The Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre's coveted biennial Wollumbin Art Award (WAA) has officially opened.
The award, named after the sacred mountain which the Gallery overlooks, is open to artists living across the Northern Rivers in Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Lismore and Kyogle shires as well as from the Scenic Rim and City of Gold Coast. For the first time, artists from the Richmond Valley will also be eligible.
Artists can submit up to two entries of any subject matter and medium. Award categories include a First Prize of $15,000 and a two-week residency in the Gallery's Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio; a $10,000 WAA Bundjalung Award for First Nations artists and a solo exhibition in the Gallery.
There is also a $5,000 Emerging Artist Award.
Gallery Director Ingrid Hedgcock said the calibre of works showcased in the last Award exhibition was remarkable and gave insight into the diversity of practice across the region.
"We are delighted to present this important Award again. We sincerely thank the Gallery Foundation for their continued sponsoring of the Bundjalung Award – and of course, Leanne and Greg Tong-Lyon for their support of the Emerging Artist Award," Ms Hedgcock said.
The guest Judge for WAA 2024 is the recently-appointed Director of Hazelhurst Arts Centre, Sebastian Goldspink.
A proud descendant of the Burramattagal people of Western Sydney, Goldspink is an accomplished independent curator with extensive experience locally and abroad.
Goldspink was the curator of the 2022 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art and has held professional appointments at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Month Sydney, National Art School and dLux Media Arts.
"Sebastian brings a wealth of knowledge as an independent curator of national and international projects across a wide range of settings. Through his curation, writing and artist interviews you recognise immediately that he is someone who never loses sight of the artist's perspective and this means he is an ideal choice as the judge for this year's Wollumbin Art Award," Ms Hedgcock said.
"We are also pleased to have Aunty Joyce Summers joining the pre-selection panel again this year."
To celebrate the artistic talent and creativity of young people living in the region, young artists aged between 5–18 years can enter the Wollumbin Youth Art Award (WYAA). Entries for the WYAA are free and open to young people who live in the areas listed.
The Gallery is honoured to have Jodi Ferrari, Children's Gallery Coordinator at HOTA (Home of the Arts) as guest judge of the Youth Award.
"Jodi has a breadth of experience in curating experiential art spaces for young people. We are thrilled to have her judge the WYAA, which offers a fantastic opportunity for budding young artists in the region," Ms Hedgcock said.
The finalist exhibition will be on display at Tweed Regional Gallery from Friday 6 September until Sunday 24 November 2024, with Award announcements on Saturday 7 September.
Thank you to our sponsors
The WAA Bundjalung Award for First Nations artists is sponsored by the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd, with the Emerging Artist Award supported by Leanne and Greg Tong-Lyon.
The Wollumbin Youth Art Award is sponsored by the Friends of the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc.
Entries open at 5 pm on Monday 25 March and close at 5 pm on Monday 3 June 2024. The WAA is $35 per entry.
Artists can view conditions of entry, lodge and pay for their submissions via the Gallery website gallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/prizes-awards.
