Redland Art Gallery exhibition part of a broader story
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Redland Art Gallery’s latest exhibition has connections far beyond Redlands Coast.
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said artist Carol McGregor’s Response exhibition was part of a combined regional gallery program celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture.
“Through the rest of May and June, regional art galleries across South East Queensland North (SEQN) will come together for the first time with a series of First Nations exhibitions, experiences and events, under the title Connecting Stories,” Cr Williams said.
Redland Art Gallery director Emma Bain said McGregor’s exhibition Response, which opens Sunday (16 May, 2021), reflects on what was here, looked after and used as a resource before colonisation of the country, drawing on research she conducted with Quandamooka and other Aboriginal communities.
“Response is anchored by a possum skin cloak specific to Quandamooka Country and also includes a new series of sculptural works by McGregor,” she said.
Clay installation silent sounds (wurrgarrabil) (detail), 2021, by Carol McGregor part of the artists’s Response exhibition at Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland from 16 May. Image courtesy of the artist.
Aboriginal possum skin cloaks were a significant ancestral item: the inside of the skins were marked and ochred with personal and cultural designs, and maps of Country. Contemporary possum skin cloak making is a recent continuation of this practice. McGregor is of Wathaurung and Scottish descent and she is currently the Program Director, Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art at the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University.
Response continues at RAG, Cleveland until 18 July.
Connecting Stories is delivered by Creative Arts Alliance (CAA); as part of the Regional Arts Services Network (RASN) an initiative of the Queensland Government; in partnership with independent First Nations creative organisation Blaklash and members of the SEQN Galleries Network – Redland Art Gallery, Gympie Regional Gallery, Noosa Regional Gallery, Caloundra Regional Gallery, USC Art Gallery, Moreton Bay Regional Galleries and The Condensery (Somerset Regional Art Gallery).
Keisha Leon, Connecting Stories, 2020. Image courtesy of the artist.
CAA manager Katie Edmiston encouraged locals and visitors to embrace the opportunity to get back out into the SEQN region and immerse themselves in the First Nations Connecting Stories program.
“As well as boasting stunning and diverse natural landscapes, our region is home to some of the best regional galleries in the state, all within a few hours drive from each other and Brisbane,” she said.
“Through Connecting Stories, audiences can experience exhibitions programs across nine gallery venues, visit public art sites, participate in arts tours, workshops and events as part of the program.”
For more details about Connecting Stories go to: connectingstories.net
For more details about Response at Redland Art Gallery go to: artgallery.redland.qld.gov.au