Of Earth and Fire: Works from Maroondah City Council Art Collection now on show

Of Earth and Fire, an exhibition of works from the Maroondah City Council Art Collection is showing at Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery until 19 July.

The exhibition features a selection of works from the Maroondah City Council Art Collection, and draws upon the cultural, environmental and personal connections we have with the natural world.

The City’s art collection is a significant public collection comprising of more than 400 works of art.

The Collection contains a wide range of paintings, prints and ceramics by Australian artists from colonial times to the present, including works by Indigenous artists and a growing selection of contemporary painters.

Of Earth and Fire was officially launched by the Deputy Mayor Cr Kylie Spears on Thursday 13 June, with a Welcome to Country by Aunty Zeta Thompson and remarks from guest speaker Rodney James, curator, writer and art consultant.

“Consisting of more than 400 items, the collection represents the region’s long-standing involvement in the visual arts, especially in respect to painting in all mediums,” Cr Spears said.

“Each year, Maroondah is becoming a more culturally diverse community. Through the arts, we have a powerful platform to share experiences of both established and newly arrived communities, to learn and celebrate rich cultural heritages and to share in developing new stories and local cultures.

“On behalf of the City of Maroondah, it is my pleasure to share with the community many of the remarkable artworks we are so fortunate to have acquired in our Collection,” she said.

Artists featured include Wawiriya Burton, Vicki Couzens, Clara Ngala Inkamala, Martin King, Aunty Irene Norman, Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi, Jill Orr and Iyawi Wikilyiri, among many others.

In 2007, the Collection was accepted into the Federal Government’s Cultural Gifts Program. Inclusion in the scheme has enabled a number of important donations to be made, including 37 works on paper by Polish born artist Yosl Bergner.

Selected works from the Mayoral Art Exhibition and the prestigious R&M McGivern Art Prize have also become valued additions to the Maroondah City Council Art Collection.