Foreward from the McClelland Survey catalogue by
Director - Simon Ambrose:
The McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Survey and McClelland Award 2005 continues the ambitious program of exhibitions and public programs which was initiated in 2003 with the inaugural McClelland Survey of contemporary outdoor sculpture. This program of major exhibitions has helped to establish McClelland’s position as a leading Australian Regional Gallery, and has launched our trajectory towards developing an internationally significant sculpture park.
Sculpture in Australia has a great level of public, institutional and philanthropic support which has grown particularly over the past decade. This I believe has been in part due to the continued encouragement and support of artists by Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE and the Elisabeth Murdoch Sculpture Foundation which was established in1989.
The McClelland Gallery+Sculpture Park is set in eight hectares of landscaped bushland in Langwarrin, 4 kilometres east of Frankston in Victoria. The award-winning Gallery shows, in three exhibition galleries, an inspiring program of changing exhibitions and displays of art from McClelland’s extensive collection of Australian sculptures, paintings and works on paper. The gallery complex includes Harry’s Licensed Café, a research library and a gift shop which stocks a fine collection of art books, jewellery and objets d’art.
The Sculpture Park has a picturesque complex of landscaped gardens and natural bushland, lakes and billabongs, providing unique and beautiful outdoor settings for over 50 major sculptures on permanent display. Sculptures are sited in a variety of spaces: some in grassy fields with clear views to other distant works; some in intimate garden galleries and others along the sculpture trail which meanders through the bush.
The McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Survey and the McClelland Award 2005 is a special celebration of sculpture in a unique and spectacular setting. It is our intention to encourage Australian artists and focus attention and support on contemporary art; and in particular contemporary outdoor sculpture.
In preparation for the display of the 35 works selected for the McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Survey the McClelland staff and volunteers have worked in the grounds to consolidate and extend the initiatives established for the 2003 Survey. Visitors to this exhibition will notice the additional landscaping and planting that has occurred over the last two years, which extend and strengthen our ambition to establish a world class sculpture environment.
I would like to recognise and acknowledge the considerable contribution to the organisation, and to the management of the 2005 McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Survey from all involved. The generous support of the Elisabeth Murdoch Sculpture Foundation, the McClelland Trust, and the McClelland Foundation; to Robert Lindsay, Deputy Director and Senior Curator, for his continued vision, expertise and authority; Andrew Gaynor, the 2005 McClelland Survey Co-ordinator, for his enthusiastic and professional approach; Myron McMurray, our Installation Technician,
for his tireless professionalism and dedication; J.K Fasham Pty Ltd for their installation expertise and long standing support; to our eminent judge Dr Peter Murray OBE, Director of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, for his commitment and integrity; to Rupert Murdoch AC for his generosity in agreeing to open the Survey; and the long list of McClelland Partners, corporations and individuals who all support this wonderful initiative. I wish to also acknowledge the McClelland friends, members, volunteers and staff who have worked with total commitment to establish and exhibit this wonderful exhibition.
Without their support and encouragement this exhibition would not have been possible.
I am very pleased that the Frankston City Council will again be supporting the McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Survey with a people’s choice award, the $15,000 Frankston City Award. The Frankston City Award will be judged by visitors to the Survey, with the winner announced at a sculptural celebration on Sunday, 28 May 2006. Visitors who vote have the chance of winning a weekend for two kindly provided by the Sofitel Hotel in Melbourne.
And lastly but most importantly I would like to express our enormous thanks to all of the artists who submitted proposals to exhibit in the 2005 McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Survey for their creativity and enthusiasm. This year we received over 240 applications for consideration and we had the difficult task of selecting 35 sculptures to exhibit. Thank you to all of the artists, their helpers and supporters for their collaboration, ambition and professionalism.
Sculpture is about embracing and making the three dimensions. It demands you walk around it, it requires time for it presents its many sides. With the opening of this exhibition, the McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Survey for 2005, I invite you to walk around the sculpture park and enjoy the many aspects that sculpture presents to the world.
Simon Ambrose
Director
