31 October 2020 – 31 January 2021

In Capturing Nature, we travel back to a time when photography was revolutionising science, art and society.
 
These never-before-seen images dating from 1857 to 1893 have been printed from the Australian Museum’s collection of glass plate negatives and are some of Australia’s earliest natural history photographs. Sitting at the nexus of science and art, they tell both the story of pioneering research as well as the advent of photography in the young colony less than 20 years after the birth of photography in Europe.


Image: Capturing Nature promotional material. Image on the promotional material: Sperm Whale flipper, Megaptera longimana. Photography by Australian Museum.

6 February – 2 May 2021

Edgy, political, cheeky and pop-culture inspired, The Stencil Art Prize features 55 finalists from around the globe; from photo-realist stencils with dozens of layers, to intricate hand-cut stencils on delicate paper, this biennial exhibition is the world’s largest touring stencil prize and is the authority on all things ‘stencil art’.
 
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2019, the Prize is a snapshot of the grassroots stencil art form that has undergone resurgence in recent decades and is now thriving. The Stencil Art Prize community of international finalists push the boundaries of the ‘stencil definition’ utilising a diverse range of techniques, materials and technology.

Have a look at Stencil Art prize: Curator and Artist Q&A blog entry.
 

Educational Resources

This educational resource was created for the 2019 Stencil Art Prize which was exhibited at Hurstville Museum & Gallery from 6 February – 2 May 2021. It is designed to assist Visual Art and Visual Design teachers and students from Years 7 – 12. The images and suggested activities are to be used together with relevant syllabus documents and teaching resources, and should be used as a guide for teachers, adjusting activities to suit the needs of their students.

Each case study includes images and a description of the exhibited work, and a Q&A with the artist discussing their artmaking practice, methods and materials. Accompanying each artist case study is a series of activities through which students may analyse and interpret works, and apply their understanding to their own artmaking practice.

In addition, a number of selected works have been chosen for further study and investigation with images and questions included. This resource supports the Australian Curriculum and NSW Syllabus outcomes for Visual Arts for Years 7 – 12. Content has been designed with reference to the four frames and the Conceptual Framework.

Click on the thumbnail below to view the educational resource.


Image: Vivian Messimeris, Woman of Kobane #19

View a virtual tour of the exhibition on at Hurstville Museum & Gallery below. 

8 May – 18 July 2021

In the lead up to the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, Striving for Gold: Olympians of St. George portrays Olympians of the St George area. Their stories and memorabilia provide a personal insight into past Olympic Games, reflecting on social and sporting history from the early 1900s to present day.


Image: The Australian women’s track relay team with their gold medals at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. From left: Fleur Mellor, Norma Croker, Betty Cuthbert and Shirley Strickland. NAA: A1200, L45369.

13 November 2021 - 20 January 2022

The Georges River Art Prize is a biennial art prize that provides an opportunity for artists from all over Australia to display their best work. There are categories for painting and sculptural work, children and youth, and local artists. The Georges River Art Prize is hosted by Hurstville Museum & Gallery and the Clive James Library and Service Centre, Kogarah.

For further information, visit our page dedicated to Georges River Art prize. 
 

Blog entries for each winner

• Miranda Sun - Georges River Youth Prize 2021 Winner
• Stuart Watters - Georges River Art prize 2021 Winner
• Imogen Chen - Georges River Little Artist 2021 Winner
• Jayanto Tan - Georges River Sculpture Prize 2021 Winner

Educational resources

Gallery at Home, exploring the Painting, Sculpture, Youth and Little artist prize.

Click on the thumbnail below to view the educational resource.

           

Explore the 2021 Georges River Art Prize virtual experience

25 October 2019 - 30 January 2020

The Georges River Art Prize is a biennial art prize that provides an opportunity for artists from all over Australia to display their best work. There are categories for painting and sculptural work, children and youth, and local artists. The Georges River Art Prize is hosted by Hurstville Museum & Gallery and the Clive James Library and Service Centre, Kogarah.

For further information, visit our page dedicated to Georges River Art prize. 

Have a look at the blog posts dedicated to the artists: 

•  Leon Lester - Georges River Art Prize 2019 Winner blog post
• Julia Flanagan - A celebration of shape, colour & pattern
• Merran Esson - Nature through a different prism
• Elouise Roberts - Dramatic clouds and deep shadows
• Stuart Watters - New expressions for terra Australis
• Geoff Harvey - Found fusion
• Jacqueline Balassa - Landscape but with a twist of the surreal
• Rebecca Trajkovski - Guided by feeling

Educational Resources 

This educational resource has been designed to accompany the 2019 Georges River Art Prize exhibition, on display at Hurstville Museum & Gallery from October 25 2019 – January 30 2020.

