ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17

Outline Annual Report 2016-17

cover image

inside image caption

1 title page

2 mission

3 content

4 image

5 Our year

6-7 Staff and vols

8-9 COM list

10-11 Donors, sponsors, in-kind gifts, auction

12-13 Chair's report

14-15 Acting Director's report

16 Our collection

18 Education& Public Programs

19 Volunteers

20 Exhibitions

28 Collection access

32 Community Exhibitions

22-27 Exhibition summaries

30-31 Travelling exhibitions summaries

32-33 Community exhibitions summaries

40-41 Friends report

42 Foundation financial summary

43 Foundation report

34-39 acquisitions

44 Sponsors

IBC title page details, ISBN

OBC blank

MISSION Our mission: to be the Australian home of photography. We achieve this through the collection, preservation, presentation and interpretation of Australian photography. We provide cultural enrichment to our audiences through innovative engagement, entertainment and education. Our vision: for Australian photography and MGA to be valued locally and respected internationally. Our values: as an organisation and as individuals within it, our relationships with one another and our customers will be governed by: achieving through leadership, integrity, respect, accountability, impartiality, responsiveness, creativity and sustainability. Our people: artists, gallerists, collectors, donors, sponsors, educators, students, members, volunteers, visitors, and residents of City of Monash all make up the rich community needed to achieve our mission and vision. As Australia’s only public art gallery dedicated solely to the collection and promotion of photography, MGA holds a special place in the country’s network of art galleries and museums. MGA is recognised as Australia’s leading photographic institution and it achieves this through its comprehensive collection of photographs, exciting exhibition calendar and well-rounded educational and public programs throughout the year. The gallery attracts a broad audience – both actual and online – in its quest to promote Australian photography to the community. MGA is a place where people come to learn about, engage with and explore Australian photography. Entry to the gallery is free.

OUR YEAR

VISITORS GALLERY +1% visitors over 2016 283 days open 1 773 hours open ONLINE VISITATION 65 279 sessions (+35%) 61.9% new visitors 38.1.% returning visitors 2.26min av. session duration PUBLIC PROGRAMS 69 events and programs 3 733 participants EDUCATION 87 tours 57 schools 1 852 participants SOCIAL TOURS 31 tours 366 participants OUTREACH 16 activities 918 participants ARTIST TALKS 4 artist talks 9 artists involved THE COLLECTION 28 purchased acquisitions 83 works donated to MGA Collection 229 works from MGA Collection exhibited 267 works prepared for exhibition by MGA staff 71 collection works loaned to 6 external institutions 236 new collection records available online 73 new entries include extended text on an individual artwork 8 additional artist pages with biographic details

MEDIA 174 Editorial references 51 Print 120 Online 3 Radio SOCIAL MEDIA 4 239 MGA Facebook likes 3 470 Bowness Facebook likes 2 315 Twitter followers 3 072 Instagram followers PUBLICATIONS 2 Exhibition catalogues 22 MGA eNews publications PEOPLE FRIENDS OF MGA 239 memberships 10 events organised by Friends VOLUNTEERS 38 individual volunteers 1 588 volunteer hours EXHIBITIONS MAIN GALLERIES 16 exhibitions —5 group shows —8 solo shows 9 exhibitions curated by MGA —5 exhibitions developed from MGA Collection COMMUNITY GALLERIES 16 exhibitions —9 groups —7 solo artists TRAVELLING EXHIBITIONS 3 exhibitions 6 venues 286 open days 42 813 visitors ARTISTS 187 artists participated in MGA exhibitions 21 student artists 240 hours of free studio space to

artists with a disability in partnership with Arts Access Victoria

VOLUNTEERS

Emily Badge

Sue Brunialti

Tammy Boyce

Sue Clisby

Louella De Guzman

Marisha Dudek

Beverley Dungan

Melinda Haldane

Candice Hopkins

Therese Jenkins

Gillian Jones

Jess Lehmann

George Macfarlane

Liz McConnell

Christine Matysik

Amy Nolidin

Irena Silvester

Jason Salmon

Alex Savat

Sue Taylor

Betty Wang

Katherine Wright

RETIRED VOLUNTEERS

Brian Aldington

Mira Bogicevic

Andrew Brown

May Chai

Sandra Davis

Jelena Djunic

Samaa Elsadat

Elizabeth Hosking

Jenny Huang

Monica Hunt

Miranda King

Kathryn Kouris

Barbara Muhlethaler

Merthi Poedijono

Elisa Stone

Huishu Zhang

COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT

NATASHA BOWNESS ANNIE CHESTER GODFREY CLAY CR ROBERT DAVIES NICK FLETCHER DR MILTON HARRIS KATHRYN HENDY-EKERS CR STUART JAMES CR BRIAN LITTLE ALAN MACLEAN CR SHANE MCCLUSKEY DR DAVID ROSENTHAL PHILLIP VIRGO DR LES WALKLING JENNY RUFFY (City of Monash Officer, Ex-Officio)

Natasha Bowness (appointed July 2016, Chair from June 2017) Natasha has had a long association with MGA, the arts, photography and philanthropy through her role as Chair of the Bowness Family Foundation. She is a director of Zoos Victoria, a member of The Australian Ballet Foundation board and President of their Annual Giving Program. Natasha is an Executive Director of Wilbow Group, a private family investment group. She is a Chartered Accountant and has experience in governance, strategy, risk, business management, audit and finance.

Annie Chester (until June 2017) Annie Chester brings to the committee 25 years experience in fundraising, marketing and event management. Annie is currently the Trust & Foundation Manager for Epworth HealthCare.

Godfrey Clay (appointed Oct 2011) Godfrey is President of the Friends of MGA Inc. A long standing supporter of MGA, Godfrey brings to the committee a strong background in business and the perspective of local residents.

Cr Robert Davies (until Nov 2016) Robert has over 20 years of experience in leadership roles in business and finance working in Europe and Australia. From 2005–13, Robert worked as a Private Client Adviser for Patersons Securities in Melbourne and Mt Waverley.

Nick Fletcher (appointed July 2016) Nick is a keen amateur photographer and Director of the Bright Festival of Photography. His professional life is as an Executive Search consultant with Russell Reynolds Associates where he helps find and assess the most senior executives for some of Australia’s largest businesses. He leads Russell Reynolds technology practice in Australia.

Dr Milton Harris (appointed 2013) Milton is a medical general practitioner and, with his wife Penny, has developed one of Australia’s finest private photographic collections. He is an Ambassador of the Sydney-based photographic festival Head On, on whose advisory board he sits, and is also closely associated with the significant, recently ceased WA-based photographic festival FotoFreo.

Kathryn Hendy-Ekers (appointed Nov 2015) Kathryn is the Curriculum Manager, Visual Arts at the Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority. She has 25 years teaching experience in Visual Arts and Design in various states and internationally where she has worked in a number of school systems in curriculum development.

Cr Stuart James (appointed Nov 2016) Stuart is a first time Councillor who in his first year has been elected Deputy Mayor. Stuart has an IT degree, has worked in the industry for almost 20 years and has a passion for the arts, in-particular theatre and nature photography. He is a proud local resident with a young family and believes that working closely with the community is the best way to ensure that Monash remains the best place to work, live and play.

