This is the first major exhibition to consider the social consciousness that infused Arthur Boyd’s life and to link his political concerns with his art work.
I’d like to feel that through my work there is a possibility of making a contribution to a social progression or enlightenment. Arthur Boyd
Curator Zara Stanhope has worked with Bundanon Trust to bring together paintings, prints, ceramics and other materials from the Bundanon Collection, offering insights into how one of Australia’s greatest artists dealt with the social responsibility that defines humanity. The exhibition includes works by Boyd’s contemporaries and is supported by loans from public and private collections, photographs and other documents.
The illustrated catalogue, with essay by consultant curator Zara Stanhope, conveys the political life of Arthur Boyd and aims to re-position him and our understanding of his world view in the context of his life. It is a scholarly work which enlarges our understanding of Boyd’s contribution as an artist, locating him as an individual engaged in the urgent issues of his time – many of which remain salient today.
Dates & Times
23 May — 29 September 2013
Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, Canberra, ACT18 October — 10 December 2021
Glasshouse Regional Gallery, Port Macquarie, NSW10 January — 5 March 2014
Cairns Regional Art Gallery, Cairns, QLD14 March — 29 April 2014
QUT Art Museum, Brisbane, QLD6 June — 15 July 2014
S. H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW18 October — 30 November 2014
Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga, NSW5 December — 15 February 2015
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington, VIC27 February — 19 April 2015
Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery, Huskisson, NSW8 May — 5 July 2015
Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, Launceston, TAS17 July — 30 August 2015
Collie Art Gallery, Collie, WA6 November — 3 January 2016
Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, Katoomba, NSW
Partners
Education
During March 2015, local schools participated in education programs at Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery exploring the Bundanon Trust touring exhibition Arthur Boyd: An Active Witness.
The program involved an informative tour of the exhibition and discussion of artworks with a practical drawing workshop, conducted by Education Officer Jim Birkett. Arthur Boyd’s artwork The Journey, 1996 formed the basis of a practical drawing activity where students explored concepts of movement through time; travel from one place to another; linking images from one space to another and location.
Program funding was provided by the Federal Government’s National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach program. Schools attending: Vincentia High School; Nowra Christian School and Nowra Anglican College.
