Tweed River Art Gallery
Opening Times
The Gallery and Café are open from 10:00am to 5:00pm Wednesday to Sunday.
We are closed Good Friday and Christmas Day.
Please [ click here ] for Gallery contacts, directions and services.
The Gallery
The Tweed River Art Gallery opened in the Bicentenary Year, of 1988. It is situated in Murwillumbah, centre of the scenic Tweed Valley Australia, which is formed from the eroded volcanic shield of Mt Warning. The Gallery serves a fast growing region populated by many artists and craftspeople.
A Tweed Shire Council community facility, the Gallery is also supported by the Arts NSW (formerly the NSW Ministry for the Arts), and aims to promote the understanding and enjoyment of all the arts, especially the visual arts.
The original 1923 building that the gallery was housed in was a lovingly restored federation-style family home, built of timber milled on the site and was located on the bank of the Tweed River in Tumbulgum Road. The last exhibition was shown there in Nov 2003.
On 1 February 2004, Stage 1 of the new purpose built Gallery opened its doors, officially opened by NSW Governor, Professor Marie Bashir AO. This gala event showcased the region’s vibrant arts community.
Set on a hilltop location it offers stunning, magnificent and panoramic views of the Tweed Valley, Border Ranges, Tweed River and Mt Warning. Designed by award winning Brisbane architect Bud Brannigan, on land generously donated by Doug and Margot Anthony.
The stunning new building has excited and delighted over 50,000 visitors in its first year of operation, with magnificent views from each and every window. The enormous community support encouraged the Tweed River Art Gallery Foundation to donate $850,000 towards Stage 2.
Stage 2 opened in 2006 and provides additional exhibition space to showcase the Gallery’s Australian Portrait Collection and landscapes, wood and other artworks from the Collection, additional storage space, conservation and artwork mounting area and additional parking space. Since the opening of Stage 2, visitor numbers have increased to around 70,000 per annum.
The building now has an education/workshop centre, six exhibition spaces, performance space, library, and a café.
Visitors will find a stimulating program with exhibitions of artworks from the Gallery's growing collection and exhibitions of local, national and overseas arts and crafts.
The Marks Family Art Research Library is available to the public and students for research purposes, increasing community access to current arts issues. Gifts of suitable art books in good condition are welcomed.
The Gallery will focus on training and professional development, providing opportunities for the community to interact with professional artists.
The Frances Mills Education Centre will offer an exciting program of workshops for children and adults.
The Max & Marguerite Boyd Gallery, The Derek and Sandi Budd Space & The Macnaughton Focus Gallery provides an area to showcase local artists.
The Temporary Exhibitions Gallery provides an opportunity to display touring exhibitions of national and international significance.
The Jim & Thelma Kelly Wall provides an opportunity to display artwork of current/local nature.
The Withey Family Gallery displays a selection from the Gallery’s Australian Portrait Collection including winners and finalists from the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 1988-2000.
The Friends Gallery displays works on paper from the Gallery’s Collection
The Anthony Gallery showcases local landscapes and wood from the Collection.
A gift shop stocks unique Tweed Valley gifts.
A Café to sit and enjoy the stunning landscape and winter sun.
|
Bill, Robert Hannaford, winner of
the 1990 Doug Moran National
Portrait Prize
|
The Collection
The Gallery's collection policy follows two strands: Australian portraits of all eras and media, and works that are by the region's artists or otherwise reflect aspects of life in this area.
The Australian Portrait Collection
Although predominantly a contemporary collection, the portraits range from c1890 to the present and in diverse in styles and media from traditional oils and acrylic to fibre, wood and photography.
There are now almost 100 portraits in the Gallery’s Australian Portrait Collection 35 from the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 1988-2000.
No history of the Gallery’s Portrait Collection would be complete without acknowledging the significant and pivotal contribution of Doug & Greta Moran through the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. In 2002 the Gallery ceased its association with the Moran Prize.
The enormous community support through the Friends of the Gallery and the Tweed River Art Gallery Foundation is also acknowledged.
The Australian Portrait Collection includes paintings which have been winners and finalists in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prizes (1988 to 2000), said to be the world's richest portrait prize, with an award to the winner of $100,000. The winning painting chosen by International judges from these competitions are part of the Gallery's collection.
Amid enormous controversy the Portrait Prize was launched by the Tweed Shire Council in 1988, as part of the Bicentenary celebrations. It originated with Sydney health-care entrepreneur Doug Moran's wish to encourage and support artists who demonstrate ability in the traditional skills of draughtsmanship and painting, and has been criticised for this. Fortunately International judges have a chosen a wide range of styles and interpretations.
The response of artists and of the public has been enthusiastic, and collection of world-class paintings is developing. The popularity of the Portrait Collection is partly due to our fascination with portraits, with the interplay between artist, subject and viewer.
Far from being formal representations of famous people, this collection is of lively and vivid paintings of a wide cross-section of our society, from tradesmen to teenagers, artists to bushmen, the young and the old.
The Tweed Valley Collection
This collection comprises paintings, works on paper, prints, photography, ceramics, fibre and woodwork which reflect the character and people of the Tweed Valley. A collection of fine woodwork is being developed, a tribute to the dense rainforests which once clothed the Valley. The Gallery conducts a biennial wood award.
The collection has benefited significantly from a range of acquisitive prizes including the Olive Cotton Award for photographic portraiture and the CPM National Print Awards.
The Gallery is also registered to receive gifts of artworks under the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program. Please contact Director Susi Muddiman or Assistant Director Anne Schardin.
Friends
The Gallery has an active Friends organisation with over 1,300 members, which arranges concerts, visits to artists' studios, and many other social, educational and fundraising functions each year.
Money raised by the Friends helps the Gallery to build its collections, and provides facilities for the comfort of Gallery visitors.
Members of the Friends are invited to all Gallery activities, and receive regular newsletters keep them abreast of all that is happening.
Volunteers
A dedicated group of volunteers ably assists at the information counter and with the library and artists’ biographical files and other administrative duties at the Gallery.
The Tweed River Art Gallery Foundation - Gifts and Bequests
The Gallery's Foundation was formed to assist the Gallery and all its activities.
The Foundation invites gifts and bequests, for which it offers full tax deductibility.
Substantial gifts entitle the donors to membership of the Foundation in various categories:
Members: Those people who make a gift of $1,000 or more but less than $5,000.
Silver Members: Those people who make a gift of $5,000 or more but less than $15,000.
Gold Members: Those people who make a gift of $15,000 or more.
All members' names are permanently recorded on an Honour Board in the Gallery.
The Gallery is also registered to accepted gifts under the Federal Government’s Cultural Gifts Program.
The Tweed River Art Gallery is Tweed Shire Council community facility
and is supported by the Arts NSW (formerly the NSW Ministry for the Arts)
 |
 |
 |
 |
Oil on board
By: Ross Goode
"Road to Town"
1989 |
Charcoal - chalk on paper
By: Jean Parker Sutherland
1902-1978
"Portrait of a young man" c1930 |
Silver gelatin print
By: Peter Schardin b1945
The Potter - Bob 1991 |
Oil on canvas
By: Harold Septimus Power 1878 - 1951
"The Musician"
Horace "Buster" Jordan |
|