JADA feast for the eyes at gallery
By Tim Howard
North Coast art lovers will head to Grafton this weekend for the announcement of the winner of Australia’s richest drawing prize, the $35,000 Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award.
Better known simply as the JADA, this year’s award has attracted 65 entries locally and from around the country.
In addition to the main prize there is also a $5000 early career prize to help promising artists kick off their career.
The 2024 JADA winners will be announced at the JADA Gala on Saturday night where president of the Friends of the Gallery, Fran McHugh and Mistress of Ceremonies, Nell Schofield, will present the prizes.
This Year’s JADA judge is the deputy director of Artspace, Sydney, Michelle Newton.
Grafton Regional Gallery director, Sarah Gurich said Ms Newton was eminently qualified for the role.
“She has been the deputy director at Artspace since 2012, and in this time has co-commissioned and co-curated significant projects with artists and in partnership with leading international institutions,” Ms Gurich said.
“She is also currently chair of Cementa, Inc. and on the board of Create NSW Visual Arts Artform Advisory Board.” Ms G.
The JADA excitement continues the following day when the winner gives a floor talk at the gallery from 11am.
In addition to the new JADA exhibits the gallery has an intriguing exhibition of previous JADA winners and acquisitions called A Line Going for a Walk.
The exhibition name riffs on a famous quote from the artist Paul Klee, “a line is a dot that went for a walk”.
Ms Gurich said the artists featured in this exhibition have used drawing to generate and communicate their ideas to others, demonstrate their curiosity about the world, and as an intellectually driven symbol to express their thoughts.
A Line Going for a Walk will be on show at Grafton Regional Gallery until Sunday December 8, alongside the 2024 Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award.
The third part of the trifecta for art patrons is Marion Conrow’s Immersive Works 2007– 2024.
Conrow is an interdisciplinary artist based in Northern NSW.
Over her 40 year career, Conrow has developed a multifaceted artistic practice that integrates visual imagery, projection, sculpture, virtual reality, and cross-media installation. Her work explores themes of memory both real and imagined, particularly through the lens of her acquired mild traumatic brain injury sustained from an accident in 2007.
In this exhibition, Conrow presents four immersive projection sculptures that span her practice from the last two decades: Autumn Flower, Unravell Egg, and Museum of My Friends #1 and #2. These works merge visual, digital, and sculptural media to explore themes of memory and identity, healing processes, creative relationships, and storytelling.
Immersive Works will be on show at Grafton Regional Gallery until Sunday December 8.
Conrow will also run a Jacaranda VJ Workshop on Saturday October 26 from 10.30am.
Limited tickets to the JADA GALA are still available via Grafton Regional Gallery Humanitix.
Tickets to the Official Opening of A Line Going for a Walk, the 2024 JADA, and Marion Conrow’s Immersive Works 2007– 2024 and Marion Conrow’s Jacaranda VJ Workshop are available via Grafton Regional Gallery Humanitix.