This resource introduces the Georges River Art Prize exhibition, focusing on the work of nine finalists, including both emerging and established artists, providing insight into the artmaking practice of each artist through individual case studies.

Each case study includes images and a description of the exhibited work, a Q&A with the artist discussing their artmaking practice, methods and materials, and images documenting their artmaking process. Accompanying each artist case study is a series of activities through which students may analyse and interpret works, and apply their understanding to their own artmaking practice.

This resource supports the Australian Curriculum and NSW Syllabus outcomes for Visual Arts for years 7-10. Content has been designed with reference to the four frames and the Conceptual Framework.

Click on the thumbnail below to view the educational resource.

      
      

8 February – 3 May 2020

This exhibition showcases the original illustrations, sketches and layouts of the phenomenal Treehouse series, written by Andy Griffiths and illustrated by Terry Denton. 


Image: Cover illustration, The 13 Storey Treehouse written by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Terry Denton, published by Pan Macmillan, 2011.

9 June – 26 July 2020

Artbomb: connect + create brings together local artists, our local community and Hurstville Museum & Gallery in a slow-release explosion of creativity and artistic expression. This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to meet and collaborate with artists as they work within our space. Come in and reconnect. 


Image: Artbomb exhibition at Hurstville Museum and Gallery. Photo courtesy of Hurstville Museum and Gallery. 

1 August – 25 October 2020

USE is a new exhibition of contemporary jewellery and small objects, exploring the impact of ‘tools’ in artisan practice, developed by the Jewellers and Metalsmiths Group of Queensland. Selected artists: Helen Bird, Jac Dyson, Lois Hayes, Catherine Hunter, Alicia Lane, Catherine Large, Samuel Lintern, Andy Lowrie, Nellie Peoples, Clare Poppi, Kierra- Jay Power, Paola Raggo, Elizabeth Shaw, Katie Stormonth, Rebecca Ward, Helen Wyatt, and Xiaohui Yang.


Image Art Studio Waste: Reusing Broken Tools (Saw Blades), Brooch and Green Earrings (left to right), Paola Raggo, 2017/18. Sterling silver, resin, broken saw blades, 55 x 90 x 15mm and 75 x 38 x 11mm (left to right). Photograph by Michelle Bowden, Visuall Photography.

31 October 2020 – 31 January 2021

In Capturing Nature, we travel back to a time when photography was revolutionising science, art and society.
 
These never-before-seen images dating from 1857 to 1893 have been printed from the Australian Museum’s collection of glass plate negatives and are some of Australia’s earliest natural history photographs. Sitting at the nexus of science and art, they tell both the story of pioneering research as well as the advent of photography in the young colony less than 20 years after the birth of photography in Europe.


Image: Capturing Nature promotional material. Image on the promotional material: Sperm Whale flipper, Megaptera longimana. Photography by Australian Museum.

20 October 2018 – 27 January 2019

Since the introduction of the Internet and smart phones, communicating with each other has never been easier or more instantaneous. This exhibition takes you back to the world of analogue communication and showcases the development of information and communication services in the St George region. Explore old writing equipment, telephones and radios and see how things have changed over time.

  
Images: room shots of the exhibition space. Photo courtesy of Hurstville Museum and Gallery. 

2 February – 18 April 2019

Beyond the bowl explores and celebrates the diversity and aesthetics of contemporary ceramics and glass, showcasing the works of Julie Bartholomew, Alexandra Chambers, Cobi Cockburn, Matthew Curtis, Merran Esson, Honor Freeman, Anita Larkin, Eloise Rankine, Kirstie Rea and Emma Varga. These artists push the boundaries as to what can be achieved when working with glass or clay.
 

Educational resources

A free educational resource for high school students is available to accompany the exhibition Beyond the Bowl, which was exhibited at Hurstville Museum & Gallery from 2 February – 18 April 2019.

Case studies and fact sheets focus on the ten artists featured in Beyond the bowl and their artistic practice, giving insight into how they develop and create their works.These resources are designed to assist Visual Art and Visual Design teachers and students from Years 7 – 12, highlighting key syllabus-linked discussion questions. 

