From the Director - November 2025

Hello Everyone,

We're in the last week of Wildflowering by Design, which is an extraordinary exhibition. If you haven't yet managed to see it, you really should. The show echoes what's happening around us on the Coast at the moment because we've had lots of rain and the flowers are out in full bloom. This exhibition celebrates our native flowers and the Wildflowering by Design artists have responded to and interpreted the wildflowers in a myriad of art and design forms.

There are lush and glorious textiles on display, wonderful paintings, a stunning watercolour that's around nearly four metres long. There is a moving image work focusing in on the minuteness of a flower and how it folds out onto itself. There are works on paper, three-dimensional works, ceramics and woven pieces. The artworks in this show make up a field of flowering beauty in their diversity and creativity.

About one third of the artists are based here on the Sunshine Coast. So once again at the gallery, we are celebrating both our local artists and our local environment. The exhibition picks up on the legacy of Kathleen McArthur, who was pivotal in the conservation of our native wildflowers which continue to grow and be protected.

The project was curated by Dr Sue Davis and Dr Lisa Chandler, who have been working with the theme of wildflowers and women in many iterations now. They have created a really nice mix in their curation, highlighting the beauty of the wildflowers, the science behind them and the issue of sustainability. There is a need to conserve these native flowers so they can continue to fulfill their essential role in our biosphere.

You only have until this Sunday 30 November to see this essential exhibition, before we roll into the final show of the year – The Language of Laws: the colourful life of Judith Laws. This jubilant exhibition is an ode to one of our significant senior artists, Judith Laws. The Language of Laws is a survey exhibition of Judith's art practice from the late 1970s up to the present moment – she is continuing to create art in her 80s and just last year was selected as a finalist in the Local Contemporary Art Prize.

If you are familiar with Judith's work, you know it is vibrant and colourful; the gallery is going to sing with her works on the walls. We will have some of her early, more traditional works on display and then follow her trajectory of self-discovery as an artist with an iconic sense of aesthetic and perspective  –  the way Judith makes and the way she sees is truly original. Over time, her practice became more about expressing her experiences and her connections to the landscape, over literal interpretation.

After the florals of spring, The Language of Laws will be just what we need to usher in a bright, colourful summer. The exhibition launches Saturday 6 December, 2.30 to 4.30pm. There are still tickets available to the opening event, so please join us at this wonderful occasion.

Look forward to seeing you in the gallery...

Jo Duke
Gallery Director