It was with a mixture of sadness, nostalgia and excitement, a crowd gathered to bid farewell to a space that has captured the minds and imaginations of visitors for decades.

To mark this, we asked our visitors to share their thoughts and memories of this gallery, which we have been sharing on social media via #lrgmemories

While we have been closed to the public, work continues frantically behind closed doors. Our extensive library has been pulled from the shelves, with decade’s worth of items being sorted into a multitude of piles. When we move, this library will be available to visitors to view, along with a searchable catalogue of items for the very first time.

The other big job is assessing our permanent collection. The Gallery has close to 1,000 works in its permanent collection. The layout of the old gallery means that staff can not properly access works in the collection while we were open to the public. So it really only left Mondays as a day in which were able to pull all the works out from our collection store and to place through our upper story so that we could then access the painting racks or plan drawers.

Being closed to public is allowing us to pull everything out from storage, do a condition check, photograph it, and document it on the collection database. This is a slow and methodical job, but one we only really get one opportunity to do properly before we move to the new building, sometime around June. We then expect to open to the public in September.

An image of the new Lismore Regional Gallery.

For those that have been in to the Lismore CBD lately, they would have noticed dramatic changes at our new home. The bulk of the exterior work (apart from landscaping) is now close to completion. On the northern side of the building you will see an extension to the original C Block, containing storage, loading dock, toilets, lifts and stairs, corridors, and a large undercover event space. The southern side, facing the Lismore Library and newly created Lismore Quadrangle, has a large external awning, and a second level glass corridor that links gallery spaces, and has views across the Quad.

Inside the building is also quickly taking shape; with ceilings, wall finishes and glazing giving a very clear picture of what we will soon be working with. People keep saying to me – “You won’t know yourselves” – when we are in the building. And as the reality of this project is more and more sinking in, I’m really beginning to feel the truth in that statement.

The post Brett Adlington: Saying goodbye for art’s sake… appeared first on .

This time last year, I’d not long heard the news that funding was successful to construct a new gallery for Lismore. It’s been a mammoth 12 months getting to where we are now. In that time we’ve been blessed with amazing support; seeing $110,000 in donations to the project from the local community; a $500,000 donation from the Margaret Olley Art Trust; and additional funding of $300,000 from the state government to support gallery display infrastructure.

There was then all the finalising of architectural plans and development applications. Building commenced mid-year, and construction has been going according to plan (thanks to some unseasonably dry weather). The architect Dominic Finlay-Jones, and Bennett Constructions, have been fantastic to work with, completely understanding the needs of the Gallery. Today, when I stand onsite, I can see new roofing going on the building and structural steel indicating where the external awning and glass walkway will be going.

The Gallery team have also been very busy planning our programs for when we move, identifying and sourcing fitout needs and getting a grip of running a much larger space!

But perhaps for me, the most momentous moment was recently celebrating our final opening in our current building. To see such a diverse range of people, including so many artists who have been part of or program the last 6 years or so, was an incredibly gratifying feeling.

René Bolten discussing his work with Hilary Herrmann and Kellie O’Dempsey. Photo: Natsky

So what’s next? On February 4th, we’ll be closing the doors one last time. We’ll be inviting people in that day for a final chance to say goodbye, to share a drink and memories of this building that has served the community for so long.

Then, we will be doing an exhaustive audit of the permanent collection (numbering some 1,000 objects) and preparing our move. We’ll still be presenting some regular Peggy Popart sessions offsite, and will be collaborating with RealArtWorks and the Lismore Lantern Parade.

The plan then is to move in to the new facility in June, which includes placing the collections in their new storage locations and installing our opening round of exhibitions (in 4 times the amount of space we currently have). We expect then to open to the public in September 2017.

I’ve been actively sharing progress on Instagram and Facebook, so if you want see what’s going on, look us up!

In the meantime, we have our final round of exhibitions showing here, including stunning painting and drawing by René Bolten, screenprints and drawings by Nathan Gooley, a fun and colourful exhibition, Playroom, by Masato Takasaka and Madeline Kidd, and work by local Bundjalung artist, Adrian Cameron.