Cr Brian Little (until Nov 2016) Brian is a resident of Monash and a professional engineer who has worked in the telecommunications industry for most of his professional life. Brian has previously been a member of the Monash Arts Steering Committee and is a strong supporter of the Monash creative writing competition.

Alan Maclean (until June 2017). Alan Maclean is a partner in K&L Gates. Alan has a significant legal and commercial background and pays a keen interest in the financial growth of MGA. Alan held the role of Chair of the Committee from June 2013 until June 2017.

Cr Shane McCluskey (appointed Nov 2016) Shane has been a professional Firefighter since 1990 holding the rank of Station Officer in stations throughout Monash. He hopes to bring compassion, community spirit and a cohesive, cooperative approach to his role as Councillor and committee member.

Dr David Rosenthal OAM (appointed 2009) David is a retired medical doctor, former art gallery owner and a collector of contemporary art. In 2013 David was awarded an OAM for service to the visual arts as promoter of Australian artists. His experience as a gallerist and collector, and his knowledge of contemporary art make a vital contribution to collection development and exhibition programming at the gallery.

Phillip Virgo (appointed Jul 2014) Phillip is Director of Colour Factory, an art print services and specialist photographic gallery. Phill is an avid art collector and supporter of the arts, with extensive experience in photography originating from his founding occupation is a darkroom printer and photographer. Colour Factory works with some of Australia’s leading artists in documentation & edition print services.

Dr Les Walkling (appointed Mar 2013) Les is an artist, educator and consultant. His work is held in public collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NGA, NGV and AGNSW. Les is the former Director of Media Arts at RMIT, a founding board member of the CCP, Fellow of the AIPP, global R&D ambassador, and digitisation consultant to Australia’s cultural institutions.

DONORS, SPONSORS AND IN-KIND GIFTS Monash Gallery of Art (MGA) is the premier cultural facility of the City of Monash. MGA is supported by the Victoria Government through Creative Victoria Donors Bowness Family Foundation Friends of MGA Inc Andrew Penn and Kallie Blauhorn MGA Foundation Major Partner Waverley BMW Sponsors Bright Brewery Chain of Ponds Exhibition Sponsors Colour Factory Dinosaur Designs Collection Donors Ben Aitken Anonymous

Paula Boltman

William Donald Bowness

Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

John Gollings

Gael Newton

Daniel Palmer

Dr David Rosenthal

Wesley Stacey

Richard Stone

Individual Donors Frank De Angellis and Elizabeth Triarico

Eric and Lesley Armstrong

Bill Bachman

Rosemary Boreham

Margaret Boyes

Paul Cleaves

Ann Cole

Dinah Cragg

Eddie Creaney

Anne Davies

Marie Donald

Ian Dunstan

Anne Dunstone

Neil Graham

Frances Hession

Jean Howse

Halina Kukulka

Mark Learmonth

David Lindsey

Travis McHarg

Carole McWilliam

Margot Melzak

Bruce Moore

Vicki Moritz

Carmel Picone

Joan Pretty

Ralph Renard

Claire Rodier

Sarah Merrigan Caulfield Grammar School Art Department

Dorothy Simpson

Elizabeth & Robert Sinclair

Lewis Smith

Helen Stanton

Ian & Vicki Teese

Fundraising Auction Donors

Bowness Family Foundation

Annie Chester Nick Fletcher Maureen and Calum Giles Andrew Penn and Kallie Blauhorn Anuja Rao and Charlotte Rendle-Short Michael Robertson Barabara Thompson OAM and John Thompson OAM Fundraising Auction Artwork Donations Narelle Autio and Hugo Michell Gallery

Elaine Batton Chris Budgeon Julian Burnside on behalf of the Estate of Wolfgang Sievers Hamish Campbell Stuart Chape Joe Nigel Coleman Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive and Mossgreen Christine Godden Christopher Köller

Helga Leunig

Ruth Maddison

Sonia Payes and Scott Livesey Gallery

Patrick Pound and Station Gallery

Dr David Rosenthal

Valerie Sparks and THIS IS NO FANTASY + dianne tanzer gallery

Fundraising Auction Sponsors The Australian Ballet

Arten Framing

Art Tree Creations

Bright Brewery Les Walkling and Centre for Contemporary Photography

Chain of Ponds Epworth Medical Foundation Chumanchu @ MGA Claramay

Eco Tan The Glen Godfrey Clay Domain Chandon

Ella Beauty Room

Food & Desire Four Pillars Gin Distillery Nick Fletcher Fruitbowl Productions

Highlight Printing

Ibrows Melbourne

Krosno Glassware

Alan Maclean Ministry of Makeup

NextGen Rentals

RACV

Sofitel Melbourne on Collins StudioStar Luxury Experience

Thames & Hudson

Transart Australia

Waverley BMW Zoos Victoria

Grants

Australian Government Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development; Stronger

Communities Programme

The Robert Saltzer Foundation

CHAIR’S REPORT The 2016-17 year was one of change and renewal. MGA continued to implement the five pillars that form the cornerstone of the Gallery’s strategic plan and activities: the collection, exhibitions, programs and events, customers and financial sustainability. Throughout the period MGA recruited new members to its leadership team as it bid farewell to key staff and long term members of the Committee of Management (COM) who have each made significant contributions to MGA over their tenure. MGA’s ambitious vision, to be the Australian home of photography, has been embedded into all areas of the organization. The highly successful China: grain to pixel exhibition held in 2016 illustrates how MGA has delivered on its new vision. The exhibition, held in partnership with the Shanghai Center of Photography, saw record attendance which resulted in it being the most visited exhibition in MGA’s history. MGA’s suite of public and education programs and initiatives engaged diverse and new audiences and were augmented by bilingual materials. The interest generated from the exhibition had a flow on effect to the exhibitions and programs over the remainder of the year with increased attendances recorded compared to the prior year. MGA’s challenge is to harness and build on this momentum. MGA’s collection continued to develop with a significant number of exceptional works acquired during the period. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the community with 83 artists and individuals donating more than $200,000 in works of art through the Cultural Gifts Program. MGA’s focus on building its connection within the broader arts community saw its relationships with key industry partners strengthen. MGA’s touring program continued to expand, with Australian Exotica scheduled to tour to 8 venues across Victoria, NSW and Queensland over the next 3 years. Core to MGA’s strategic plan is a focus on its customers. Throughout the 2017-18 period MGA will conduct surveys of its existing customer base and use this to further develop our audience engagement strategy ensuring we provide our community with exemplary customer service. MGA would like to extend heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Kallie Blauhorn who resigned as Director in October 2016. Her energy, enthusiasm and experience in strategic development and fundraising, and her passion for photography and artists will have a lasting legacy for our organisation. Under her leadership MGA developed a visionary strategic plan and an exhibition framework which has already resulted in the presentation of MGA’s most attended exhibition to date. We are delighted that Kallie has become a member of the MGA Foundation where she will support MGA as it delivers upon its ambitious fundraising strategy. I'd like to thank Mark Hislop for the wonderful job he has performed as Acting Director of MGA during the time since Kallie's departure. The gallery has continued to grow under his dedicated leadership and in particular we acknowledge the instrumental role Mark played in the success of our 2017 gala fundraising dinner. Alan McLean who had been a COM member for 11 years including the last four years as Chair, and Annie Chester, who has served four years on COM both retired from COM during the year and we pay tribute to them and thank them for their wonderful service over many years.

