The 2018 round of applications for the Dobell Exhibition Grant has been assessed and we are pleased to announce that Lismore Regional Gallery has been selected for their exhibition From Here to There: Australian art and walking.

The exhibition will present eight leading Australian artists who incorporate the everyday act of walking in their art. The first of its kind in Australia, the exhibition features work by Lauren Brincat, Dean Brown, Daniel Crooks, Agatha Gothe-Snape, Alex Karaconji, Noel McKenna, Sarah Mosca and Liam O’Brien.

Experienced local curators Sharne Wolff and Jane Denison have been commissioned by Lismore Regional Gallery to develop the exhibition’s curatorial concept due on their shared interest in walking and art. The works are selected on two criteria: an artwork based on a visual reference to the act of walking, or an artwork produced as the result of walking. For example, the act of walking is forefront in Daniel Crooks’ spliced video productions that investigate walking as motion and in Dean Brown’s works that depict solitary walking figures. Artworks produced as a consequence of walking include Noel McKenna’s detailed drawings of observations from his suburban walks, and Sarah Mosca’s delicate photographs that record the warmth and feel of the artist’s moving body.

The Dobel Exhibition Grant will enable From Here to There to reach its full potential, to bring important Australian artists to Lismore’s regional community and support public programs that demystify the works, educate audiences and provide a range of easily accessible activities to explore how walking can unleash creative adventures.

This funding will also allow the exhibition to expand to include more works of greater scale and the commissioning of two significant new works. It will also support a residency for one artist which will enable the production of a new work relevant to the local area, an artist talk and a guided map-making activity for audiences.

The Dobell Exhibition Grant, supported by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, offers $40,000 in funding to one regional NSW gallery per annum. The program aims to support high-quality exhibitions that speak to a broad audience across NSW. To assist in expanding appreciation for the visual arts, these exhibitions should be supported by innovative public and education programs that creatively engage both artists and the community.

Read more about the Dobell Exhibition Grant

ABOUT THE SIR WILLIAM DOBELL ART FOUNDATION

The Foundation was formed in 1971 from the artist’s bequest with instructions that “a Foundation be established for the benefit and promotion of art in NSW.”

Since then, the Foundation has sponsored a wide variety of projects and is best known for the Dobell Drawing Prize, which ran for 20 years at the Art Gallery of NSW and evolved into the new Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial in 2014.

The Foundation supports acquisitions to public collections, as well as publications, films and educational programs, including the annual Year 11 student Dobell Drawing School held with the National Art School.

The Dobell Exhibition Grant is supported by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation and managed by Museums & Galleries of NSW.