Image: Installation view, 2016 Toowoomba Biennial Emerging Artist Award & Exhibition, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, September 2016.
Works of successful entrants in the Award will be displayed at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery and potentially acquired as part of a $15,000 acquisition fund for the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery – Toowoomba City Collection.
Acquired works will be part of the Crates on Wheels touring exhibition from February 2019 to November 2019, showcasing the work to students throughout the Toowoomba Region.
Entrants need to be over 18, be in the early stages of their artistic careers, and live in the south-east Queensland area, from the NSW border to Bundaberg and west to Roma. Artists do not need to have any formal training to be eligible.
Toowoomba Regional Councillor Joe Ramia said the Award and exhibition, funded by the Council, was explicitly targeting emerging artists in the south-east Queensland region to give them a ‘leg up’.
‘Artists have a difficult task in getting their product out in front of the community,’ he told ArtsHub. ‘If they follow their passion this is a great opportunity to get some recognition, and that’s a great thing for emerging artists,’ he said.
‘Artists love this award because once they are accepted, they get a leg up so people can see what they do.’
Learn more about the Toowoomba Biennial Emerging Artist Award & Exhibition
Ramia says there is $15,000 provided for acquisitions each year, with varying numbers of works joining the Gallery’s collection. All mediums of contemporary art are eligible for the Award, which was established in 2000.
The Crates on Wheels touring exhibition is hosted by schools in the region.
The Crates on Wheels travelling schools’ exhibition is designed to give the artists greater longevity in the display of their work, but also expose students throughout the Toowoomba region to emerging art practices and various mediums through accompanying educational resources provided by the Gallery.
Ramia said it was especially beneficial to students who may aspire to a career in the arts to see this year’s acquired works in their schools in 2019 as part of Crates on Wheels.
‘The Crates on Wheels tour will begin in February 2019 and run until November 2019 – now that’s a very long time for artists to have their work on display throughout the region where people can look and admire and see the wonderful work that these artists do.’
Entries for the 2018 Toowoomba Biennial Emerging Artist Award & Exhibition close at 5pm Thursday 24 May. Successful artists will be notified Friday 8 June with works exhibited from 1 September to 28 October 2018.
Visit the website for more information and to apply.