Lismore City Council acknowledges the people of the Bundjalung nation, traditional custodians of the land on which we work.
MAKE A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION FOR THE GALLERY <https://www.lismoregallery.org/cp_themes/default/page.asp?p=DOC-NBY-13-07-68>  RELOCATION

Showing 10 December 2016 – 4 February 2017:

Paintings and drawings: René Bolten

Playroom: Masato Takasaka & Madeline Kidd

Superheroes & Monsters: Nathan Gooley

Widjabul Dreaming: Adrian Cameron

The Gallery will close from 4 February 2017 until September 2017 while we prepare to move to our new gallery

FOLLOW US
<https://www.facebook.com/LismoreRegionalGallery> <https://twitter.com/LismoreGallery> <https://www.lismoregallery.org/> <https://instagram.com/LismoreRegionalGallery>

The post Lismore Gallery – the final before the future… appeared first on .

I’ve been pretty focused on architecture these last few months. Of course, building of the new gallery gathers pace, and we are now past the demolition phase of the redevelopment – and in to the construction stage. Weekly site meetings with the architects, builders and project manager have been a pretty interesting process to go through, and I’ve been amazed how quick progress has been to date. Two big recent events on the Quadrangle site by RealArtWorks and the Northern Rivers Conservatorium (to celebrate their 25^th Anniversary), gave a perfect sense of what the new site could be.

Meanwhile, in the gallery, we are hosting three distinct exhibitions which all reference architecture in different ways.

Of course the most obvious is the work of Lucien Hervé. The exhibition, When do we cast off for happiness? has been curated for Lismore Regional Gallery by Pierre Chevalier, who knew Hervé, and is still in contact with his Paris-based widow.

Hervé was active in the French-Hungarian union movement in the 1930s, was a member of the Communist Party, and became a war photographer in the Second World War. From 1950, for 16 years, he became Le Corbusier’s principal photographer – with Le Corbusier declaring upon seeing Herve’s work: ‘You have the soul of an architect’.

With Le Corbusier seen at the time as being one of the giants of Twentieth Century architecture, other notable architects also desired Herve’s photographic eye over their buildings. The exhibition also features images of Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. These images document the building of Brasilia, an austere looking capital city built in the 1950s. Herve’s way of working; cutting images, concentrating on sharp, angular lines, and light and shadow – are in sympathy with Niemeyer’s work.

Lucien Hervé: Henri Matisse, painter and sculptor, Hotel Regina, Nice, 1949
Reproduced with kind permission © Lucien Hervé.

The exhibition also includes work documenting another creative giant of the Twentieth Century, Henri Matisse. Pere Couturier, who introduced Hervé to Le Corbusier, also introduced him to Matisse. Photographs depict Matisse working on a number of mural works in situ, and illustrate the capacity of this great painter in continuing to work large scape while his mobility was being reduced.

Showing alongside the work of Lucien Hervé is Sydney artist Kenzee Patterson. Like Oscar Niemeyer, Patterson’s sculptural work is bare and minimal, but with layers of complexity. Patterson came to us as he was exploring the idea of two family relatives. One who was known to have been involved in the construction of the bel tower of the Lismore Post Office, and the other, a red cedar logger. The bell tower has an intricate wrought iron canopy, the medium in which Patterson has worked in for a number of years.

The exhibition, A tree branches, so does a river, references these two familial stories, in a series of sculptures that bring to mind the bell tower, and the chemical structure of the pheromones of the red-tipped cedar moth.

Finally, showing upstairs is Svea Bjornsson, winner of the 2015 Lismore Regional Gallery Graduate Award for a graduating student from Southern Cross University. Her work, while exploring the history of the alphabet, and its sounds, also has an architectural manner in the installations construction. Colour and form are important elements in this joyous and playful work.

All exhibitions at Lismore Regional Gallery  run until 3 December.

The post Three exhibitions of form and feeling appeared first on .

The Gallery has been heaving the last few weeks, as we fall under spell of local celebrity Geoff Hannah. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, Hannah is a Lismore-based woodworker – though ‘woodworker’ seems to underplay his extraordinary ability.

Geoff creates amazing cabinets from a multitude of timbers, stone and inlays. They are full of complexity, with hidden draws and secret compartments. The Chinoiserie Cabinet, (currently on display) took three years to complete, while his previous Hannah Cabinet took six years to finish. The latter is hoped to be brought home to Lismore permanently in the new Lismore Regional Gallery. Some of Geoff’s other major cabinets are located in the Governor General’s residence in Yarralumla and in private collections internationally.

Geoff started his trade at Lismore-based woodworking company, Brown & Jolly in 1963 before going out on his own. A tremendous shift in his career came in the mid-80s, when Hannah ceased working from commission. He chose to work instead on his own highly detailed and complex works that inspire nothing less than awe.

