28 July 2015

Five exciting artists will present exhibitions as part of the 2015 Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award (SMFACA) at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) this August. This year’s exhibition supports the rich, vibrant and diverse use of the ceramic medium, and will include the work by five contemporary artists Adam John Cullen, Penny Byrne, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Ruth Hutchinson and Sanné Mestrom.

SIDNEY MYER FUND AUSTRALIAN CERAMIC AWARD

Exhibition dates: Saturday 22 August – Saturday 22 November 2015
$50,000 award announcement: Saturday 22 August, 6pm
Artist Presentations, key note address by Dr Rebecca Coates and panel discussion: Saturday 22 August, 10am to 3.30pm, cost: $45 (includes lunch). Bookings are essential, phone (03) 5832 9861.

Artist presentations and floor talks, 10am to 12.45pm

Presentations by shortlisted artists: Penny Byrne, Adam John Cullen, Ruth Hutchinson, Sanné Mestrom and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran.

Keynote Address and Panel Discussion, 2 to 3.30pm

In her keynote address, Dr Rebecca Coates, associate curator at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and co-judge of the 2015 SMFACA, will draw upon the work of a range of artists to illicit discussion on the usefulness and rise of craft traditions within contemporary art practice. This will be followed by a panel discussion on emergent themes and approaches in Australian contemporary ceramics with shortlisted artists lead by Anna Briers, SAM senior curator.

(see www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/programs-and-events for full details)

SAM’s SMFACA is the premier national award for Australian artists working in ceramics with a $50,000 prize acquisition to be awarded to one of the artists on the opening night of Saturday 22 August 2015.

The 2015 SMFACA attracted over 100 Australian artists from exemplary master potters through to contemporary artists exploring ceramic traditions and the medium’s potential for intervention in a range of aesthetic and political endeavours. It was a fantastic field of applicants and proposed exhibitions.

Each of the winning artists have been commissioned to produce an exhibition of new work for display at SAM from 22 August to 22 November 2015. The artists will also travel to Shepparton for the celebratory opening and announcement day of Saturday 22 August.

The 2015 award was judged by SAM Director Kirsten Paisley (now National Gallery of Australia Deputy Director) and Dr Rebecca Frances Coates. Rebecca is an independent curator and writer. She lectures in Art History and Art Curatorship, School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne and was awarded a PhD in Art History from the University of Melbourne in 2013.  She is Associate Curator at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, where she has curated over forty exhibitions, and worked extensively as a curator in Australia and overseas. 

Dr Rebecca Coates said:

This year’s entrants provided rich and varied work.  Within a contemporary context, each of the five artists selected encourages us to rethink ceramics as a form. Their themes include creative genius and identity, kitsch and global warfare. They repurpose technical materials such as dental porcelain, and revise Modernist art histories. Each of the artists extends our understanding of what ceramics can be, and in turn, how we live and work.

For further information on this media release please contact:

Stephanie Pirrie, Miranda Brown Publicity stephanie@mbpublicity.com.au  / 03 9419 0931