Opening Thurs 14 Feb, 6pm
Exhibition runs Fri 15 Feb – Sat 9 Mar
Open Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm, Saturday 11am – 3pm

Women artists have been the subject of varying degrees of critical attention and neglect throughout history. It is an established fact that galleries in general represent more male artists, promote their work more vigorously and sell it for higher prices.

Five years ago, with the assistance of the Bett Gallery, 24 Tasmanian women formed the Artemisia Collecting Group. Recognising a gender imbalance in the arts, they decided to focus their collection on women artists. Together they have amassed an impressive collection of 31 artworks – all by Australian women artists whose work is nationally and internationally recognised.

This exhibition presents an exciting opportunity to see this collection as a whole for the first time. The exhibition shows work by Tasmanian artists, sitting alongside the work of contemporaries from around the country.

The collecting group chose the name “Artemisia” acknowledging the 17th Century Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi, regarded as one of the most accomplished painters in her generation at a time when female painters were almost unknown. The Artemisia Collecting Group hopes to inspire more Tasmanians to enjoy and explore art, and most importantly, to support more women artists.

Artists:

Kelly Austin | Pat Brassington | Penny Burnett | Jane Burton | Elizabeth Cummings | Amanda Davies | Destiny Deacon | Adrienne Doig | Prudence Flint | Auntie Corrie Fullard | Chanyi Henry | Jeanette James | Sylvia Kanytjupai Ken | Barbie Kjar | Rahel Ungwanaka Kngwarria | Annika Koops | Amber Koroluk-Stephenson | Sue Lovegrove | Brigita Ozolins | Lucienne Rickard | Joan Ross | Valerie Sparks | Stephanie Tabram | Megan Walch | Tricky Walsh | Belinda Winkler | Helen Wright

CONVERSATIONS
Sat 2 Mar, 1pm

Join members of the Artemisia Collecting Group for Conversations. This is a free, casual event where you discover more about the artworks exhibited, and find out about the collecting group, how they work and why they feel it’s important to collect art.

Speakers:

Carol Bett: Carol and her late husband Dick Bett AM established a gallery to exhibit contemporary art in 1986. Known as Bett Gallery, Carol works with her children Emma and Jack representing 60+ professional artists. Carol has invested considerable energy in developing audiences for contemporary art in Tasmania and interstate through facilitating art collecting groups. Carol will talk about the history and experience of art collecting groups.

Wendy Tilley: Wendy is a member of Island and Artemisia collecting groups and since joining these groups has further developed her interest in art and collecting. She is currently enrolled in a Diploma of Fine Arts and has worked as an invidulator and assistant to the Curator of the Hadley’s Art Prize. Wendy will talk to her collecting experience.

Jane Stewart: Jane is Principal Curator of Art at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and leads the TMAG Art Department. Jane will discuss her experience of building TMAG’s collection of contemporary art while cross-referencing the Artemisia collection.

Megan Walch: Megan is an Australian artist, educator and arts advocate based in Tasmania. She is a Samstag Scholar, an alumnus of the San Francisco Art Institute, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, USA and the Space Program, New York. She holds a studio-based Doctor of Philosophy from the School of Creative Arts, University of Tasmania. Megan’s work has evolved through undertaking residencies in New York, Saratoga Springs, Taipei, Canberra, Thailand, Tokyo, and John Glover’s former house in Patterdale, Tasmania. Her work is held in public and private collections in Australia and the USA.

Fae Robinson: Fae has been a member of art collecting groups facilitated by Bett Gallery for over 20 years, including an Aboriginal art collection (Big River), a Tasmanian art collection (Island) and an Australian women’s art collection (Artemisia). Through these collecting experiences we have built a modest and well-loved collection of favourite art. Fae will facilitate the conversation

Image: Megan Walch, Eschatalogue #2, 2016, Oil and enamel on composite panel