23 December 2003

Excellent examples of Australian and New Zealand contemporary jewellery are featuring in an exhibition at the Shepparton Art Gallery from 15th January to 22nd February 2004.

Contemporary Wearables 03, toured by Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery (TRAG), is a biennial award and exhibition that has been staged since 1989. TRAG and the Toowoomba Gallery Society Inc. developed the inaugural Contemporary Wearables award exhibition – which attract entries from all over Australia – after noticing the lack of exhibitions and awards for contemporary jewellery.

Contemporary Wearables is now one of the few exhibitions that invite Australian and New Zealand jewellers to show their work, not only in Toowoomba, but at venues in other Australian states. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity for the general public to see exciting new works and for collectors to critically evaluate current jewellery practice in Australia and New Zealand.

Robert Baines, Co-Ordinator of Gold and Silversmithing at Melbourne’s RMIT University, judged Contemporary Wearables 03 which carried $8,000 prize money and up to $15,000 for acquisitions. The 2003 award attracted 237 entries from 174 artists, up from 188 entries received for the 2001 award and exhibition. Seventy-one pieces were selected for Contemporary Wearables 03 and of these only three pieces are not featured in the touring exhibition.

New Zealand artist Miriam Gribble won the 2003 award for Multiples of 3, a set of six brooches. Playing with the idea of multiple elements, these may be worn singly or in arrangements. The brooches consist of sterling silver units formed to hold in the featured rubber 0-rings by tension.

The Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery purchased a number of pieces from the award exhibition for the Toowoomba City Collection including the first, second and third place pieces.
 
Contemporary Wearables 03 will tour to galleries in Victoria and New South Wales from January to August 2004. In conjunction with this display, the Shepparton Art Gallery will be exhibiting a small selection of hollow ware by Shepparton silversmith Jan Donaldson and others.

Admission to Shepparton Art Gallery is free and it is open seven days a week from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. The gallery is located in the Eastbank Centre, 70 Welsford Street, Shepparton, phone (03) 5832 9861. The Eastbank Caf‚ is open 8.30 am – 4.00 pm Monday to Friday and 10.00 am to 4.00 pm Saturday and Sunday.