © Lismore City Council 2024.
For more information about the Gallery, its exhibits and program of events visit the website by clicking here https://lismoregallery.org
In the coming months we will conduct a short survey, via email, of all our members. We hope you can take a moment to help us improve how we work, the events we run and allow us to consider new ideas for fundraising. Thank you in advance for your support and interest and look out for it in your inbox.
That’s all our news for now.
If you have any feedback, ideas or questions please send an email to
Linsey Bamping
Communications Officer