Geoff Hannah (centre) with the students, in front of his Chinoiserie Cabinet in LIsmore. Photo: Tree Faerie

In 1980 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship which enabled him to research fine furniture from the period 1635-1850, while travelling throughout England and France.  A condition of the Fellowship was that the recipient had to ensure their learnings were shared with people back in Australia. Geoff has taken this up with relish, teaching students across the country and from his home workshop in Lismore for the past 30 years.

The exhibition at the Gallery includes a range of works by his Lismore students, some of whom have been with him for the past 20 years.  The exhibition also includes a 45 minute documentary commissioned by the Gallery, Secrets and Sawdust: a master and his students prepare, produced by David Lowe & Eve Jeffery from Cloudcatcher Media. This film takes us into Geoff’s classes to give us a sense of the trials and triumphs of working in wood. We also meet a number of his talented and devoted students as they prepare for a major exhibition.

Ex Mayor Jenny Dowell, turning the sod for the new Lismore Regional Gallery.

Additionally, a biography, Geoffrey Hannah: Never a Less Likely Bloke, has been published by Meg Heggen, and tells the wider story of Hannah, and what has led him to this point. The popularity of this exhibition has highlighted the constraints of the current Gallery, with attendees at artist talks being unable to be accommodated by the building. But this won’t be for much longer.

On Wednesday 7^th September the first sod was turned on construction of the new Lismore Regional Gallery and Lismore Quadrangle. It was particularly wonderful to share this with Member for Page, Kevin Hogan MP; Member Lismore, Thomas George MP; Mayor of Lismore Jenny Dowell; Gallery staff and Senior Council staff; project architect Dominic Finlay-Jones; Director of Bennet Constructions Darryl Piper and a big group of financial donors from the community along who have all been staunch advocates for this project. This was also one of Jenny Dowell’s final official engagements – so it was particularly fitting to share this moment with her.

Geoff  Hannah & Students: In Glue and Dust we Trust – showing until Saturday September 24.

Students include: Colin Fardon, Barbara Riordan, Jan Page, Sue Egan, Ted Slattery, Jade Hughes, Lucille Stace, Rick Stewart, Sally Bates, Brian Emery, Darren Shaw, Rob Hurford, Brian Henry, John Whittaker, Greg Foster, Paul Armour, Francesco Stassi, Daniel Prentice, Gary Shallala-Hudson, Paul Laird, Wendy Laird, Paul Frangos and David Gilmore.

The post Geoff Hannah’s magical woodworking & the Gallery begins… appeared first on .

When Splendour Producer Jessica Ducrou opened What a life! Rock Photography by Tony Mott for us on the 10^th of June, like many in the room, she spoke of Tony’s incredible warmth, and how he had become a bit of a personality in his own right.

I recall living in Sydney in the late 1980s and early 90s when Tony’s name seemed to be credited with every rock image published. The free street music papers, On the Street and Drum Media were vital means to organise your social life – particularly in the pre-social media world. So Tony’s images played a role in visualising that important part of Sydney’s live music scene.

For me, this exhibition is a bit of a roll call of bands that bring back fond memories of that time. Bands such as Falling Joys, Box The Jesuit, The Hummingbirds, The Celibate Rifles and the Psychotic Turnbuckles among many, many others. These bands graced the stages of places such as the Hopetoun, the Annandale Hotel, the Trade Union Club, and the Sandringham Hotel. For those that lived in Sydney at the time, I’m sure these names nostalgically take you back.

While Mott was a strong advocate for emerging Australian bands, he also documented some of the biggest names in music – Björk, Madonna, Michael Jackson, KISS, AC/DC, Kanye West and the Rolling Stones.

Chrissy Amplett from the Divinyls in the first photography Tony Mott ever sold.

Mott credits Chrissy Amphlett as being the artist who gave him his first break. He initially thought she’d be impossible to photograph, but over a period of 5 months, he used her as his ‘muse’ to perfect the art of rock photography. When one of these images was used to promote her band, Divinyls, his career took off.

Tony’s photographs have appeared in more than 700 music magazines and street press journals including Rolling Stone, Juice, Drum Media, RAM and Juke. He has provided photography for more than 450 singles, EPs and albums.

What a Life! Rock photography by Tony Mott is touring from the State Library of NSW, where it was a massive hit over the Sydney summer. The last few weeks in Lismore have indicated it will be a huge hit here as well!

