Current Exhibition

STURT GALLERY – 30 May - 25 July 2021

Gardens expand our thinking. At times of crisis they console, school us in emotional generosity, and show us that life goes on.  Damon Young, Philosopher and author of ‘Philosophy in the Garden’

Drawn from the Garden exploring the way artists Fiona Hiscock, Sharon Peoples and Julie Ryder are drawn to the garden as a sustaining life force. Many of the works in this exhibition were made during the COVID-19 pandemic when gardens became a haven of solace – we all learnt to look closer at and feel more intensely the rhythms of nature and the subtle changes from one day to the next.

Sharon Peoples uses hand and machine embroidery to reflect the fragility of the environment through her textiles. Julie Ryder coaxes the colour out of plants, making visible the unseen beauty that lies within botanicals –Julie literally uses thorns, pollen, leaves, seeds and petals in her textile practice. Fiona Hiscock captures the garden’s inhabitants, be it plant or bird, insect or flower on the surface of her delicate ceramics.

These artists’ work has been collected by the National Gallery, the National Museum of Australia and Parliament House along with national and international collections. All three artists are avid gardeners and have used their finely tuned sensibilities to enrich their practice celebrating the inherent beauty of nature.

The exhibition opened on 30th May with special guest Genevieve Jacobs AM, Group Editor of Region Media. Genevieve is an award winning journalist who chairs the ACT Arts Minister’s Creative Council and a number of other arts advisory bodies. 

Contact Sturt Gallery for more information: 02 4860 2083 or shop@sturt.nsw.edu.au