How Moree Plains Gallery is enriching our culture

Moree Plains Gallery provides a rich cultural and educational experience for the people of Moree and the
north-west of New SouthWales.

Our mission is inspired by the far-reaching plains of our region – the Gallery aims to expand the artistic
horizons of people right across our diverse community.

Through displays from our permanent collection, visiting exhibitions and varied public programs, the Gallery stimulates the community and broadens knowledge and cultural appreciation. We strongly support the work
of contemporary Australian artists, especially Aboriginal artists.

Art in architecture: reviving a great building

The Gallery is housed in the former CBC Bank and manager’s residence, one of the most important historic buildings in Moree. Notable architect P. E. Ranclaud designed the building, which was completed in 1910.

In 1985 a group of Moree residents joined Moree Plains Shire Council in a plan to transform the building, then unoccupied, into a Gallery. The NSW Bicentennial Authority supported the plan by providing funds, and in November 1988 the Gallery was officially opened by the Premier of the day, the Hon. Nick Greiner, MP.

The living culture of the Kamilaroi people

To foster the exhibition and promotion of local indigenous art, the Gallery dedicates a key exhibition space
to showing the work of the region’s Kamilaroi people.

Three collections of Aboriginal material are on permanent display:

• The Robert Bleakley group of Kamilaroi artefacts and bark paintings from Arnhem Land

• The Ron Hardman collection of local stone objects, and

• The TGA Cory collection of traditional king plates.

Near the Gallery entrance is Kamilaroi artist Lawrence Leslie’s large sculpture, carved from a Myall tree.
The work, funded by the Moree Cultural Art Foundation, evokes the heritage of the Kamilaroi people, who traditionally incised living trees with symbolic and ceremonial designs.

A diverse and growing collection of Australian art

The Gallery has a broad permanent collection, focusing on emerging Kamilaroi artists and including works
by other Australian artists such as Margaret Adams, Bronwyn Bancroft, John Caldwell, Captain Frank Hurley,
Ken Johnson, Aarone Raymond Meeks, Trevor Nickolls, Michael Riley, Maxie Tjampijinpa, Harry J Wedge and John A Williams.

Our annual program includes various touring exhibitions and displays of works from the permanent collection. Other cultural events include lectures, piano recitals, choral performances, film evenings and art workshops.

Sydney or the bush: touring and local exhibitions

Significant exhibitions in 2005 included the Archibald prize from the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Mubali young mothers project. A notable event was the exhibition of Goomeroi art from Euraba Paper. This is
a company of Aboriginal artists based at Boggabilla, a small town 100 kilometres from Moree, who create
hand-made paper art from cotton pulp.

Our touring exhibition, Heartdreams and Legends, compiled at the Gallery, attracted some 15,000 visitors
on its travels to Sydney and the US. We plan to tour compact exhibitions to surrounding towns including Boggabilla, Narrabri and Goondiwindi.

Our active Gallery Society contributes strongly

The Moree Plains Gallery Society continues to grow in membership and holds many functions each year to raise funds for special projects and acquisitions. These have included a new hanging system, display cases
and special safety ladders for use when installing works of art.

The Society provides volunteer weekend attendants and helps cater for exhibition openings
and special Gallery functions.

A cultural centre established with clear objectives

The Moree Cultural Art Foundation, formed in 1988, established the Gallery. Its goals are to:

• Raise the standard of artistic appreciation and practice of the arts at all levels in our community

• Promote better understanding among the people, from whatever origin, who live in the vast
  north-west plains region

• Enrich the lives of residents and visitors by providing a venue for significant exhibitions

• Record and exhibit the history and culture of Aboriginal people, especially the Kamilaroi, and
  of Moree people from all origins, and

• Exhibit the artistic output of local residents.

The vital role of fostering our region’s artists

The Gallery serves people from all backgrounds but focuses especially on local indigenous people
by assisting artists to promote their work and by fostering Kamilaroi culture.

We program at least three touring and local indigenous exhibitions each year. The new workshops in the redevelopment program will allow more hands-on activities for young people in the region.

The Gallery and workshop have a special program for mentally and physically disabled artists. Each week
the artists attend classes and are given special tours of current Gallery exhibitions.

How TAFE contributes to a vibrant art program

Students at the Moree campus of the New England Institute of TAFE, especially local indigenous
students, use the Gallery workshops.

TAFE runs classes in the workshops four days each week. Independent art teachers in Moree rent the workshops on other days and for some evening classes. Workshop rentals provide an important ongoing
income for the Gallery.

Aboriginal TAFE students can sell their work to tourists who visit the Gallery shop. Commission on sales
is contributed to our Gallery and workshops redevelopment project.

Realising our plans to expand the Gallery

Moree Plains Shire Council owns the Gallery building and generously provides most funding
for the Gallery's operation. The Moree Cultural Art Foundation manages and develops the Gallery.

The Foundation has worked hard to improve the Gallery Expansion plans, finalized in June 2005, promise
a challenging and exciting new stage of the Gallery’s evolution. The extensions will be completed by the
end of 2006.

In the Gallery grounds we will build new, better-equipped art workshops in which to train the region’s emerging artists, especially those of Kamilaroi heritage. As well, visiting artists-in-residence will use the workshops for painting, sculpture and crafts.

The new lift will give visitors ready access to exhibitions upstairs. A 50 seat café on the Heber Street side of
the Gallery will draw more visitors and provide a sustainable business employing local hospitality staff. A new storage area will give the Gallery much-needed accommodation for incoming exhibition crates.

Please join the Foundation and help us to succeed

Federal, State and local government bodies are providing $500,000 for the project. The Foundation is raising further funds to meet our total requirement of $800,000.

So we really need the support of the people of Moree and district to fully achieve our goals. I encourage you
to help by joining our Foundation. You can use the application form overleaf. You don’t need to make a large cash payment – if you wish you can pay the amount you pledge over five years.

We greatly appreciate your help, and the support of all the generous people of the Moree region, and further afield, who have contributed to date. Our Gallery is a true community enterprise. Its continuing success confirms the vibrant spirit of our town and region.

Ken Arnott
President
Moree Cultural Art Foundation