Winners 2020

Winner

Pari
Gallery Warming
Pari’s inaugural event Gallery Warming brought together community leaders alongside contemporary artists in an afternoon of ceremonies and performances to welcome, ask permission, give thanks, and bring fortune.

Highly Commended

Bega Valley Regional Gallery
BVRG at HOME
BVRG at Home was launched immediately following the closure of the gallery to the public due to COVID-19. BVRG commissioned artists such as Liam Benson, Rosie Deacon and Shivanjani Lal to produce online workshops and studio tours, making art accessible to the public via social media platforms and the gallery website.

The Lock-Up
Dancing with the Dead at The Lock-Up
Named after the infamous Madagascan/Malagasy ritual of Famadihana, this curated group exhibition illuminated the convergence of memory and corporeality. Presented in partnership with Antidote Projects, the show brought together 10 artists and included two specially commissioned works.

Winner

Goulburn Regional Art Gallery
Of hope and longing – Sidney McMahon
Taking inspiration from Garth Brooks’ Australian rock alter ego Chris Gaines’, Dolly Parton’s lyricism and Keith Urban’s Instagram account, queer artist Sidney McMahon appropriates the aesthetics and materiality of country music to unpack the growth, stoicism, longing and hope the genre nurtured throughout their childhood in rural Queensland. For this exhibition, McMahon additionally ran workshops and online performances, connecting with the local Goulburn community who were also invited to submit drawings, videos and photos to inform the work and be displayed.

Highly Commended

Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
Ar+Collect
In May 2020, BRAG leveraged the COVID-19 shut down period to embark on an ambitious collection project designed to give audiences unprecedented
behind-the-scenes access. Staff displayed, catalogued, photographed, researched and condition reported 980 paintings in preparation for relocation to a new purpose build collections facility in 2021.

Australian Design Centre
Object150: Commission a local maker
The effects of COVID-19 hit makers and designers particularly hard with galleries, shops and markets closed or cancelled. In response to the creative and financial impact of this, ADC initiated Object150 to support local makers. People were invited to commission creatives to make a unique work to the value of $150 with all proceeds going to the maker.

Winner

Art Gallery of New South Wales
Faboriginal: Australia’s deadliest art game show
Faboriginal is an eight-episode Indigenous art quiz show co-created by the Art Gallery of NSW and comedian Steven Oliver. A co-production between the Art Gallery of NSW, NITV, and Noble Savage Pictures, Faboriginal was filmed live at the Gallery and televised weekly on NITV, then available through SBS On Demand.

Winner

Port of Yamba Historical Society
Yaegl Cultural Garden as part of the Enhancement of Yamba Museum Precinct
Created in close collaboration with local Indigenous communities, artists and gardeners over six months, the Yaegl Cultural Garden transformed the entrance of the Museum into a grand display of local stories and culture. The Garden incorporates a mosaic featuring two local totems (dolphin and dingo); six Language Poles; and three Yarning Circles. The Garden now sets the tone and focus on telling stories about the first people in Yamba.

Highly Commended

Griffith Pioneer Park Museum
From the Collection
In response to the COVID lockdown, which caused the closure of the Museum for 10 weeks, the museum’s curator was eager to develop a project
that would bring the museum to audiences at home. Videos were produced that focused on two topically significant items in the Museum’s
collection, which related to Griffith’s history with pandemics.

Leeton Museum and Gallery
Water by Design – the Leeton Water Story
This project involved the renovation of a deteriorated State Heritage listed building space and the restoration of its Art Deco features, to create a new museum. This provided a canvas for a permanent exhibition, Water by Design – the Leeton Water Story, which includes HVAC and gallery lighting. The museum also includes a theatrette, café, and event space for the community.

Tumbarumba Historical Society
A 21km Linear Museum
After many years of local advocacy, NSW Government Regional Development funds and land transfer enabled the construction of the
Tumbarumba-Rosewood Rail Trail. Opened in April 2020, the trail has many historical displays, including two heritage listed buildings from the 1870s. Extensive reconstruction and refurbishment went into developing the 21km trail, which has enlivened the community and made the area a destination for cyclists, in particular.

Winner

Bathurst Rail Museum
New Museum
The Bathurst Rail Museum project provides a world-class museum that tells the important story of the development of rail for Bathurst and NSW through the lives of everyday people. The museum caters for visitors of all ages and interests and provides a community hub for the redeveloped rail precinct.

Winner

Sydney Living Museums
Convict Love Tokens Live Virtual Event
Presented from the newly renovated Hyde Park Barracks via live video conference, this event provided access for over 11,000 students to a personal lived learning experience of life as a convict over 200 years ago, as they learnt about and made their very own convict love token.

Highly commended

Chau Chak Wing Museum
Object Matters podcast
Object Matters is a monthly podcast launched during the construction of the Museum and at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, in which expert guests were interviewed in a conversational setting about an object from the museum’s collection that has meaning for them. Hosted by Dr Craig Barker, the podcasts explored the emotional or intellectual connections people have with art, artefacts and specimens.

Winners

Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery
Culture Hub
Culture Hub is a temporary, experimental shopfront space hosting exhibitions and associated programs to disrupt, animate and engage with the everyday. Including takeovers for, about and by the community and collaborations to facilitate an artist lead
recovery, it uses arts and cultural initiatives to connect local people, support their resilience and rebuild community.

Fairfield City Museum & Gallery
Living the Past Digital Project
The Living the Past education program is an interactive experience that has been severely impacted by COVID-19. FCMG proposes to create digital content as an alternate experience for schools in remote regions or those who cannot  physically participate. The project’s outcome will be an alternative digital resource.

Griffith Pioneer Park Museum
Vintage Voices – Tune in to Griffith’s History
The Museum is partnering with Wagga Amateur Radio Group and GRAPA theatre troupe to develop a program of interactive and creative engagement with the history of radio, focused on stories from the Riverina. This will include broadcasting new radio plays inspired by local stories and ham radio demonstrations.

New Italy Museum
The New Italy Heritage Trail
The development of the New Italy Heritage Trail at New Italy, south of Woodburn (Northern NSW), would aim to deliver an immersive experience to a multicultural and cross-generational audience. A series of site-based interpreted displays with recorded oral histories available on and offsite via an app e.g. Soundtrails.

Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre
Margaret Olley Children’s Book
This project aims to create a ‘must-have’ children’s book exploring the extraordinary career, life and legacy of Margaret Olley, Australia’s most celebrated painter of still life. This unique book will be creatively developed with a visual artist from our region and imaginatively designed to engage young audiences, aged 5–10 years.