Alan’s leadership, drive and advocacy for MGA has been significant. In particular, while Chair the current strategic plan was developed and this has resulted in increases to MGA’s profile and reach within the community, laying the foundations for further growth and development opportunities in the future. Alan and Annie have each made significant contributions to MGA over a number of years, and we are very appreciative of their unconditional support and commitment. I was delighted to accept the appointment as Chair of COM following Alan's resignation in May 2017. My family and I have had a long and sustained association with the gallery, photography and the arts. As a past resident of Monash, I have a strong connection to the area and community and I look forward to working with the team to build MGA and photography's profile, reach and reputation within the Monash community as well as nationally and internationally.

After an extensive recruitment process, Anouska Phizacklea was appointed as MGA’s new Gallery Director and she commenced her role in July 2017. She has held leadership positions at leading Australian arts organisations as well as working in art research and valuations at commercial galleries and auction houses in Melbourne and London. Coupled with a strong background in art, finance, commerce and governance, she will bring significant experience, vision and drive as we pursue our ambition to be the Australian home of photography. I would like to thank the Mayor, Councillor Rebecca Patterson, Councillors of the City of Monash and City of Monash CEO Andi Diamond and council staff. I would also like to thank and acknowledge the support of the Councillors who retired from COM during the year, Councillor Robert Davies and Councillor Brian Little. They have all provided invaluable assistance to the Director, MGA staff and to COM in the operation of the gallery. I would also like to thank the MGA Foundation for their sustained and generous support of MGA, particularly the leadership and energy they show in supporting one of Australia’s most prestigious photograph prizes, the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize. It has again been a pleasure to work with Geoff Lake, Chair of MGA Foundation and with the MGA Trustees and I thank them for their continuing commitment to the success of MGA. A special thanks to our Friends of MGA, corporate sponsors, donors, volunteers and other supporters, particularly the artists, for their generosity and support. We are appreciative and grateful for the many different ways you contribute regularly to the Gallery. Thank you to my fellow committee members for their support, commitment and contribution to the success of MGA the past year. With a new Director in place we all look forward to an exciting year ahead for MGA as we continue to champion Australian photography and its artists and create engaging and enriching experiences for our audiences. Natasha Bowness, Chair

DIRECTOR’S REPORT I’m delighted to present MGA’s annual report for 2016-17. The report presents an overview of the gallery’s activities across our key areas of operations with staff members contributing reports on their achievements throughout the year. Over the past year the gallery has undertaken an extensive recruitment processes for the Director position vacated by Kallie Blauhorn in October 2016. Kallie’s contribution to the vision and strategic development of MGA was significant and her departure has left an important legacy for the future. Personally, it’s been a tremendous privilege to be interim Director and work closely with a highly dedicated team to manage our stakeholder relationships and deliver on MGA’s core operational objectives. MGA’s Committee of Management has been a source of great expertise and guidance over the last year and I thank them for their support. In my many interactions with our supporters, artists and students over the last year I was reminded of the special place MGA holds in the art sector. When travelling interstate, the gallery’s reputation, our unwavering dedication to photography and the professionalism of staff was mentioned on many occasions. As Australia’s only public gallery dedicated solely to photography our focus lies squarely on robust financial management and sustainable strategies to ensure our assets and resources provide the best platform for the success of the gallery. There is a range of partners who have made very meaningful contributions to the gallery. MGA is the City of Monash’s premiere cultural institution and the custodians’ of its nationally significant collection of Australian photographs. We are thankful of the support shown to the gallery by councillors and Council staff. A special thanks goes to CEO, Andi Diamond, Jenny Ruffy, Manager, Information and the Arts, and Julie Salomon, Director, Community Development and Services who have shown unwavering support for MGA and its role as the premier cultural facility in the City of Monash. I also thank the Victorian Government for its support through Creative Victoria and acknowledge the work of Rohini Sharma in this regard. MGA welcomed two new Program Partners during the year. Chain of Ponds is a boutique winery located in the Adelaide Hills wine region and earned its status as a 5 star winery in the Australian Wine Companion 2017. We look forward to sharing their wines with visitors to our exhibition openings and events over the next two years. Bright Brewery also came on board and will support our exhibition openings including the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize. Corporate sponsorship from Waverley BMW, Ray White Glen Waverley, Sofitel Melbourne and The Glen Shopping Centre contributed to MGA’s diversification of its income streams with local partners who share our passion for community engagement and development. MGA’s vision as the Australian home of photography is an initiative with global aspirations. The move to expand our vision internationally was clearly sign-posted during the last year with a series of exceptional international exhibitions. Our partnerships with our international peers and institutions will continue which will open up the possibility for international touring programs. China: grain to pixel, in partnership with Shanghai Centre of Photography was MGA’s largest international show to date which involved complex logistical challenges across geographical, cultural and linguistic boundaries. Attracting large numbers of new visitors, the gallery team presented a range of bi-lingual experiences to the largest audience in MGA’s 27 year history. Dutch masters of light: Hendrik Kerstens and Erwin Olaf presented gallery audiences with some of the most memorable contemporary photographs of recent years by the acclaimed Dutch photographers, whilst Glamour stakes: Martin Parr with assistance from Niagara Galleries and support from significant private

lenders documented unintentional, awkward and often ugly sides of beauty, fashion and wealth by Magnum photographer Martin Parr. Capital works programs undertaken over the last year have vastly improved the visitor experience. The most significant being an upgrade from halogen to LED lighting in our largest exhibition space. Secured through a grant from the Department of Infrastructure with additional dollar-for-dollar funding from the City of Monash the new LEDs emit less heat and reduce energy usage, lowering our carbon footprint. Efficiency savings, reduced maintenance and an extended service life of our climate control system will result from this important capital improvement. New door counters were also installed so that we may better understand visitor behaviour and ensure veracity of attendance numbers. The MGA Collection consists of over 2,600 photographs and its sustained growth and focus on Australian photography means it’s becoming one of Australia’s most important collections of photographs. This year MGA acquired works from 36 Australian photographers and continues to attract important works from donors. MGA’s travelling exhibition program provides access to the collection for audiences around the country and was beautifully represented in one of MGA’s most successful travelling exhibitions to date, Australian Exotica which travelled to venues in all eastern states. MGA’s work in the education sector continued to benefit students and teachers throughout the year. The gallery hosted the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority’s teacher development program and delivered 87 tours to 1,852 students. Finally, I would like to give a special thanks to MGA staff and volunteers. Their support and dedication over the last year has been extraordinary. More importantly their friendship, good humour and camaraderie has made all the difference. Mark Hislop Acting Gallery Director (October 2016 - July 2017)

