Hello Everyone,

Can you believe we are almost halfway through the year? We've had some incredible exhibitions and events so far, and June is packed with even more exciting activities before we hit the halfway mark of 2024. The second half of the year is shaping up to be just as fantastic!

Our immersive and collective exhibition, about-place / about-face, is currently showing at the Caloundra Regional Gallery. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you don’t miss out. This exhibition offers a fascinating explorative experience, featuring 16 different artists brought together by the renowned local artist and curator Kevin Wilson. Each turn in the gallery presents something unique, from evocative paintings and drawings to interactive photography and sculptures. Along with a children’s hands-on experience in the Artroom, this exhibition will not only challenge your concept of nature/natural but also our place within it. The exhibition runs until Sunday 16 June.

We have the highly anticipated Kids Art Attack scheduled for children of all ages on Saturday 1 June – come and see the show and kids can create a leaf character by collaging natural materials, including leaves, bark and sticks; letting your imagination run free.

Gallery visitors experiencing Karla Pringle's installation Everything is Speaking, The matters of matter | Photo by Patrick Want

In the lead up to, and celebration of, NAIDOC week, our next exhibition, Contemporary Songlines: Dhakkan/Mundagudda (Rainbow Serpent) and Maroochy (Black Swan) Project, will open later this month. This exhibition is the result of a year-long collaboration between First Nations students, youth, and women, showcasing their collective stories and culture through unique ceramic Songline sculptures.

Project creator and cultural arts curator, Aunty Jude Hammond (Gunggari/Kamilaroi), supported by Jaiva Davis (Gubbi Gubbi), has worked with schools across the region, various youth and North Coast Ceramic women's art group to bring this project to life. The opening event on 20 June is free to attend, with tickets available through our website. The exhibition will then be open to the public from Friday 21 June through Saturday 18 August.

Continuing to celebrate First Nations artists and stories, don’t miss the opportunity to view some stunning new art at the recently-opened Pastel Era exhibition at Maroochydore Library Artspace. The artist, Chloe Watego, is a South Sea Islander and Iman woman based on Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi Country. Chloe's work, deeply rooted in her First Nations heritage, is both beautiful and meaningful. Join us for the grand afternoon opening on Thursday 7 June at 3pm, where you can meet Chloe in person and learn more about her family history and the stories behind her art. This free event will feature refreshments and provide plenty of opportunities for art networking.

Chucho Bruno performing at the about-place / about-face exhibition launch | Photo by Patrick Want

Entries for the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2024 have closed, and we are thrilled to announce that we received over 450 entries from artists across all states and territories in Australia. Thank you to all the artists who entered. We are looking forward to an amazing exhibition later this year.

Stay updated with all our events on our social media and website. We hope to see you at one of our events or visiting the gallery during June.

Look forward to seeing you in the Gallery…

Jo Duke
Director

Local Artist Local Content 2023 – People's Choice Award – Phillip Rolton