1 September, the first day of spring, with glorious sunshine and sweet perfume in the air. A perfect day to join my friend Erica for an excursion to Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre to take in the two quilt exhibitions: Labours of Love: Australian Quilts 1845-2015 and Evolution, Change, Challenge: A Contemporary Quilt.
No photography was permitted in the Labours of Love exhibition but this video gives some good insights and there are also some photos on the Hazelhurst Regional Gallery Facebook page. As the full title of the exhibition suggests, the exhibition includes both antique and contemporary quilts including fussy cut, English paper pieced hexagons; heavily embellished crazy quilts; an all-white signature fundraising “quilt” [sheet] from 1915; classic and contemporary log cabins; wool suiting waggas; airbrushed and hand-stitched works; and assemblages from orphan blocks.
The 11 contemporary artists featured in the exhibition are Judy McDermott, Jan Irvine-Nealie, Judy Hooworth, Pamela Fitzsimons, Carolyn Sullivan, Lucas Grogan, Adrienne Doig, Emma Peters, Paula do Prado, Gillian Lavery and Belinda von Mengersen.
All works were thoughtfully presented and clear to view even in the subdued lighting. Standouts for me were the three whimsical, folk art applique works of Mary Jane Hannaford (1840-1930) including this poignant meditation on Time. (Don’t forget entries for my next travelling exhibition, a matter of time, close on 15 January 2016.)
If you attend the gallery in the next few days, you will also see the Evolution, Change, Challenge exhibition that closes on 8 September 2015.
After compiling the online gallery, it was very interesting to see the exhibition in the cloth. I will also be interested to see which work is awarded the Viewers’ Choice prize at the conclusion of the exhibition.
In addition to the 28 works on display (see this overview photo of the gallery space), there are daily demonstrations. We got to see Cathy Jack Coupland working on her vibrant thread paintings.
These days, I am quite selective about what events I travel into the city for, let alone the extra exertion required to trek further south to “the Shire”. Catching this combined exhibition in congenial company was well worth the effort. Catch it if you can!