OUR COLLECTION Over the past year the MGA City of Monash Collection has continued to grow in ways that strengthen its reputation as a nationally significant holding of Australian photographs. The Robert Salzer Foundation once again provided MGA with additional acquisition funds. During this year they supported the purchase of three photographs by Michael Riley, adding to MGA’s strong holdings of work by Indigenous photographers. The generosity of artists is particularly important to MGA, and we cannot thank them enough for their support in collection building. Artists donating their work to MGA over the last twelve months included John Gollings, Wesley Stacey, David Stephenson and Richard Stone. It is also important to note that most artists and their dealers assist MGA by offering museum discounts. A substantial number of MGA’s acquisitions are received as donations from private collectors. A number of long-standing supporters have continued to donate work to MGA over the last twelve months, including Bill Bowness, Gael Newton, The Rennie Ellis Archive and David Rosenthal. MGA has also worked with a number of new donors, including Ben Aitken, Paula Bolton and Daniel Palmer. Bolton’s donation of prints by Margaret Michaelis, and Palmer’s donation of rare works by Kenneth Pleban are particularly appreciated. Gael Newton, former Senior Curator of photography at the NGA, has continued to enrich the MGA collection in a range of ways. Along with donations from her personal collection, Newton’s expertise and advice provide important support to MGA’s curatorial staff. For a detailed record of collection development during the 2016/17 financial year, see the full list of acquisitions included in this report. We thank the gallery’s Committee of Management for their support in relation to these acquisitions, and acknowledge the expert guidance of Milton Harris, David Rosenthal and Les Walkling in collection development. Senior Curator Stephen Zagala

EDUCATION & PUBLIC PROGRAMS MGA’s Public Programs began the year with a focus on international curators and artists. China: grain to pixel saw the largest numbers of visitors come through the gallery in its history. MGA partnered with emerging curator Sophia Cai to host a panel discussion on contemporary Chinese photography at the gallery. The panel continued the discussion around thematic concerns raised by the exhibition, exploring current trends, women in Chinese photography and emerging artists. Chaired by Ms Cai the panel featured special guests Dr Claire Roberts and Carol Yinghua Lu from The University of Melbourne, and USA-based, Chinese artist Pixy Yijun Liao. Also in August, MGA was thrilled to co-host Susan Bright, Paris-based, British writer and curator of photography, with a lecture held at Photography Studies College. One of the greatest opportunities afforded by MGA is to hear directly from artists about their practice. During the Bowness Photography Prize seven finalists discussed their work on display and Under the sun: Reimagining Max Dupain’s ‘Sunbaker’ gave us an opportunity to hear from Peta Clancy, Destiny Deacon, Yhonnie Scarce and Daniel von Sturmer, who are all Melbourne based artists. Focusing our summer exhibition on families and children saw an Underwater garden appear in Life aquatic which was commissioned from guerrilla crafters Poppies for Grace. A collaborative coral wall installation provided visitors with a hands-on activity space, and we also hosted a range of children’s programs including storytimes (facilitated by our friends at the Monash Public Library Service). We also began our ongoing school holiday photography workshops with local photographer Sandra Davis. For those wondering where the seaweed went – five primary schools across the south-eastern region now have their own underwater worlds. Life aquatic was our largest children’s program to date and we look forward to the future summer periods where we transform the space again. We also saw our stalwart program for photobook lovers, Photobook Club Melbourne, celebrate four years of meetups. The Club conducted its 25th meetup in June as it continues to provide an informal forum for the discussion of photobooks. Our Education and Social Group tours increased by 20% across the year, which gave us the opportunity to speak with many members of our local community. Our guided gallery tours are free and we regularly host groups of friends in tailored tours to delight and deepen their engagement with photography. The launch of the new online booking system has increased the accessibility and we encourage everyone to book a tour today. Stephanie Richter Education and Public Programs Co-ordinator Photos: Seaweed and coral walls detail in Life Aquatic

Volunteers

MGA’s Volunteer Program is integral to the Gallery’s operations. The dedicated team of 38

volunteers donated almost 1,600 hours of their time over the course of the year. Volunteers

support MGA across all areas of operation including providing customer and retail service to

visitors and assist with administration, archiving, exhibition installation and deinstallation

and public programs and events.

MGA’s Volunteer Program offers opportunities for the community to deepen their

engagement with MGA, museum life and photography. Volunteers can gain relevant

industry experience in the arts sector. With access to a network of arts industry

professionals and invitations to events, volunteers can expand their skills and expertise to

further their passion and career. Many volunteers are arts students working towards a

career in the arts, while others share a passion or interest in the arts, and want to be part of

a gallery. Every volunteer brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that continuously

improves the gallery for those who visit. Many staff at the MGA started out as volunteers,

and appreciate and understand the passion, commitment and drive that our volunteers

share.

MGA welcomed 14 new volunteers this year; Emily Badge, Susan Brunialti, Louella De

Guzman, Marisha Dudek, Melinda Haldane, Candice Hopkins, Therese Jenkins, Gillian Jones,

Jess Lehmann, George Macfarlane, Liz McConnell, Amy Nolidin and Katherine Wright. We

look forward to their ongoing contribution to MGA’s success and growth.

In March 2017, we farewelled two of our most senior and longest serving volunteers Mira

Bogicevic and Brian Aldington who together contributed close to 35 years service to the

gallery. We are grateful for their hard work, dedication and contribution to the gallery. They

will be missed! During the year, we also said farewell to Andrew Brown, May Chai, Jelena

Djunic, Samaa Elsadat, Elizabeth Hosking, Jenny Huang, Monica Hunt, Miranda King, Kathryn

Kouris, Barbara Muhlethaler, Merthi Poedijono, Elisa Stone and Huishu Zhang. We thank

them for their time and enrichment to the gallery.

Each volunteer is an asset to MGA and we could not continue without their support, we

thank them for the dedication and passion they bring to our team.

EXHIBITIONS Over the last year, MGA’s exhibition program provided gallery visitors with numerous opportunities to engage with photography both from Australia and overseas. MGA’s extensive program consisted of 13 major exhibitions across our three main galleries. Nine exhibitions were developed by MGA’s curatorial team, five of which included works from the MGA Collection. China: grain to pixel was MGA’s major international exhibition for the year. It came directly to MGA from Shanghai Center of Photography and MGA was the exhibition’s only Australian venue. The exhibition provided a wonderful opportunity for visitors to engage with 150 years of photography in China, tracing the medium’s history from its earliest beginnings to today. The exhibition was conceived by Pulitzer Prize winner, Liu Heung Shing who we were delighted to host as our special guest during opening week. Following on from our China season was our annual exhibition of the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize finalists. This was the 11th year of the prize, which continues to be one of the most prestigious in the country and an important survey of contemporary photographic practice in Australia. This year the prize was awarded to Melbourne artist Valerie Sparks for her work 'Prospero's Island – North East'. Alongside this exhibition was an installation of photographs by Paul Cox, the much-admired film director, writer and photographer who sadly passed away in June 2016. This exhibition, curated from MGA’s significant holdings of his work, paid tribute to his photographic practice and celebrated his life as an image-maker. MGA’s 2016 spring season of exhibitions showed the work of one of Australia’s most important photographers, Polixeni Papapetrou alongside Magnum photographer, Martin Parr and acclaimed Dutch photographers, Hendrik Kerstens and Erwin Olaf. These three exhibitions provided our audiences with insights into the practice of major local and international contemporary photographers and together they inspired a reflection on the ways we present ourselves to the world, as well as the ways in which we are and have been represented. In December, MGA launched our summer season of exhibitions, Life aquatic, which invited visitors to dive into the underwater worlds of Narelle Autio, Ruth Maddison and Catherine Nelson. In conjunction with these photographic exhibitions, MGA designed a range of children’s activities, including an immersive underwater installation created by Poppies for Grace. MGA’s major collection show this year focussed on the work of Wesley Stacey. The exhibition, Wesley Stacey: the wild thing was curated almost exclusively from photographs held in MGA’s collection. It surveyed over four decades of Stacey’s work and highlighted the way he uses photography to explore and connect with the ecological complexity of the Australian landscape. This exhibition was part of CLIMARTE’s ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2017.

