Western Downs Regional Artists’ exhibition winners named

The region’s top creative talents have been recognised with the announcement of the winners of the 2021 Western Downs Regional Artists’ Exhibition.

The exhibition was opened at Chinchilla’s Lapunyah Art Gallery on 9 October, with the winners selected from works submitted by 19 local artists across a variety of media, including painting, drawing, photography, digital art, textiles and sculpture.

This year’s theme, ‘Living in the Anthropocene Epoch’, refers to an unofficial unit of geological time, used to describe the most recent period in earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystem.

Western Downs Regional Council’s Spokesperson for Community and Cultural Development, Councillor Kaye Maguire said this year’s theme aimed to challenge entrants, and all had delivered high-quality works.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to see the diverse talents of our local artists showcased. Though the bar was set high, the artists delivered works that are both timely and engaging,” Cr Maguire said.

“Our Regional Artists’ Exhibition is a renowned event across our region, and it’s all about showcasing the people that make our region vibrant and inclusive.

“The exhibition opening was made possible due to the hard work of our hosts. Thank you to everyone at Chinchilla’s Lapunyah Art Gallery for such a wonderful evening.”

The exhibition curator and judge, Leigh Schoenheimer, echoed the Councillor’s sentiments.

“Clearly, artists of the region found much scope in this year’s brief. Artist’s responses to the theme have stretched from the anxious to the philosophical, with works including references to the botanical, meteorological, zoological, technological, ecological, traditional, political and whimsical,” she said.

The exhibition was collaboratively planned and presented by the major galleries of the Western Downs, with prizes sponsored by Downtown Café Chinchilla, Lapunyah Art Gallery, Snap Printing & Design Toowoomba, Origin Energy, Murray’s Art & Framing, REStech Solutions and Western Downs Regional Council.

2021 Regional Artists’ Exhibition Winners • Painting: Helen Dennis, Ephemeral lagoon – The boundary fence • 3D Work: Christopher Rigg, Segue • Works on Paper & 2D Textiles: Meg Noack, D is for disappearing • Photography & Digital Art: Seth Gerke, Domination 2 • Youth Merit Award: Seth Gerke, Domination 2 • Judges Commendations: Kristen Flynn, Garden Blue and Tracey Irvine, Slow Down

The People’s Choice Award will be announced at the conclusion of the exhibition, which runs at Chinchilla’s Lapunyah Art Gallery until 17 November.

To find out more about the Regional Artists’ Exhibition, or to see the virtual gallery, visit https://www.westerndownsarts.com.au/

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