Mid West Art Prize 2023
The Mid West Art Prize is a prestigious art exhibition, now in its eighth year, held biennially at the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery.
The Prize is open to all artists working in any medium and residing in Western Australia. Exhibition funding from the City of Greater Geraldton and valued local sponsors contributes to a substantial prize pool of $26,500.
Exhibition Dates:10 December 2023 to 4 February 2024
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Award Categories
Congratulations to the following Artists. As noted by the Judges, this was a challenging task as the calibre of works was of such a high quality.
City of Greater Geraldton Overall Award for Excellence (Acquisitive) ($20,000)
Sakura Furukawa, for the artwork titled 'The Ghost, the Shadows, the Imaginary'
Comments from the Judges: This piece really speaks to the ‘now’ – an artwork depicting the mental health state of so many young people across the globe in an honest and authentic way. Using a very tactile medium, the judges all agreed that it is inspiring to see a young person using these traditional mediums to convey their messaging.
The judges noted that this piece is a reminder to pay attention to the challenges that young people are facing.
Yamaji Art Aboriginal Arts Awards ($3,500)
Taileah Isaacs, for the artwork titled ‘Perspective’
Comments from the Judges: This piece has a beautiful, authentic sensitivity. The judges really enjoyed the description of the process, noting that this was very interesting in its matter-of-fact format.
With a hopeful, and philosophical tone throughout the work, the judges were impressed with the contemporary engagement of celestial themes, which are so significant in Aboriginal culture.
Bowman-Bright Mid West Artist Award ($1,000)
Mark Ditcham, for the artwork titled ‘Holding’
Comments from the Judges: This is a very warm piece with the lighting and printing giving an unexpected level of intimacy to a landscape subject.
They loved the title and the local context of the work, with the dynamic movement of the grasses in the background suggestive of the winds that are so synonymous with Geraldton. The lone Balga in the foreground swirls with a captivating dynamic. The judges commented on the high level of technical quality in the work.
Latitude Jewellers Youth Award ($500)
Willow Mcauliffe, ‘This is Not a Love Story’
Comments from the Judges: The judges were excited by the themes of the neurodivergent experience, and commented on the interesting angle for the artist to explore surviving being queer in a regional environment.
Through its intentional layout, the judges noted that there is something quite intimate and vulnerable that has been captured within this artwork.
This is a really brave work dealing with a challenging topic.
People's Choice Award ($1,500)
Willow Mcauliffe, ‘This is Not a Love Story’
The People's Choice Award was announced after the end of Exhibitions at the next Exhibition Opening Night Friday 23 February 2024.
Award Judges
This year, the Art Prize was thrilled to have Dr Pilar Kasat, David Doyle and Gregory Pryor as the Award Judges. As strong advocates in the sector, their expertise and knowledge was extremely valuable in the judging process.
Pilar Kasat (CEO of Regional Arts WA): Dr Pilar Kasat a Chilean-Australian residing in the ancestral land of the Whadjuk Noongar people, is a cultural executive, community cultural development practitioner, and academic. Pilar excels in fostering creative engagement and intercultural dialogue with First Nations and people of colour, all within a social justice framework. She is the CEO of Regional Arts WA, a Fellow of Leadership WA, a Master of Sustainability and Social Change, and a PhD. Pilar has played key roles as Chair in ART ON THE MOVE and Women of Colour Australia, served as Deputy Chair for Diversity Arts Australia, and was a member of the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA board for six years. Her infl uential work on harnessing the arts for social change is featured in international academic journals and national industry publications.
David Doyle (Executive Director of DADAA): David Doyle Is the Executive Director of DADAA, an arts organization dedicated to Arts for Social Change, that has been at the forefront of the Australian Arts and Disability movement over the past 26 years. David has worked across Australia and in an international arts development role to extend cultural participation for people with disabilities and mental illness. David holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts (ANU), Graduate Diploma of Education (ECU) and is an accredited Partnership Broker through PBAS UK. David is the Editor of Proving the Practice – evidencing the effects of community arts on mental health. As an Artsworker throughout the 1990’s David focused on whole of regional Community Arts and Cultural Development projects and Disability Arts Festivals with a focus on cultural inclusion. David has driven Regional Arts Programs since 1991.
Gregory Pryor (Professional Artist and Lecturer of Visual Arts at Edith Cowan University): Gregory Pryor is an artist, writer and academic based in Boorloo, Perth, Western Australia, with a career in art practice and education spanning over 35 years. He has been the recipient of numerous state and national grants, residencies and prizes, most recently as a winner of the 2021 Splash contemporary watercolour award, at the McClelland Art Gallery, Victoria. His work is featured in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), Queensland Art Gallery and numerous important corporate and private collections. He is currently undertaking research into concepts and processes of art conservation in relation to landscape loss, damage and restoration in Western Australia. Pryor works as a lecturer and is the Academic Lead in Visual Art at Edith Cowan University.
Congratulations to our Mid West Art Prize 2023 Finalists:
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Brianna Adam
Rodney Adams
Behzad Allipour
Tatiana Amaral
Jordan Andreotta
Helen Ansell
Jeremy Blank
Trevor Bly
Chris Bolton
Carly le Cerf
Sharon Clifford
Jennifer Cochrane
Leigh Cockerill
Selena Comeagain
Shelley Cowper
Debbie Crothers
Lorraine Defleur
Roger Dickinson
Mark Ditcham
Susan Ecker
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Kaitlyn Elsegood
Linda Fardoe
Tania Ferrier
Sakura Furukawa
Pascale Giorgi
Genevieve Hartney
Lynda Howitt
Kyle Hughes-Odgers
Taileah Isaacs
Camilla Loveridge
Monika Lukowska
Viviana Maier
Jared Malton
Elisa Markes-Young
Lia McKnight
Matthew McVeigh
Ralf Mulks
Lesley Munro
Regina Noakes
Geoff Overheu
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Barb O’Donovan
Lori Pensini
Blake Pepper
Martine Perret
Jenna Pickering
Sherry Quiambao
Peta Riley
Brad Rimmer
Judy Rogers
Seef Le Roux
Alla Salem
Valerie Schönjahn
Katie Sharples
David Spencer
Sioux Tempestt
Lis Turner
Sara Walker
Stella Picciotto Winn
Dane Yates
Tineke van der Eecken
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Mid West Art Prize 2023 Terms and Conditions
Many thanks to our valued Award Sponsors for 2023.