COLLECTION ACCESS As caretakers of a significant public collection, MGA continually seeks opportunities for our community to access our collection beyond exhibitions at the gallery. This is achieved through our travelling exhibitions program, collection online, external loans and public displays around civic facilities. Our travelling exhibition program is an important avenue to reach regional and interstate audiences. This year three MGA curated exhibitions, Rod McNicol: memento mori, The Rennie Ellis Show and Australian exotica, travelled to six venues in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Aside from Artspace Wodonga, this was the first time for each venue hosting an MGA exhibition. Each venue reported strong attendance figures, particularly Ballarat Art Gallery with 22,960 visitors. Positive audience engagement with the artworks was documented through collecting visitor comments about Australian exotica at Benalla Art Gallery. Local, national and international audiences have accessed our collection though the online resource ‘Explore our collection’ that boasts 761 works (over 27%) now available to view and 160 (over 50%) of our collection artists represented. Many of these entries include extended texts and artist biographies creating an excellent resource of Australian photographers and photographs for researchers and the general public. Facilitating external loan requests has allowed MGA to support and collaborate in exhibitions that promote Australian photography. This year MGA has loaned 71 works to six organisations including the Sofitel on Collins (Global Arts Projects), Mornington Peninsular Regional Gallery, Benalla Art Gallery, Centre for Contemporary Photography, Glen Eira City Council and RMIT. For local audiences, works on public display at the Civic Centre create a satellite exhibition space that showcases new acquisitions which included an exhibition of eight works by Damien Shen to coincide with NAIDOC week activities; collection favourites and works that compliment current MGA exhibitions. MGA is committed to having a readily accessible and active collection – evident with more than 12% of the collection on view this year. Katie Tremschnig Registrar

COMMUNITY EXHIBITIONS MGA’s community exhibition spaces attract a variety of artists from the local and broader communities annually. The spaces are offered free of charge and give artists and community groups valuable exposure and exhibition experiences. This year has seen an exciting array of exhibitions in both our Ramp Gallery and our breezeway cabinets. In our Ramp Gallery we showcased the work of four local photographic artists in solo exhibitions. Vicki Moritz showed an exhibition of photographs entitled Dichotomy, which was a selection of works depicting both the city of Melbourne and the country around Marysville and Lake Mountain. Eliana Fava displayed a series of five colourful large-scale photographs exploring her philosophies around wellbeing. Eric Jong showed a series of contact cyanotype prints and scanographs exploring the invisible nature of the shipping industry. Shan Peng’s current exhibition of nature photographs highlights the artist’s fascination with the macro world. In addition to these solo exhibitions, we also featured a selection of photographs by members of the Waverley Camera Club as well as works by Arts Access. Arts Access is a collective of artists with disabilities working across multi-mediums. The studio is run by Arts Access Victoria, and it operated out of MGA for four years. Our breezeway space was taken over by a multitude of local artists and community groups who continue to maintain colour and life in the space that connects the gallery and cafe to the Wheelers Hill Library. We welcomed back regular exhibitors such the Waverley Gem Club. We also welcomed a number of new exhibitors to the breezeway exhibition space, including Lyne De Luca and Elizabeth Sansom who together create site-specific installation of calligraphy works. These were presented in the form of framed works on paper and hand-made artist books. Waverley Community Learning Centre presented two displays in our breezeway this year, showcasing work by children and adults across a number of fields, including painting, pottery and calligraphy.

Exhibition Summaries

China: grain to pixel

Until 28 August 2016

MGA was the exclusive Australian venue for this major exhibition of Chinese photography.

Developed by the Shanghai Centre of Photography (SCôP), the exhibition offered an

intriguing insight into the role that photography has played in the evolution of Chinese

culture over the past 150 years, from early ethnographic photography and communist

propaganda through to the internationally acclaimed work of contemporary Chinese artists.

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Paul Cox 1940-2016

1 September 2016 to 16 October 2016

Paul Cox, the much-admired film director, writer and photographer, passed away after a

prolonged battle with cancer on 18 June 2016. Cox is generally well know artistically for his

work as a filmmaker. The still camera, however, was an important element of his artistic

toolbox and this exhibition paid tribute to his photographic practice and celebrated his life

as an image-maker. The exhibition was curated from MGA’s significant holdings of Cox’s

photographic work, which illuminates the breadth and depth of a profoundly creative life.

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Nepal 1972

gelatin silver print

23.5 x 23.2 cm

Monash Gallery of Art, City of Monash Collection

donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by William Donald

Bowness 2011

MGA 2011.052

courtesy of the artist

Location: Gallery Storage SB 3 COX (b)

William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize

1 September 2016 to 16 October 2016

The William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize exhibition of finalists is an important

annual survey of contemporary photography in Australia. This year the judging panel

consisted of the award-winning Australian filmmaker Fred Schepisi AO, Australian

photographer John Gollings and MGA Director Kallie Blauhorn.

In 2016, the $25 000 first prize was awarded to Melbourne artist Valerie Sparks for her work

'Prospero's Island – North East'. The three Colour Factory Honourable Mentions were

awarded to Phaedra Barnes, Stephen Dupont and Tajette O'Halloran.

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Valerie SPARKS

born Australia 1961

Prospero's Island – North East 2016 from the series Prospero's Island

pigment ink-jet print

140.0 x 220.0 cm

collection of the artist (exhibition label)

courtesy of the artist and this is not fantasy + dianne tanzer gallery (Melbourne)

(reproduction credit line)

supported by the Australia Council

Dutch masters of light: Hendrik Kerstens and Erwin Olaf

22 October 2016 to 4 December 2016

This exhibition featured work by the internationally acclaimed Dutch photographers,

Hendrik Kerstens and Erwin Olaf. Inspired by the moody manipulation of light and shadow

that characterises the paintings of Dutch masters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer, these

photographers create emotionally charged portraits that draw attention to the liminal

nature of contemporary life.

Dutch masters of light: Hendrik Kerstens and Erwin Olaf was presented as part of a series of

events that marked the 400th anniversary of the first Dutch contact with Western Australia.

On 25 October 1616, Dirk Hartog made landfall with his ship the Eendracht at Dirk Hartog

Island, in the Shark Bay area.

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Erwin OLAF Keyhole 3 2011 from the series Keyhole chromogenic print 62.5 x 50.0 cm courtesy of the artist

Beyond Eden: Polixeni Papapetrou

22 October 2016 to 4 December 2016

Polixeni Papapetrou is a Melbourne-based photographic artist. Her 30-year artistic career

has seen her explore a variety of subjects. These have ranged from her early documentary-

style portraits of drag queens, body builders and Elvis fans through to staged portraits of her

children dressed in masks and costumes in front of real and imaginary backgrounds.

