Visions

An exhibition by Redland Yurara Art Society members.

5 February - 6 March 2006
Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland, Gallery 1, 2, 3, 4

The work showcased in Visions is a direct response from the artists to the theme visions. As the word 'vision' is open to a number of meanings, interpretation has been left with the artist. Work varying in subject, medium and form are a highlight of this exhibition.

Redland Yurara Art Society

Yurara has a proud history in the Redlands. In 1962 artist Clothilde Highton invited some of her friends to form a small art group to meet regularly at her Ormiston home. She named the group ‘Yurara’, an aboriginal word meaning ‘looking eastwards’, and they functioned as The Yurara Art Group.

The first group exhibition was held at the Cleveland Sands Hotel in 1964, and from that time the ‘Redland Art Contest’ was convened annually by Yurara at various venues until 1976. After the death of Clothilde and a lapse of a few years, the group rallied and held quite a large art contest in 1981 at the Cleveland Galleries in Bloomfield Street. This was judged by widely known artist/tutor Irene Amos and supported by several businesses and the Redland City Council. The prize money attracted entries from a much wider area than in previous years.

By this time the group still had no permanent home and moved from the Scout Hut to the CWA premises. One of the members, Margery Laycock of Woodlands Drive, Thornlands, then offered the use of a cottage on her property. This was the beginning of the ‘Golden Age’ for the Society and Madonna Staunton held classes and workshops there. Sadly Margery died in tragic circumstances and the group felt it was time to purchase their own premises.

With fund raising and a dollar for dollar grant from the State Government, and the lease of land at Pinklands Recreation Reserve from the Redland City Council, a brand new studio was built and opened in 1985, and in 1991 the group was incorporated. Following a bequest from a founding member, Joan Higgins, a gallery was added to double the available space and this was officially opened in 1992. The gallery functioned for several years, but being somewhat ‘tucked out of the way’, the space was generally used for classes and workshops, and only as a gallery for events such as the Christmas show and Easter contest.

At present the two studios are used for excellent weekend workshops, classes, members’ painting and discussion groups, meetings and social occasions.

Image: Lyndal Hargrave, Tresses. Courtesy of the artist.