The Charles Darwin University (CDU) Art Collection, in association with the School of Creative Arts and Humanities, recently held Gifted: recent donations of limited edition prints by 49 contemporary Australian artists.
Vice-Chancellor and Patron of the CDU Art Collection, Professor Helen Garnett, officially opened the exhibition held in The Gallery at the Casuarina campus.
Professor Garnett congratulated all of the exhibiting artists, in particular thanking those who contributed so much to the vibrant creative environment of the Territory.
“This exhibition acknowledges the extraordinary benefaction of one individual, a graduate and alumni of the University and co-founder of the University’s printmaking workshop, Franck Gohier.”
Professor Garnett also announced plans for a new, annual Sculpture Prize project, to be run by, and based at CDU.
Curator of the Charles Darwin University Art Collection, Anita Angel, explained that the exhibition is the first of a series drawn from the CDU Art Collection which acknowledges the generosity of behind-the-scene donors who have contributed to the enrichment of the University’s permanent holdings of contemporary art.
“This exhibition is a rare opportunity for students, as well as members of the broader public, to see a strong and extensive cross-section of the best printmaking that’s been happening in Australia over the past two years,” she said.
“As Curator of the CDU Art Collection, I acknowledge all of the exhibiting artists, and extend my thanks to Franck for his generosity in making such a comprehensive survey of Australian printmaking today available to us.
“These art works have a special place in the CDU Art Collection and in the broader community of the Northern Territory. They convey the importance of art in bridging the geographic divide between people and places in this country, and the ‘gifted’ role that artists, collectors and donors can play in making this connection meaningful, visually stimulating and real.”