'Framed': Advanced Diploma of Fine Arts students exhibit at the Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest

Andy Petith's assemblage portrait of Margo Lewers, installed in the Gallery window.

'Framed' is the name of a exhibition project being undertaken at the Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest by students of the Advanced Diploma of Fine Art. The exhibition is part of the Advanced Diploma professional practice program, and has been a valuable opportunity for our students to interact with a Regional Gallery, and gain exposure for their work.

As part of the project, students were given a lengthy briefing by Gallery staff including CEO John Kirkman, Gallery Director Anne Loxley, Manager - Education and Public Programs Naomi McCarthy, and Curator and Collections Manager Shirley Daborn. The students were then invited to make a pitch for a site specific work, relating to the history and context of the Gallery site, including the lives and practices of its former artist occupiers Gerald and Margo Lewers, and/or the work of Sydney abstract artists. As part of their professional development, the students were required to present their proposal to a curatorial team comprised of Gallery staff, who gave constructive feedback on their work. Each artist then returned to the studio to produce an artwork designed to be displayed in a window of the old Lewers House, which is now part of the Gallery. This work is on display in the windows until Wednesday June 23, 12 noon. The garden also forms a significant part of the site, and is something many of the students chose to respond to.

The second phase of this exciting project will be on display in Lewers House from July 3 - August 8. This will be an exhibition of large photographic artworks created by the students. These photographs will re-interpret and respond to the site specific work that has been on display in the windows of the house. The official opening of this aspect of the show will be held on July 9, between 7 and 9pm. All welcome, we hope to see you there.

For some pictures of the work in progress, visit our flickr set at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsifineart/sets/72157624170320971/

The final photoworks can be viewed here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsifineart/sets/72157624249726173/

For more information about the Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest, including contact details and how to find the Gallery, visit
http://www.penrithregionalgallery.org/

Night shoot

Untitled image by Katherine Fallah

A few weeks ago, students from the second year Diploma of Fine Art photography class went on a night shoot. The normal class time was rescheduled so that instead of morning, the class met in the late afternoon. This allowed us to take advantage of other possibilities of light, as the afternoon changed to dusk and dusk changed to evening. Several types of cameras were in use, including lo-fi plastic film cameras , compact cameras, and digital SLRs. The visual results were varied, and include moody, poetic, melancholic, abstract, playful and gritty images. For more images from the shoot, visit our flickr site :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsifineart/sets/72157624047065529/