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Mid West Art Prize 2019

The highly anticipated Mid West Art Prize opened at the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery on 16 February 2019 to a crowd of 750. The biennial prize is open to artists residing throughout Western Australia and boasts more than $29,000 in prize money across a number of award categories.

The 2019 Mid West Art Prize awards included:

  • City of Greater Geraldton Overall Award for Excellence $20,000
  • Rio Tinto Midwest Aboriginal Art Award $3,500
  • RED FM Youth Award $3,500
  • Incite Security Midwest Artist Award $1000
  • Local Member (MLA) Ian Blayney People’s Choice Award $1,500


This year’s selection panel consisting of our Coordinator of the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery, Sara Walker; the Curator of Mundaring Arts Centre and Midland Junction Arts Centre, Greg Sikich; and the Chief Cultural Officer of the UWA Cultural Precinct, Ted Snell; convened to make the final selection for 2019. From 254 entries a fine selection of 72 were chosen.

Our Judges:

Carly Lane

Curator Indigenous Australian and First Nations Arts, Art Gallery of Western Australia.
With a background in anthropology and Indigenous art, Carly has worked in museums and galleries such as the National Museum of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, and as a celebrated independent curator. She was the inaugural curator of the Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards, and has a passion for curating exhibitions and making spaces where Indigenous art and voices can be seen and heard.

 

Jim Cathcart

Director, Fremantle Arts Centre
Previously the acting CEO of the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and the Manager of the North Melbourne Town Hall Artshouse, Jim has been guiding Fremantle Arts Centre from the director's position since 2005. Jim's experience of the art world is multifaceted, encompassing roles such as general manager, producer, programmer, agent, journalist, and publicist.

 

Charlotte Hickson

Exhibitions Manager, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art
Charlotte has been involved with arts organisations across Perth and Sydney for over a decade, including Fremantle Arts Centre, Kaldor Public Art Projects, and the Biennale of Sydney. In these roles, Charlotte has worked with Australian and international artists to produce large-scale exhibitions, as well permanent public artworks for the City of Sydney Public Art Collection.

Our Sponsors:

Our Winners:

$20,000 City of Greater Geraldton Overall Award for Excellence

Artist: Zac Bruce
Artwork: The Wunder Years
Judges Comments: The judges found this work disarming in its honesty. Seemingly caught in the sweet melancholy of youth, the artist and the film takes us on a journey through time and memory to an unfolding present.

$3500 Rio Tinto Midwest Aboriginal Art Award

Artist: Corban Clause Williams
Artwork: Kaalpa Well 23
Judges Comments: The small scale of the work belies the vast openness of the landscape depicted. The luminescent brush strokes overlaid by a field of dots draws our attention to sites of cultural significance. The work quietly unveils the contours of the land. And, represents what we can expect from a new generation of Martu artists.

$3500 Red FM Youth Award Joint Winners

Artist: Tyron Merritt
Artwork: Gero Through A Lens
Judges Comments: For this category, the Judges could not separate two local artists working in the same medium. Using contrasting approaches to execute their image, each artist demonstrates how a satisfying composition is realised.

Artist: Elliot Brown
Artwork: Missed Connection
Judges Comments: For this category, the Judges could not separate two local artists working in the same medium. Using contrasting approaches to execute their image, each artist demonstrates how a satisfying composition is realised.

$1000 Incite Security Mid West Artist Award

Artist: William Upchurch
Artwork: Having to Leave
Judges Comments: The artist's reuse of found canvas symbolic of journeys gives this work an everyday immediacy. In an empathetic and painterly way the artist captures a moment of youthful trepidation.

$1500 Ian Blayney MLA People's Choice Award

Artist: William Upchurch
Artwork: Having to Leave
Judges Comments: The artist's reuse of found canvas symbolic of journeys gives this work an everyday immediacy. In an empathetic and painterly way the artist captures a moment of youthful trepidation.