CALL FOR WORKS - SCULPTURES IN THE GARDEN 2017 ROSBY VINEYARD, MUDGEE

May 16, 2017: Artists are invited to be part of Sculptures in the Garden 2017, an annual two-day exhibition in the garden at Rosby vineyard in Mudgee NSW.

Sculptures in the Garden displays an outstanding collection of works each year, in the beautiful setting of a country garden surrounded by Rosby’s vineyards and farming fields.

Sculptures in the Garden 2016 displayed more than 250 pieces, attracted over 2500 visitors, and sold half the artworks in the exhibition. This year’s exhibition offers $25,500 in prizes and acquisitions.

The not-for-profit event raises funds for the local branch of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and each year contributes funds to acquire works for the Mudgee region’s public sculpture collection.

The exhibition includes polished bronzes, rusty recycled constructions, and work in every medium ranging from carved timber to plastic bottles. Exhibiting artists come from interstate and regional and metropolitan NSW, including sculptors featured in Sydney’s Sculptures by the Sea.

The acquisitive prizes include the $15,000 Sculptures in the Garden and Mid-Western Regional Council Acquisition funded by money raised at the previous year's exhibition the $5,000 Moolarben Acquisition Prize funded by Moolarben Coal Mine, and the $5000 Friends of Sculptures in the Garden Acquisition Prize, all of which will form part of the town’s growing sculpture walk.

A $500 People's Choice Award will be decided by visitors to the event.

This year we are also encouraging pieces that can be enjoyed without the sense of sight.  Our “Sensory Pieces” will be displayed throughout the exhibition and guests will be encouraged to appreciate them through the senses of touch, hearing and/or smell.

Sculptures in the Garden will be held on Saturday October 7 and Sunday, October 8, with entries open until Friday, September 8.

To lodge an entry, artists should visit www.sculpturesinthegarden.com.au to find terms and conditions and entry forms.

HIGHLIGHTS

• An estimated 3,000 visitors are anticipated to visit the exhibition over the two days.
• At the 2016 event, we displayed over 250 sculptures and sold 50% of the artworks.
• Proceeds from the weekend exhibition go to a local arts initiative to develop a sculpture walk in Mudgee’s Lawson Park
• At the 2016 event, over $18,000 was raised by the Mudgee Support Group for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT

For any enquiries and high res images, please contact Amber Norton-Knight on 0414 942 917 or info@rosby.com.au

EDMUND CAPON TO OPEN SIG 2016

Former director of the Art Gallery of NSW and respected art scholar, Edmund Capon, will officially open this year’s Sculptures in the Garden exhibition at Rosby vineyard in Mudgee.

SIG curator Kay Norton-Knight is pleased to announce the official duties of Mr Capon, saying his presence will bring a great depth of art knowledge to the event.

“As AGNSW director for more than 30 years, Edmund Capon is one of Australia’s foremost curators and art commentators,” she said.

He has also expressed a personal love of sculpture, describing it as too-often being “in the shadow of painting”.

“Events like Sculpture by the Sea in Sydney and Sculptures in the Garden have made such a contribution to our appreciation of the art of sculpture,”he said. “It is no longer the poor cousin in the story of Australian art, but a lively thriving centrepiece.”

Sculptures in the Garden will be officially opened at 11am on October 8, 2016, with the two-day exhibition set to showcase hundreds of Australian sculptors’ works amidst rolling vineyards and established gardens.

Entries to submit works to Sculptures in the Garden 2016 are still open. Artists can enter online HERE

EDMUND CAPON TO OPEN EXHIBITION

Sculptures in the Garden at Mudgee's Rosby vineyard is pleased to announce that the 2016 exhibition will be opened by long-time Art Gallery of NSW director Edmund Capon.

Sculptures in the Garden is an outdoor sculpture exhibition on the weekend of October 8 and 9, 2016, which showcases hundreds of artworks annually in the setting of the Rosby homestead and vineyard outside Mudgee.

Guest speakers in previous years have included Professor The Honourable Dame Marie Bashir and Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney Clover Moore.

Edmund Capon will bring a great depth of art knowledge to the event, as director of the AGNSW from November 1978 until his retirement on December 23, 2011.

Mr Capon expanded the building and collection and developed the gallery into a world-class centre for Australian and Asian art.

“With a visual psyche that has been so conditioned by the landscape and not by the human figure, the art of sculpture has tended to be in the shadow of the art of painting in Australia,” Mr Capon said.

“Happily that is no longer true, and it is events like Sculpture by the Sea in Sydney and Sculptures in the Garden that have made such a contribution to our appreciation of the art of sculpture, no longer the poor cousin in the story of Australian art, but a lively thriving centrepiece.”

Mr Capon holds a Master of Philosophy Degree in Chinese Art and Archaeology (including language) from London University’s Department of Oriental and African Studies, and in 2003 he opened the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ rebuilt Asian galleries.

Mr Capon is a Visiting Professor in the School of Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, UNSW; has written extensively on the arts of China; and has written and presented television documentary series on the art of Australia and China.

He has been honoured by the governments of Britain, France, Italy and Australia for his contribution to art and culture.

He is currently the Chair of the Australian Institute of Architects Foundation, Chair of Gallery 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Sydney and Chair of the Barangaroo Delivery Authority Landmark Public Art Jury, Member of the China Studies Centre, University of Sydney and an adjunct professor at the Australia-China Relations Institute at UTS.

An avid Chelsea supporter, he was Chairman of Sydney Football Club 2006-2007.

Entries to submit works to Sculptures in the Garden 2016 are still open. Artists can enter online HERE

PRESS RELEASE – DAME MARIE BASHIR TO OPEN MUDGEE’S PREMIER ART EVENT

Professor The Honourable Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO, former and second longest serving Governor of NSW will officially open the fifth annual Sculptures in the Garden at Mudgee vineyard, ‘Rosby’, on October 10.

A highlight on the regional cultural calendar, Sculptures in the Garden is a two-day event over the October 10-11 weekend, which features nationally recognised artists as well as a selection of regional artists.

Event curator Kay Norton-Knight says she is thrilled to have Professor Bashir to Rosby to officially open the event, and to award the acquisition prizes totalling $17,000.

“This is a great excuse for people to come to Mudgee for a day or the weekend, admire more than 200 incredible original works, displayed in a beautiful private garden,” Kay said.

“We are anticipating more than 3,000 visitors to the exhibition over the weekend, offering huge exposure to the participating artists while also showcasing the best hospitality our local tourism industry has to offer.” 

“Rosby is a beautiful setting for such a stand-out exhibition and also lets us offer so much more than the sculptures,” Kay continued. “There will be a gourmet BBQ lunch, the best coffee in town, pop-up shops from the local garden centre, fresh flower stalls, chainsaw art workshops, garden walks, curated art tours and a exciting addition of puppies in training from the Guide Dogs Puppy Raising Centre.”

Mid-Western Regional Council Mayor Des Kennedy said the event was one of the many attractions the 524,000 visitors who come to the region each year enjoy.

“Sculptures in the Garden is an important community event that attracts visitors to our region and promotes cultural development,” Cr Kennedy said.

The Mudgee Support Group of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT will also be assisting throughout the two-day event, running the gate and providing catering for the exhibition.

Professor Bashir will officially open the event at 11am on Saturday 10 October.