Hurstville Museum & Gallery would like to thank Heather Davidson, Visual Arts teacher at Macquarie Fields High School, for her guidance and assistance developing these resources.

Click on the thumbnail below to view the educational resource.

3 May - 14 July 2019

An exhibition celebrating the unique practice of Tasmanian Aboriginal shell stringing – past, present and future. 


Image: Shell necklace. Artist: Ashlee Murray. King marina.

20 July – 6 October 2019

School days invites you to connect with your school experiences while exploring stories and objects from early school days to more recent times. Do you remember the sound of children playing in the school yard, the smell of old textbooks, the feel of your school uniform or the taste of a vegemite sandwich? Immerse yourself in hands-on activities and discover the history of local schools. 


Image: School children at Hurstville railway station, c. 1940. Georges River Libraries Local Studies collection.

25 October 2019 - 30 January 2020

The Georges River Art Prize is a biennial art prize that provides an opportunity for artists from all over Australia to display their best work. There are categories for painting and sculptural work, children and youth, and local artists. The Georges River Art Prize is hosted by Hurstville Museum & Gallery and the Clive James Library and Service Centre, Kogarah.

For further information, visit our page dedicated to Georges River Art prize. 

Have a look at the blog posts dedicated to the artists: 

• Leon Lester - Georges River Art Prize 2019 Winner blog post
• Julia Flanagan - A celebration of shape, colour & pattern
• Merran Esson - Nature through a different prism
• Elouise Roberts - Dramatic clouds and deep shadows
• Stuart Watters - New expressions for terra Australis
• Geoff Harvey - Found fusion
• Jacqueline Balassa - Landscape but with a twist of the surreal
• Rebecca Trajkovski - Guided by feeling

Educational Resources 

This educational resource has been designed to accompany the 2019 Georges River Art Prize exhibition, on display at Hurstville Museum & Gallery from October 25 2019 – January 30 2020.

This resource introduces the Georges River Art Prize exhibition, focusing on the work of nine finalists, including both emerging and established artists, providing insight into the artmaking practice of each artist through individual case studies.

Each case study includes images and a description of the exhibited work, a Q&A with the artist discussing their artmaking practice, methods and materials, and images documenting their artmaking process. Accompanying each artist case study is a series of activities through which students may analyse and interpret works, and apply their understanding to their own artmaking practice.

This resource supports the Australian Curriculum and NSW Syllabus outcomes for Visual Arts for years 7-10. Content has been designed with reference to the four frames and the Conceptual Framework.

Click on the thumbnail below to view the educational resource.

      
      

20 January – 13 May 2018

Alison McDonald has spent many hours manipulating the humble plastic bottle, collecting thousands of lids to make a variety of unimagined and impossible creations inspired by plants, oceans and by John Wyndham’s book, The Day of the Triffids.

Wanton, Wild & Unimagined is a playful exhibition of sculptured recycled plastics that stirs the imagination and evokes environmental reflection, curated by Ross Searle.

A travelling exhibition organised by Umbrella Studio contemporary arts, toured by Museums & Galleries Queensland. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program; and supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments.


Image: Alison McDonald, Trickle, 2013, Individually hand cast & reduced recycled plastic lids & wire, 100 x 60 x 1cm. Photo courtesy of the artist.

19 May - 29 July 2018

This photographic exhibition captures residents of the St George region and their favourite spare time activities. Hurstville Museum & Gallery collaborated with TAFE NSW St George College of Fine Arts for this project.

Students were given the opportunity to get hands-on experience and work closely with the local community, taking the photographs for this exhibition. 


Image: promotional material for the exhibition 'St George on a Sunday'. Photo courtesy of Hurstville Museum and Gallery. 

4 August – 14 October 2018

A touring exhibition produced by the Australian Museum. Transformations: The Art of the Scott Sisters brings to life the work of Harriet and Helena Scott.

With their paintbrushes, microscopes and magnifying glasses, they worked together to transform nature into art in extraordinary paintings of moths and butterflies. 

  
Images: room shoots of the exhibition. Photo courtesy of Hurstville Museum and Gallery.

20 October 2018 – 27 January 2019

Since the introduction of the Internet and smart phones, communicating with each other has never been easier or more instantaneous. This exhibition takes you back to the world of analogue communication and showcases the development of information and communication services in the St George region. Explore old writing equipment, telephones and radios and see how things have changed over time.

  
Images: room shots of the exhibition space. Photo courtesy of Hurstville Museum and Gallery.