What a Life! Rock photography by Tony Mott is on at the Lismore Regional Gallery until August 12. For more info go to: lismoregallery

The post It’s only rock and roll – but it’s been a life’s work for Tony Mott appeared first on .

The news this week that the Margaret Olley Arts Trust will be contributing $500,000 towards the redevelopment of Lismore Regional Gallery not only highlights the late artist’s ongoing commitment to Lismore, but also her commitment to regional galleries generally.

Philip Bacon, Executor of Margaret’s Estate, presented a cheque of $500,000 to Lismore Mayor Jenny Dowell on Friday, 18^th March, at Lismore Regional Gallery. In recognition of the support of the Margret Olley Arts Trust, we will name the main gallery space in the new Lismore Regional Gallery ‘The Margaret Olley Gallery’.

Bacon said, that “This was a project very close to Margaret’s heart, going as it did to her love of, and belief in, the value of regional galleries to their communities, with of course the added attraction that Lismore was her birthplace.”

‘Spare Bedroom’, one of Margaret Olley’s paintings at the Lismore Regional Gallery.

The Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Arts Centre artgallery has been a boon for the area, and while we are not replicating what Tweed has so successfully achieved, we see that being part of this network of spaces supported by Olley (which includes the New England Regional Art Museum)  neram.com.au will have fantastic benefits in the cultural tourism space. The contribution also cements this artist as one of the most philanthropic in the Australian art world.

Notwithstanding the fact that she was born here, Olley had a longstanding relationship with Lismore. She won the acquisitive Lismore Art Prize in 1958, and then, under the Directorship of Steven Alderton, supported the establishment of the Margaret Olley Arts Centre in Lismore from 2006.

While obviously disappointing at the time, the establishment of the Margaret Olley Arts Centre in Tweed was a chance for me to reconsider the Lismore project, and seek alternatives for a facility for Lismore.

Margaret Olley in the full glory of her Sydney studio.

The result is the Lismore Quadrangle development, a $5.8 million redevelopment in Keen Street, which includes a relocated Lismore Regional Gallery, café and bookshop, public piazza, and new car parking. The project gained certainty in December 2015 when $2.85m from the National Stronger Regions Fund was announced. This is due to open late 2017.

Mayor of Lismore, Jenny Dowell said of the gift: “Our community, like many artists and galleries that have been beneficiaries of Margaret’s generosity, is so grateful for her commitment to nurturing cultural life particularly in regional Australia. Margaret Olley will always hold a special place in Lismore’s heart and through this gift from her estate; she will have a presence in the heart of our city forever.”

For more information on the gallery go to: lismoregallery

The post Margaret Olley Arts Trust donation for Lismore appeared first on .

Recently I spoke about Lismore’s quest to redevelop C-Block into a new art gallery at a conference at the beautiful and newly built Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) [https://www.mamalbury.com.au/]. As I was introduced, I was asked how long Lismore had been working on this project. ‘Since 1902’, was my (only half-jokingly) answer.

Indeed, one of the first images I showed was a font page article from The Northern Star, dated 19 July 1902, in which artist H. Stuart Wilson suggested Lismore work towards establishing a gallery. Subsequently, architect J.A.V. Nisbitt was commissioned in 1939 to draw up plans for a proposed public library and cultural centre. This work is housed in our permanent collection.  And then, once Lismore Regional Gallery was housed (temporarily) in our current premises in 1954, the push continued. Newspaper articles from 1970, 1976, 1989, 2001, 2007 all point towards the desperate need to relocate Lismore Regional Gallery.

Countless people have been involved in this process over the year. The late John Stretch was active in not only setting up the Gallery and the Trust, but continued to lobby for better space. Directors Richard Maude, Irena Hatfield and particularly Steven Alderton worked hard to get this project off the ground. And then there were other people within the community who have worked tirelessly for this: Ros Derrett, Jyllie Jackson, Andrew Binns, Jan Davis, John & Myeka Page are just some of the many, many people involved in moving out of our current premises.

Lismore Regional Gallery has been in the same building since 1954. This photograph was taken in 1987

So when on Monday December 7, when it was announced that Lismore City Council would receive $2.85million to construct the Lismore Quadrangle lismore.nsw.gov.au it didn’t seem real. After all the past work, and many disappointments, it didn’t seem that this project would ever get off the ground. But now it will.

This funding, representing 50% of the full cost, means that we now have a 100% fully funded project (factoring in the expected fundraising campaign) and we have started discussions in earnest with Bangalow based architect, Dominic Finlay Jones dominicfinlayjones

While it’s early days to give firm dates, expectations are that building may commence around September 2016, with opening in mid-2017.

