High five for Logan Art Gallery

Gallery wins prestigious award for fifth time

It’s a high five for Logan Art Gallery.

A prestigious Queensland Gallery and Museum Achievement Award (GAMAA) has been presented to the Gallery for the fifth consecutive year.

The 2021 GAMAA award was for outstanding achievement in the category of engagement: organisations with paid staff for its project Our stories and designs.

The program celebrated the community’s cultural diversity and allowed the gallery to support and encourage local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

The exhibition featured works by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists curated by Amanda Hayman, of Blaklash Creative.

It showcased seven local artists: Kyra Mancktelow, Casey Coolwell, Jessica Skeen-McKinnon, Sally Terare, Sylvia Nakachi, Cara Shields and Kim Williams.

The exhibition was borne after a large group of local artists responded to a call-out for a major public artwork in the City of Logan.

City Lifestyle Deputy Chair Tony Hall said Logan Art Gallery was delighted by the number of submissions received especially from many artists then unknown to Council.

“The gallery’s staff realised this offered a wonderful opportunity and they invited the artists to join forces for a group exhibition,” Cr Hall said.

“Many accepted the challenge and Our stories and designs exhibition became one of the gallery’s most popular exhibitions.”

A family fun day held as part of the exhibition was well attended.

The day included artists’ talks, a First Nations artisan market stall, traditional craft demonstrations and workshops and entertainment from local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance groups Tribal Experience and Zom Kolbe Kolbe.

Internationally renowned City of Logan singer/songwriter and guitarist Chris Tamwoy also performed.

The GAMAA award was unveiled on Tuesday, December 14 by Museums & Galleries Queensland at a live-streamed presentation.