This exhibition brought together three recent series by Papapetrou: Lost psyche (2014), It’s

all about me (2016) and Eden (2016). Each of these studio-based series explores concerns

that have long been central to her practice, including role-play, performance and identity, as

well as the history of art, mythology and religion. They also highlight Papapetrou’s

explorations of childhood innocence and the transience of life.

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Polixeni PAPAPETROU

Amaranthine 2016

from the series Eden

127.0 x 85.0 cm

pigment ink-jet print

courtesy of the artist and Stills Gallery (Sydney)

Glamour stakes: Martin Parr

22 October 2016 to 4 December 2016

Magnum photographer Martin Parr has an international reputation as a photographer,

filmmaker and curator.

His series Luxury is comprised of images taken between 1993 and 2009 in multiple

destinations around the world. While creating this series, Parr photographed what he

describes as ‘situations where people are comfortable showing off their wealth’, such as art

fairs, car shows and horse races. The images in this series are indicative of Parr’s practice in

that they document leisure and consumption and highlight the unintentional, awkward and

often ugly sides of beauty, fashion and wealth.

Glamour stakes: Martin Parr showed a selection of works from Parr’s Luxury series and

focused specifically on his images of horse racing events around the world. The majority of

works in this exhibition were taken in Melbourne in 2008.

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Australia, Melbourne 2008

from the series Luxury

pigment ink-jet print

50.8 x 76.2 cm

courtesy of the artist and Niagara Galleries (Melbourne)

Life aquatic: Catherine Nelson

10 December - 26 February 2017

Catherine Nelson is known for her seductively hyperreal form of photography. She ‘paints’

fantastical landscapes by digitally combining and distorting photographs that she has taken

of her actual environment.

This exhibition included selections of some of Nelson’s most recent series of images, which

have adopted a submarine perspective on aquatic landscapes. Origins was created using

photographs of mangrove swamps in south-east Asia, while Submerged and Unstill life were

composed from thousands of close-up photographs taken in a small lily pond in Belgium.

The exhibition also featured Nelson’s new video work ‘Supernova’. Using a database of rare

and endangered plants held at the National Botanic Garden of Belgium, Nelson has

compiled an animated sequence that celebrates the fluid vitality of organic microcosms.

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Catherine NELSON

Submerged no. 01 2015

from the series Submerged

pigment ink-jet print

75.0 x 150.0 cm

courtesy of the artist, Gallerysmith (Melbourne) and Michael Reid (Sydney)

Life aquatic: Narelle Autio

10 December – 26 February 2017

Narelle Autio takes most of her photographs in public spaces where she can capture the

drama and spontaneity of everyday life. Public beaches, swimming holes and river systems

are recurring themes in Autio’s photographs.

Life aquatic: Narelle Autio offered an overview of Autio’s underwater photography, which is

one of the most sustained and erudite aspects of her practice. The exhibition featured four

series by Autio, demonstrating her ability to express the athletic action of crowded surf

beaches as well as the reflective solitude of inland swimming holes. She documents the

spontaneity of live action like a street photographer, but she also transforms plunging

bodies into sublime figures that float in an aquatic abyss.

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Narelle AUTIO

Yellow haired girl 2006

from the series New colour works

pigment ink-jet print

58.0 x 86.0 cm

collection of the artist

Wesley Stacey: the wild thing

4 March 2017 – 28 April 2017

Wesley Stacey is a living legend of environmental photography. For over 40 years he has

lived in the ‘great outdoors’, using photography to explore and connect with the ecological

complexity of the Australian landscape. The wild thing, curated from MGA’s photography

collection, surveyed four decades of Stacey’s work. From his lively colour snapshots to his

epic black-and-white panoramas, Stacey pays tribute to the wildness at the heart of our

existence on Earth.

This exhibition was part of CLIMARTE’s ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2017- a festival of

exhibitions and events harnessing the creative power of the Arts to inform, engage and

inspire action on climate change.

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Wesley STACEY

Burning forest remnant on the Monaro 1981

chromogenic print

35.5 x 55.0 cm

Monash Gallery of Art, City of Monash Collection

Acquired 1983

MGA 1983.47

TOPshots! 2016-17

4 March 2017 to 13 April 2017

Over the past nine years MGA has celebrated the work of emerging photomedia artists with

the annual TOPshots award and exhibition. TOPshots showcases artwork produced by

students studying the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) subjects of Art, Media and

Studio Arts. Each of these subjects has a different focus within the broader course of arts

education offered to Victorian secondary school students, making the TOPshots exhibition

an exciting overview of different creative trajectories.

MGA is proud to have the opportunity to acknowledge the excellence of young photomedia

artists in our community.

2016-17 TOPshots finalists:

Klari AGAR Swinburne Senior Secondary College

Talia CRISANTE Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak

Beau CRUZ Caulfield Grammar School, Caulfield Campus

Alessi D’ANDREA Melbourne Girls Grammar School

Rhiannon GAMBLE Norwood Secondary College

Lacey GILBERT Luther College

Emily JOYCE Methodist Ladies’ College

Amy LALANNE Monbulk College

Lexie McLEOD Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School

Gabriel MENZIES Vermont Secondary College

Audrey MICHAEL Mentone Girls’ Grammar School

Isabella MURRAY-GOOLD St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School

Maria NGUYEN Our Lady of Mercy College

Sophie PEASLEY Toorak College

Jessica PHILLIPS Kingswood College

Ain RAADIK Luther College

Anneliese RAFTIS Sacré Coeur

Renee RIOTTO Mater Christi College

Emily RODEN Wheelers Hill Secondary College

Ruby RYAN Methodist Ladies’ College

Joshua STARICK Monbulk College

Award winners:

Winner TOPshot award:

Beau Cruz

Winner Honourable Mentions:

Alessi D'Andrea

Amy Lalanne

Jessica Phillips

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Beau CRUZ

Life in Bali, 2016

Inkjet on transparency

Duratran, lightbox 59.4x84.1x20.0cm

MGA Gala Fundraising Auction Preview 2017

20 April 2017 – 29 April 2017

MGA’s annual gala dinner and auction is the feature event in the gallery’s fundraising

calendar. It brings together people from all parts of our community – business groups,

councillors, community members and gallery supporters - who share our passion for art and

it is through their support that the gala continues to be a success, ensuring the continued

growth of MGA as the Australian home of photography.

The 2017 fundraising auction exhibition was supported by generous donations from 17

artists and private collectors, with all funds raised supporting the gallery to deliver its

exhibition program, supporting artists through artist and exhibition fees; delivering a suite

of free education programs; and conserving works from the collection.

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Under the sun: reimagining Max Dupain’s Sunbaker

6 May 2017–6 August 2017

Under the sun: reimagining Max Dupain’s Sunbaker is a large scale exhibition of new works

commissioned from 15 artists responding to Australian photographer Max Dupain’s iconic

Sunbaker image. Artists include Peta Clancy, Christopher Day, Destiny Deacon, Michaela

Gleave, Nasim Nasr, Sara Oscar, Julie Rrap, Khaled Sabsabi, Yhonnie Scarce, Christian

Thompson, Angela Tiatia, Kawita Vatanajyankur, Daniel von Sturmer, Justene Williams and

William Yang.

