LETTERS

Tributes
Prompted by AMA’s terrific collection of contributions written as a tribute to Peter Townsend, and remembering that I was able to provide Peter Townsend’s name in a little quiz you ran in relation to subscriptions earlier this year which resulted in me winning a lifetime’s subscription to the magazine, I am much belatedly writing to thank you for this wonderful prize.
I’m a long time subscriber and always enjoy the variety of articles, Artnotes (both national and international), as well as debate, it provides.
In AMA #193 September 2006 issue, I was particularly interested to read Hannah Fink’s informed, perceptive and sensitive article on Bronwyn Oliver 1959-2006 and her work. Bronwyn’s amazingly productive journey in life, led largely through her extreme dedication to her sculptural vision and output, has been tragically cut short and we are left to only ponder what might have been still to come. All who have either known Bronwyn personally at some stage through her life, or who know something of her through her work, I am sure feel extremely saddened, and probably a little puzzled, by her early passing. We are left with a beautiful legacy of work by which to remember her.
Robyn Gordon
Strawberry Hills, NSW

Animalia
Focusing on the words, with images as supporting material, it was only after flipping through the August edition (#192) a number of times that I found something rather odd and wondered if this has been a recurring theme that I had somehow missed – animals.
The August edition supports ten images of works of art solely dedicated to animals as subject matter (excluding the dedication to Jordie, of course). While the images include a cow, a rabbit, a horse, stingray and croc, it is the canine that dominates.
If one also includes animals in artworks, not as principal subject matter but in supporting roles, I counted a total number of twenty-four animals and birds, and that’s not counting the air-borne birds, the mounted stag on page 56 or the OzCo logo. Okay, so Constable’s rural scapes up the numbers here. It’s comforting to know that in these troubling times we can still turn to man’s best friend the dog for guidance, if not inspiration, as text or subject matter to serve our content and ideas.
Victoria Cattoni, via email
[It’s a phenomenon we have identified at AMA – check out this issue – Ed]

No great temptation
I was rather dismayed to read that Peter Timms (Artnotes National ‘The great temptation’ Art Monthly Australia, #193, September 2006) considers that ‘Curators … are subject to great temptation to use their professional positions to acquire work of art for themselves at favourable prices and to favour certain commercial galleries in which they might have financial or personal interest’. Such a slur upon the profession is, frankly, insulting and certainly, in my experience, most uncommon. The vast majority of curators and art museum professionals in Australia adhere to the highest ethical standards and find such opinionated comments deeply offensive.
Christopher Menz
Director
Art Gallery of South Australia
On behalf of the curatorial staff at the Art Gallery of South Australia

STOP PRESS

Asia-Pacific Triennial Artists announced
On 21 September the Queensland Art Gallery announced the thirty-seven artists, filmmakers, performers and two multi-artist projects in the 5th Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT5) exhibition, which opens on 2 December this year and continues until 27 May next year. APT5 will be the inaugural exhibition at the Gallery’s new second site, the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). Highlights will include commissioned works by artists such as Ai Weiwei (China) and Dinh Q LÍ (Vietnam); a curated film program including the work of iconic actor-director Jackie Chan; and the strongest representation of Pacific artists in the Triennial to date. The Australian artists selected are Justine Cooper, eX de Medici, Djambawa Marawili, Dennis Nona and Sangeeta Sandrasegar; filmmaker Beck Cole; and Indigenous Australian artistic director and choreographer Stephen Page. New Zealand artists selected include Michael Parekowhai, John Pule, Michael Stevenson and Gordon Walters. Visit <http://www.asiapacifictriennial.com>www.asiapacifictriennial.com for the full list of artists and more information on APT5.

And the winners are…
Samuel Wade is the winner of the eighth Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, administered by AGNSW, for his painting Grey day at Central 2006. 119 entries were received from around Australia, of which twenty-two are included in the finalists’ exhibition at the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills, on display until 26 November. Tasmanian-born Wade studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney and is a practising artist and tutor. The prize is $25,000 and a three-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris…Trent Parke is the winner of the acquisitive 2006 ABN Ambro Emerging Artist Award for his photograph Motel, Pacific Highway. He receives $10,000 and a residency in the Netherlands.

Picture this
A selection of works from Picture this, the ANU School of Art’s 2000-6 painting alumni exhibition will be on display at the Victorian College of the Arts Student Gallery (Southbank, Melbourne) from 10 to 20 October (with an opening event on 12 October). Picture this features over twenty artists and showcases the rich variety of contemporary painting as practised at ANU. 2006 is the 30th anniversary of the ANU School of Art.

Read this
The University of Melbourne has been chosen to host the 32nd Congress of the International Committee of the History of Art (CIHA) in January 2008. The Congress is held every four years (like the Olympics) and is a very significant conference for international art history. It is anticipated that it will attract around 1,000 artists, academics and art museum professionals from around the world. The theme of the 2008 conference is ‘Crossing Cultures – Conflict, Migration and Convergence’, and Professor Jaynie Anderson, who holds the Herald Chair of Fine Arts at the University of Melbourne, is the convenor. The Congress is currently calling for papers, and details and information can be found on the website: http://www.cihamelbourne2008.com.au.