I will be working closely with the Friends of the Gallery to bring in dollars that were pledged to this project in 2013. To support this project, you can make a tax deductible donation by following the details on our website lismoregallery.org

And finally, without the support of Lismore Mayor Jenny Dowell, and Member for Page, Kevin Hogan MP, this project may very well have been realised many years into the future, so it is testament to the vision of these individuals.

The post Plans for Lismore’s new gallery approved at last appeared first on .

Art prizes have long been seen as being effective in developing a regional art collection. Many regional galleries throughout the country owe their existence to the foresight of communities decades ago who identified an art collection as an important barometer of the healthiness of their city or town.

Lismore Regional Gallery is no exception, with our permanent collection being stimulated from 1954 with the hosting of the Lismore Art Prize. This story, eloquently told in 2004 by Rebecca Rushbrook – lismoregallery – makes for a fascinating history of the development of one of the state’s oldest regional galleries.

Lismore Regional Gallery continues to use an art prize as an important way to building this important cultural asset. The Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize builds on the success of the Northern Rivers Portrait Prize, started in 2010. Contrary to many perceptions, this prize was always open to artists across the country, but was restricted to the subject having to have a connection to the Northern Rivers. This was recently changed, such that entrants now can enter portraits irrespective of the subject’s connection to Northern Rivers.

Andrew and Gaela Hurford (Hurford Hardwood) with Fiona Lowry in front of the winning work by Paul Ryan, Blue Mountains Noah (Noah Taylor).

What this has meant is that a greater range of artists are now entering, and significantly putting Lismore Regional Gallery, and this prize into wider recognition. It also means that the development of the collection is being more widely canvassed. In talking to some of the 40% of local artists who are in the prize, for them it also means that their work is being seen among a very different group of artists.

On Saturday 31^st October, 2014 Archibald Prize winner Fiona Lowry named Wollongong artist Paul Ryan as the winner of the Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize with his portrait blue mountains noah – a portrait of Noah Taylor.

The painting is from an ongoing series of the London-based Australian actor, executed over found paintings. In this work, Ryan positions Taylor over a combined landscape of the Blue Mountains, almost imagining the actor in a filmic scene. Ryan has long been interested in the idea of Australian colonialism, the landscape, and the ongoing ramifications of white settlement. Ryan has been a finalist in the Wynne, Sulman and Archibald Prizes at the Art Gallery of NSW numerous times since 1989. The winning work will now enter the permanent collection of Lismore Regional Gallery.

Lowry also named Lismore artist Bryce Anderson as the winner of the ‘Northern Rivers subject’ category, with his painting Bathed in Doubt (Self Portrait). This $1,000 non-acquisitive award was sponsored by Walters Solicitors.

The winner of the People’s Choice Award, sponsored by the Far North Coast Law Society, will be announced on Friday November 27.

For more information go to: lismoregallery The exhibition is open until Friday November 27

The post Art portraiture prizes help art gallery collections – and artists appeared first on .

A few years back I was lucky enough to take part in a Fellowship at the Dallas Museum of Art – thanks to Arts NSW and Museums & Galleries of NSW. My main interest in working there was to speak with museum staff and their community partners about ways in which to engage various sectors of the community.

Here at Lismore Regional Gallery we’ve been gradually introducing more and more approaches like this into our exhibition development, and our current exhibition, Art Magic: Remnant by Japanese-Australian artist Hiromi Tango, is a bit of a pinnacle in that regard.

This project saw over 200 individuals take part, and a large number of community groups including R.E.D. Inc, Lismore TAFE, Jarjum Preschool, Lismore Yarn Guerillas, The Crafty Mummas, Jiggi Makers Circle, The Village Artists, Tuntable Falls Community Preschool & Primary School, Friends Child Care Centre, Lismore Deaf Artists Group & Lismore Rainforest Botanical Gardens.

Tango’s practice involves passing on skills to people in the community to grow the work. Tango, and her partner Craig Walsh, have developed exceptional skills in this area, with their Home project travelling the country from 2011.  hiromitango.com/Home

Hiromi Tango at Tuntable Community School. Photo: Rebecca Rushbrook

Tango began working with the Lismore community in June, and collectively used textiles to weave together tactile and immersive environments by hand.  Tango was particularly drawn to working in Lismore saying “the sense of community is so exceptionally strong in Lismore. The grass roots here are deep and this community is powerful”.