The exhibition explores views of our culture, our identity and our nationhood through works

that surprise, challenge and enthuse audiences. The mix of commissioned artists reflects

Australia’s multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith nature, enabling a creative and often

very personal exploration of the question ‘is there something new under the sun?’

Branding / Graphic for the exhibition Under the sun: Reimagining Max Dupain’s Sunbaker, (Not an

artwork) © Kirk Palmer Design

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ROD MCNICOL: MEMENTO MORI Rod McNicol’s photographic practice has always concentrated on portraiture as a genre that highlights mortality. For over three decades McNicol has been inviting people from his inner-city community to put their lives on pause for a few moments and stare into the lens of his camera. The portraits that McNicol has captured in the stillness of his studio are both tender and brazen; they are faces that function as witnesses to the inescapable passing of time. This exhibition will survey McNicol’s extended portrait project, from his early black-and-white prints through to his most recent colour portraits. ------------------------------------------------------ VENUES Artspace Wodonga 14 October – 10 December 2016 Days open: 51 Attendance: 3 282 FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP: Creative Victoria, City of Monash, Gordon Darling Foundation

Image: Rod McNICOL Meg 1998 from the series Portraits from last century pigment ink-jet print; 52.0 x 39.0 cm courtesy of the artist

THE RENNIE ELLIS SHOW The photographer Rennie Ellis (1940–2003) was a key figure in Australian visual culture. Ellis is best remembered for his effervescent observations of Australian life during the 1970s–90s, including his now iconic book Life’s a beach. Although invariably inflected with his own personality and wit, the thousands of social documentary photographs taken by Ellis during this period now form an important historical record. The Rennie Ellis Show highlights some of the defining images of Australian life from the 1970s and ‘80s. This is the period of Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, Paul Keating and Bob Hawke; AC/DC and punk rock; cheap petrol and coconut oil; Hare Krishnas and Hookers and Deviates balls. ------------------------------------------------------ VENUES New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) 19 August – 16 October 2016 Days open: 50 Attendance: 8 125 Art Gallery of Ballarat 3 December 2016 – 29 January 2017 Days open: 56 Attendance: 22 960 FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP: Creative Victoria, City of Monash, The Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive, Fujifilm Professional, CPL Digital

Image: Rennie ELLIS Property of Hells Angels, Kings Cross 1970–71 selenium-toned gelatin silver print; 43.8 x 29.2cm courtesy of the Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive and Mossgreen Gallery

AUSTRALIAN EXOTICA

Australian exotica draws on MGA’s nationally significant collection of Australian photographs and showcases a range of

photographic work that engages with the theme of the exotic antipodes.

Ever since the fifteenth century, when European cartographers began including the contour of Terra Australis Incognita (‘the unknown land of the south’) in their speculative maps of the globe, the continent of Australia has been thought of as an exotic place. For many of the artists in this exhibition, this European vision is something that needs to be subverted and critiqued. For others, the idea of living in an eccentric environment, with surreal undertows, continues to inform a distinctively Australian sense of place. ------------------------------------------------------ VENUES BENALLA ART GALLERY

19 November 2016 – 22 January 2017

Days open: 54 Attendance: 4 359

GOSFORD REGIONAL GALLERY

18 February – 2 April 2017

Days open: 44 Attendance: 1 152 PINNACLES GALLERY (QLD)

16 June – 16 July 2017 Days open: 31 Attendance: 2 935

FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP: Creative Victoria, City of Monash Image: Peter DOMBROVSKIS

Lake Oberon, Western Arthur Range, south-west Tasmania 1988

Monash Gallery of Art, City of Monash Collection

courtesy of the estate of Peter Dombrovskis

TRACEY MOFFATT: SELECTED WORKS Coinciding with Tracey Moffatt’s exhibition at the Venice Biennale of Art in 2017, Sofitel Melbourne on Collins in partnership with MGA presented a selection of works from two of Moffatt’s most iconic series Scarred for life and Up in the sky. Scarred for life is a series of works based on true stories about traumatic childhood experiences. In response to each story, Moffatt staged and photographed a scene that illustrates the tragic tale. The photographs have been made to look like snapshots from a family album, emphasising the everyday nature of the incidents and their ongoing significance as memories. Up in the sky consists of 25 images, making it one of Moffatt’s largest photographic series. The wide range of characters, captured in different scenarios, suggests a narrative of epic proportions, but there is no beginning, middle and end to lead the viewer through this story. Moffatt’s photographs function like film stills, highlighting poignant scenes in a larger drama that is never fully disclosed. This series takes many of its visual cues from Italian neorealist cinema of the 1960s. ------------------------------------------------------

VENUES SOFITEL MELBOURNE ON COLLINS

31 May – 28 September 2017

FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP: Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, Creative Victoria, City of Monash

Image: Tracey MOFFATT Up in the sky 2 1997 off-set print 61 x 76 cm Monash Gallery of Art, City of Monash Collection donated by Simon Rosenthal through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program 2008 courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney

ON THE FABRIC OF THE NGARRINDERI BODY Damine Shen’s series On the fabric of the Ngarrindjeri body – volume II is typical of the artist’s practice in that it explores his Indigenous identity and family history through portraiture. For Shen this series is extremely personal, as it documents his uncle sharing his cultural knowledge and experience with him. However, the series was also created to more broadly document Ngarrindjeri culture and the history of his ancestors. Furthermore, Shen’s use of a plain studio backdrop and sepia toning directly reference 19th-century ethnographic portraiture, drawing attention to the history of the representation of Indigenous people. To create this series of photographs, Shen collaborated with photographer Richard Lyons. ------------------------------------------------------ VENUES MONASH CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTRE

22 June – 27 October 2017

FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP: Creative Victoria, City of Monash

Image: Damien SHEN

Ventral aspect of a male #1 2014

from the series On the fabric of the Ngarrindjeri body – volume II

photographer: Richard Lyons

Monash Gallery of Art, City of Monash Collection

courtesy of the artist and MARS Gallery (Melbourne)

Ramp Gallery Exhibitions Waverley Camera Club

4 June–28 August 2016

This exhibition was a selection of recent photography by Waverley Camera Club members.

Vicki Moritz: dichotomy

1 September – 16 October 2016

This exhibition was comprised of a selection of photographs by local photographer Vicki

Moritz. It included images of Melbourne as well as images of areas around Marysville and

Lake Mountain.

Arts Access: Limitless

22 October–4 December 2016

Arts Access is a collective of artists with disabilities working across multi-mediums. The

studio is run by Arts Access Victoria, and operated out of MGA for four years. This

photographic exhibition was a six-week focused project based around the theme of their

personal, private perspectives.

Live well: Eliana Fava

10 December – 26 February 2016/17

This exhibition was made up of a series of photographs by the artist Eliana Fava. The

photographs were created around her own philosophy of wellbeing.

Eric Jong

4 March–30 April 2017

This exhibition comprised a series of contact cyanotype prints and scanographs by Eric Jong.

The series was created as a way of exploring the invisible nature of the shipping industry.

Shan Peng

6 May – 6 August 2017

This exhibition of nature photographs by Shan Peng highlighted the artist’s fascination with

the macro world.

Community Space Exhibitions Sulochi

1 July – 31 July 2016

This display showed a selection of handmade ceramics by local artist Sulochi Walisinghe, including

unique jewellery pieces.

