A revitalised Castlemaine Art Museum reopened to the public last Thursday after a short closure for refurbishment works.
CAM will celebrate its re-opening with a launch party for its four new major exhibitions this Saturday November 9 from 2pm-5pm and invites the whole community to come along and check out the fresh new spaces.
CAM will host a more intimate session with the featured artists and curators on Sunday November 10 from 12-2pm.
The suite of exhibitions include an evolving selection of traditional and contemporary artworks that acknowledge the local Dja Dja Wurrung people, From the land, developed under the cultural guidance of traditional owners the Dja Dja Wurrung and Jarra intern, Daikota Nelson.
The Unquiet Landscape, curated by Jenny Long, takes the form of a conversation between D H Lawrence’s 1922 novel, Kangaroo and a selection of artworks.
Janina Green in Conversation with the Collection draws intriguing links between past and present.
A small exhibition of paintings, watercolours and documents from CAM creates a picture of the museum’s early years in the Benefactors Gallery.
The highly anticipated Experimental Print Prize will be launched in the Stoneman Gallery from December 7 – May 2020.
Castlemaine Art Gallery renewal director Naomi Cass said the refurbishment works included the intricate cleaning of the gallery’s skylights, flooding the gallery spaces with lots more natural light; painting interior walls; polishing of floors; and the refurbishment of the bronze signage in each of the gallery spaces.
“We had a respected silversmith come in to do the painstaking restoration. Some of the signs weigh 20 to 30 kilograms a piece. It was quite a detailed process.”
The refurbishment also included the installation of a new hanging system allowing the gallery to present the works in the best possible way.
“The lockable system protects each work and was made possible by our wonderful gallery supporters,” Ms Cass said.
Pieces from CAM’s museum collection have been interwoven among the exhibitions – providing visitors a treasure trove of works and artefacts, historic and contemporary to explore during their next visit to CAM.
CAM is open Thurs – Sun from 12-5pm. For more visit www.castlemainegallery.com