Collaboration is an important and unusual aspect of Tango’s practice. From the beginning of her career, she has blurred boundaries between herself and her audience, inviting people to work alongside her and even co-author her work. She has a strong belief in the therapeutic qualities of her process and has developed “Art Magic” to share the delight of making. Art Magic consists of a range of “Recipes” that offer step by step explanations of processes she has developed over a number of years. These Recipes are designed to be applied by a diverse range of people, from young children, to skilled artists and makers. For Hiromi, these meditative processes, and the vibrant colours and textures of her materials, have been a tincture for dealing with her own anxiety. Tango’s experience of the therapeutic value of her work, and its potential to facilitate meaningful connections with others, has been part of her impetus for sharing her process.

The result is a stunningly immersive experience that is a joy to all who enter it. The opening for this exhibition was huge, with speeches having to be had outside the gallery for the sheer number of people. You can trace the journey of this project by searching for the Instagram hashtag: #hiromitangolismore.

Auditory Visions exhibition. Photograph: Dean Beletich.

Similarly immersive is the concurrent exhibition, Auditory Visions. This is a project curated fior Lismore Regional Gallery by sound artist Jay-Dea Lopez and printmaker Rona Green. As the title, and the curatatorial team attest – this project is about the combination of prints with original interpretive soundscapes responding to the artworks.

For the purpose of the exhibition Lopez and Green invited seven contemporary Australian printmakers to contribute two works focussing on an environmental or personal space. In response the artists, G.W. Bot, Jan Davis, Rona Green, Alexi Keywan, Bruce Latimer, Travis Paterson, and Michael Schlitz have each created depicting scenes of quotidian objects under a microscopic lens, exotic locations seen through dreams, and inner worlds rendered visible. Each work was made with the intention to be interpreted through a mix of field recordings and synthesised tones. The 3-minute sound pieces highlight visual and psychological elements within the prints.

Printmaking is a visual medium, but at its best it can trigger and inspire other senses. It is concerned with conveying sensory ideas of texture, space, smell and, in the context of the proposed exhibition, sound. Visitors to the Gallery will be able to listen to the interpretive soundscapes through media players located close to the works. The soundscapes will offer a viewing beyond a literal understanding of the prints, enhancing the viewer’s appreciation of the work in a way that is absent in 2D representations.

Both these exhibitions represent a step into worlds beyond the solely visual.

The Hiromi Tango exhibition runs at the Lismore Gallery until October 24.

For more information go to: lismoregallery

The post Rainforest remnant regrows artistic shoots appeared first on .

copyright Judy Cassab, Licensed by Viscopy 2015

Judy Cassab is one of Australia’s most recognised artists, and the first female artist to win the Archibald Prize twice, and is famous for her portaits of well-known Australians. At the age of 95, Cassab is no longer making art, but her reputation remains as strong as ever, writes Lismore Regional Gallery director Brett Adlington.

When we develop exhibitions for Lismore Regional Gallery, we generally aim to connect our programs in some way to the local region. When developing this exhibition on Cassab, we were well aware of her link to the Northern Rivers, through her son John Seed’s residence at a number of multiple occupancies in the region. Seed was part of the first wave of arrivals in the early 1970s, seeking an alternative to a mainstream, city-based existence.

Cassab documented much of this, with her diary entries tracing John’s motivations, her trips north, and her developing relationship with her grandson Bodhi. As we were putting together this exhibition , we were delighted to see that Bodhi’s mother, Greta, had kept a folder full of letters and drawings sent to a young Bodhi Seed. These delightful letters chart a growing bond between Cassab and her grandson, and her growing affection for the Northern Rivers.

Juddy Cassab’s portrait of her grandson Bodhi, 1989, oil on board, 70.7 x 61cm, licensed by Viscopy 2015.

Judy Cassab, Self Portrait. 1988, oil on canvas on board, 95.5 x 77.5cm  licensed by Viscopy 2015.

Never before shown publicly, these letters form the launching point for this exhibition, with their whimsical depictions of community life, and made-up stories to charm a young boy. The exhibition is extended through work Cassab is more known for, portraits of family members, and landscapes of this region. We have also presented extracts of Cassab’s diaries from the 1970s on a rolling screen. This evocative portrait of a changing region is a final ode to family and place.

Judy Cassab – Dear Bodhi at the Lismore Regional Gallery:  18 April – 23 May 2015

The post Cassab creates a connection, and the seeds grow appeared first on .