Ashwini

1 August 4 September 2016

This exhibition showcased works of art by children who attend Ashwini Khiani’s art classes.

Waverley Gem Club

6 September – 25 September 2016

This exhibition was organised by the Waverley Gem Club, highlighting their collection of

jewellery and gem stones.

Lyne De Luca and Elizabeth Sansom

27 September – 30 October 2016

This was an exhibition of calligraphy by Lyne De Luca and Elizabeth Sansom. The works were

in the form of framed pieces and hand-made artist books.

Waverley Community Learning Centre

6 December- 29 January 2016 /17

This exhibition of recent work by participants at the Waverly Community Centre included

works by adults and children in a range of media, such as painting, pottery and calligraphy.

John Holding

31 January-5 March 2016/17

This display comprised a selection of photographs by John Holding.

Deborah Hilton, Natasha Hilton, Stephen Hilton and Cam Mates

1 April-30 April 2017

This exhibition showed recent photographs by Stephen Hilton and Cam Mates alongside art

and craft by Deborah and Natasha Hilton.

Albany Rise Primary School

2–28 May 2017

This exhibition showed work by the students of Albany Rise Primary School.

Waverley Community Learning Centre

30 May–25 June

This exhibition of recent work by participants at the Waverly Community Centre included

works by adults and children in a range of media, such as painting, pottery and calligraphy.

Chris Hutchinson: fairies in the garden

27 June–31 July 2017

This exhibition showcased bronze sculptures and photographic prints by artist Chris

Hutchinson.

FRIENDS OF MGA INC.

The Friends of MGA are integral to MGA, providing an active member base who have access to a

suite of programs to deepen their engagement with Photography and MGA. The Friends of MGA

provide much needed financial support to MGA and during 2016 – 2017 raised just over $13,000,

donating $10,000 to support MGA’s 25th Year Anniversary Project. The major commission of artist

Bill Henson celebrates the City Monash, and is made possible with the support of the City of

Monash, Friends of MGA and the Foundation. The funds the Friends have donated to date has

supported the purchase of six existing works from Bill Henson, and the Friends will continue their

efforts to raise more funds for this important project. The Commission will result in a major

exhibition showcasing all of these works in 2018, which will draw new audiences to MGA.

The Friends Morning Coffees program was refreshed during 2017 in order to attract new audiences

to the Gallery by alternating the Morning Coffees with catered Supper Talks on Thursday evenings.

These twilight sessions concentrate more on photography and so our first one in April featured

contemporary award winning photographer Lisa Saad, who gave a detailed insight into her digital

practice, and in June, Bruce Postle, a photojournalist with 30 years’ experience, gave a fascinating

talk showcasing images of personalities and events that he has captured.

The Morning Coffees program featured a varied collection of speakers and subjects, including a Feng

Shui master, David Fraser, a children’s book illustrator, and Adrian Dickens, a jeweller who spoke

about Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels and Windsors’ Collection. The lecture series continued with a speaker

from the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Bowness finalist Valerie Sparks, and MGA’s former Director,

Jason Smith, who gave an interesting insight into Geelong and its gallery. I would like to thank Colin

King and Sandra Hill for their help.

Our major event for the year, Art in the Park, was held in December and saw perfect weather and

good crowds for all the musical and artistic activities. We couldn’t do this without our major

supporters – the City of Monash, the Pinewood Community Bank and Cristine Jones at Ray White

Real Estate. Many thanks to them and to Steph Richter and Mark Hislop and all the volunteers at the

Gallery for all their help.

In October, we farewelled MGA’s Director Kallie Blauhorn whose energy and support of the Friends

will be greatly missed, and we thank Mark Hislop who stepped into the role of Acting Director for the

last nine months.

We had four new Committee members join us – Dave Sumner, Vicki Moritz, Sandra Hill and Sandra

Davis and I thank them and the rest of the Committee, especially our Vice President Colin King for all

their work. Many thanks to all the rest of the staff at the Gallery as well – Stephen Zagala, Ashlee

Dawson, Stella Loftus-Hills, Katie Tremschnig, all the volunteers and of course the Friends for all their

help and support. We look forward to an exciting year ahead under the new leadership of Anouska

Phizacklea as Gallery Director, and Natasha Bowness as Chair of the Committee of Management.

Godfrey Clay,

President, Friends of MGA

FOUNDATION REPORT

FINANCIALS TO BE PROVIDED BY FINANCE DEPARTMENT

FOUNDATION REPORT

The Monash Gallery of Art Foundation was established in 2006 with the aim of supporting MGA. Since that time, the Foundation has developed several initiatives which have helped to support MGA’s nationally significant collection of Australian photography, as well as augmenting the gallery’s endeavours to promote and celebrate the best of Australian photography.

The focus of the Foundation’s activities each year is delivering the prestigious William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize. Now in its eleventh year, the Foundation was delighted that filmmaker Fred Schepisi AO and Australian photographer John Gollings joined MGA’s director Kallie Blauhorn as the guest judges for the 2016 prize. The diversity of the works and themes submitted for this year’s Prize demonstrates the depth of talent in Australian photography at the moment.

The $25,000 first prize was awarded to Valerie Sparks for her stunning work Prospero's Island – North East 2016 from the series Prospero's Island featuring one of Australia’s most iconic landscapes. Valarie had been the recipient of a Colour Factory Honourable Mention in 2015. The People’s Choice Award was awarded to Dasha Riley for Autumn walk and this year’s Colour Factory Honourable Mentions were awarded to Phaedra Barnes, Stephen Dupont and Tajette O'Halloran.

At the Prize announcement – attended by more people than have ever been present inside MGA at the same time before – I was also pleased to announce the Foundation’s recent decision to increase next year’s Prize to $30,000 and for the Prize to now be acquisitive.

On behalf of the Foundation I would like to thank the judging panel for the significant amount of time and energy they put into determining the winner of this year’s prize.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to demonstrate your passion for supporting Australian photography and for MGA, by supporting the Foundation by making a tax-deductible donation in the form of a cash contribution, bequest or gift of a work of art.

On behalf of my fellow trustees, Geoffrey Smith, Barbara Thompson, Bill Bowness and our newest addition, Kallie Blauhorn, I would like to thank all gallery staff for the support they have provided to the Foundation over the last year. In particular, I thank Kallie Blauhorn for the significant contribution she made as director of MGA. I am thrilled that despite moving on as MGA director, Kallie accepted our invitation to join the Foundation and so she will continue to make a substantial contribution to the MGA in the years ahead. I would also like to thank Mark Hislop who was acting director for much of the year following Kallie’s departure. Mark provided great support to the Foundation and was a joy to deal with.

We also appreciate the continuing support we receive from the MGA Committee of Management. We would like to acknowledge the significant support of two of its retiring members – Alan Maclean who resigned as chair after 11 years on the Committee of Management and Annie Chester. They have both made significant contributions to the Foundation (as well as to the MGA) over the years and we thank them for their service.

We are delighted that Natasha Bowness has been appointed chair and we look forward to maintaining the close and productive relationship between the Committee and the Foundation. We also recognise the strong support the Foundation continues to receive from the Friends of MGA and Monash City Council.

Geoff Lake Acting chair, MGA Foundation