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Martin Hansom Award Flyer

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THE MARTIN HANSON ART AWARDS

For 45 years the Gladstone Regional Art Gallery & Museum has annually presented the Martin Hanson Memorial Art Awards. The Awards encompass the following art-making areas – easel works, works on paper, three-dimensional & fibre works and digital works. There are three awards for each category and seven special awards including the Pamela Whitlock Memorial Acquisitive Award and the overall Rio Tinto Martin Hanson Memorial Art Award of $15,000.  The $40,000 Award prize monies are supported by individuals and community organisations including the Gladstone Regional Council and with significant support from Rio Tinto, Queensland Alumina and other Gladstone mining and industrial businesses.

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Sue Smith the Award Judge IMAGE: The Award’s Brochure

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ABOUT THE JUDGE: SUE SMITH

Sue Smith is an artist, writer and curator. She has held the position of Art Collection Manager at CQ University Australia since August 2012, after serving for nine years as Director of the Rockhampton Art Gallery and Manager Art Services for the Rockhampton Regional Council.

Ms Smith is an exhibiting artist and her works are held in public and private collections in Australia. She trained in the visual arts at the Queensland College of Art and the CQ TAFE; and studied at the University of Queensland, where she graduated in Art History and Modern and Ancient History.

Her postgraduate studies at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, were in the History of European art.

ABOUT OUR AWARDED ENTRIES

Over many years we have occasionally entered the Martin Hanson Memorial Awards with previous awards in the ‘works on paper’ category.

Both of the books we entered had been hand-printed and bound earlier in the year and had been finalists in the Artspace Mackay Libris Awards.

Last Saturday evening a friend who had been watching the Awards announcement via ‘Live-stream’ texted us to say “log-on and your names have been mentioned”. So we did and were excited to hear the result first-hand and also the comments from the judges Sue Smith.

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HERE ARE THE RESULTS

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THE CREATIVE GLADSTONE REGION Inc AWARD

for the ‘works on paper’ section

went to VICTORIA COOPER for her artists’ book  BEING PRESENT

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Victoria Cooper’s BEING PRESENT

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Being Present has its physical origins from the Bundanon Trust and the Shoalhaven River.

The electron microscopic images come from unexplored work made during an earlier residence in 2007 of collected detritus from the river. The montages were constructed with these microscopic images as interventions into a riparian environment near the property.

The book is informed by the work of notable writers, thinkers and philosophers, Martin Heidegger and Rachel Carson.

Judge Sue Smith’s comment about the work…

The Creative Gladstone Region Inc. Award

Victoria’s little book is beautifully designed and its semi-abstracted examination of trees and poetic texts asks us to consider wider cosmic questions.

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THE AUSTRALIA PACIFIC LNG AWARD

for the ‘works on paper’ section

went to DOUG SPOWART for his photobook HOME

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Doug Spowart’s book  HOME

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

This book was conceptualised and created during an artist’s residency at Bundanon near Nowra in New South Wales in June 2018. The final design of the book took place in 2019.

For 5 years I have been homeless resulting from the need to travel, seeking work, looking for a place to settle, and maintaining connections with supporting friends and colleagues. The residency enabled inner thoughts to emerge that have been suppressed throughout this time.

Self-imaging is not something new to me. What is new however in this work is the frank reality of the expression, pose and perhaps vulnerability I present in these moments contemplating ‘home’ and what it means to me.

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Judge Sue Smith’s comment about the work…

Australia Pacific LNG Award

This small book contains a masterly series of photographs contemplating self and the concepts of home and human vunerability, the human figure merging into environmental images that hover between representation and abstraction.

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OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE AWARD

Exhibition Opened – Saturday, 17 October 2020 and Closes – 5pm, Saturday, 30 January 2021

This year’s Art Awards is reaching further into the virtual world, providing an alternate enjoyment experience via Council’s Conversations platform. Artist have been asked to post their profiles online as an accompaniment to their submitted artwork – They can be viewed here:
https://conversations.gladstone.qld.gov.au/projects/45th-martin-hanson-art-awards-2020/artist-profiles

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After November, in addition to viewing the exhibition at the Gallery & Museum, all artwork entries can be found in the online gallery here: https://conversations.gladstone.qld.gov.au/projects/45th-martin-hanson-art-awards-2020/entries-martin-hanson-memorial-art-show

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Martin Hanson Memorial Award Sponsors

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