Shepparton Art Museum 2015 Annual Exhibition Program

2015 annual exhibition program.

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Nici Cumpston Budgee Creek II, Barmah National Park (detail) 2013 archival inkjet print, hand-coloured with synthetic polymer paint and pencil 65 x 175 cm Shepparton Art Museum, commissioned by the Friends of SAM, 2013 image courtesy and Š the artist

Cover: Greg Creek The Melbourne Desktop Drawing (detail) 2003 mixed media on cut paper, aluminium table 80 x 53.5 x 3000 cm originally commissioned by the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, 2003 Shepparton Art Museum, purchased 2014 Š the artist

director’s foreword.

Some programs fall gracefully forward in a timely, balanced, cascade and all that is required is to pirouette and make it so. In other years, the program is more like a willy-willy, dancing through the empty streets of a country town closed for summer, and spitting itself out into the brilliant sunshine of a new morning, a new year and a changing city.

Whatever the way, the program must resonate. Resonate with the here, with the now and with the whatever comes next. Resonate with the direction we face in relation to prevailing winds and the collective psychosis we work through, like little bits of hay stuck to the string of our heavy bales. Resonate with a changing city finding a new language to frame its story, where ‘down but not out’ and ‘rolling with the punches’ has become, ‘a quiet revolution’ and ‘a chance for change’.

The Art Museum and its program are part of the story, the riptide, the revolution.

From the perfect nostalgia of post-war design, car culture and coming of age, to the desktop meandering of politics and poetics, and the collision of cultures in a regional city framed by internationalism; the program reflects, deflects, shapes and pushes.

We hope it inspires great ideas and the brevity to rise in support of them. Ideas that paint the town red, green, blue, purple. Ideas beyond the current frame of our sense of deservedness. Ideas that resonate, ready in the wings.

We hope it falls on grateful ears, and that you enjoy the shows.

Kirsten Paisley SAM Director

Angela and Hossein Valamanesh Guardian 2010 bronze, granite 170 x 82 x 110 cm Shepparton Art Museum, 2015 image courtesy the artists and Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne © the artists

Deborah Halpern Doctor (detail) 1984 earthenware with slip and underglaze 114 x 25 30 cm Shepparton Art Museum, on loan from the Victorian State Craft Collection 2003 Š the artist

2015 annual exhibition program.

6–7

the rennie ellis show.

8–9

the art room & self/ expression.

10 – 11

dream machines.

Drawings of the Great American Automobile 12 – 13

halpern/ benwell.

14 – 15

greg creek.

The Desktop Drawings 16 – 17

the drawing wall.

18 – 19

2015 sidney myer fund australian ceramic award.

20 – 21

swamp & drift.

Brent Harris Prints from the SAM Collection 22 – 23

showcase.

24 – 25

collisions.

CrossCultural Artist Collaborations 26

best of friends 2015.

the rennie ellis show.

A Travelling Exhibition Presented by the Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive and Monash Gallery of Art The photographer Rennie Ellis (1940– 2003) is a key figure in Australian visual culture. Ellis is best remembered for his effervescent observations of Australian life exemplified in his now iconic book Life is a Beach. Although invariably inflected with his own personality and wit, the thousands of social documentary photographs taken by Ellis now form an important historical record.

Duration Friday 12 December 2014 to Sunday 22 February 2015

The Rennie Ellis Show highlights some of the defining images of Australian life from the 1970s and ‘80s. This is the period of Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser; Paul Keating and Bob Hawke; AC/DC and punk rock; cheap petrol and coconut oil; Hari Krishnas and hookers and deviant balls.

This exhibition of over 100 photographs provides a personal account of what Ellis termed ‘a great period of change’. The photographs explore the cultures and subcultures of the period, and provide a strong sense of place that now seems a world away; a world free of risk, of affordable inner-city housing, of social protest, of disco and pub rock, of youth and exuberance.

BOWNESS FAMILY FOUNDATION

Rennie Ellis Robert McGhie, Grand Final, MCG 1974 selenium-toned gelatin silver print 43.6 x 29.2 cm courtesy of the Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive and Mossgreen Gallery 6

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the art room & self/expression.

Highlights from Primary and Secondary Schools in the Goulburn Valley Region

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Shepparton Art Museum’s end-of-year school art exhibitions, Self/Expression and The Art Room celebrate the high achievements of students who participate in visual art courses in both primary and secondary schools from across the Goulburn Valley region. Both exhibitions highlight skill and creativity in approaches to art-making as well as confidence and sensitivity with regards to subject matter and in communicating ideas about the world and experiences of it.

Schools represented in Self/Expression include: Cobram Secondary College, Dookie College, Goulburn Valley Grammar School, McGuire College, Mooroopna Secondary College, Notre Dame College, Rushworth P-12 College, Shepparton Christian College, Shepparton High School, St Augustine’s College Kyabram and Wanganui Park Secondary College.

Eight schools submitted expressions of interest for the The Art Room. Teachers were invited to shortlist works and have assisted in presenting artwork for display in the Eastbank Centre foyer. The display features artworks by students from Year 1 through to Year 10. Classwork is highly varied and includes mixed media, drawing, painting, photography and installation, presenting an array of subjects, themes and approaches to artmaking.

Duration Friday 23 January to Sunday 22 February 2015 Jayden Scrivens (McGuire College / Mooroopna Secondary College) Mankind Vs Mother Nature (detail) 2014 digital inkjet print on canvas 150 x 30 cm Š the artist

Schools represented in The Art Room include: Cobram Secondary College, Euroa Primary School, Goulburn Valley Grammar School, Guthrie Street Primary School, Kialla West Primary School, McGuire College, Notre Dame College, Numurkah Secondary College and Numurkah Primary School.

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dream machines.

Drawings of the Great American Automobile Car design of the post-war era was characterised by a futuristic zeal that reflected the economic optimism of the period. Space exploration, developments in aviation and an appetite for science fiction informed the popular imagination, driving the work of visual artists employed to design the cars of the future.

In 1945, as World War II was coming to an end, car production resumed and automotive companies sought to capture this enthusiasm. They encouraged their designers to produce drawings known as ‘dream cars,’ in order to explore new technical features and aesthetic possibilities.

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The sleek, aerodynamic vehicles conveyed in this exhibition capture the spirit of the age; pivoting around the nuclear family unit and the ownership of a house and car - the American Dream.

Dream Machines: Drawings of the Great American Automobile presents 130 drawings from the great age of American car design, shown for the first time in Australia from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

dream machines: the cars.

At the Shepparton Motor Museum

To coincide with SAM’s exhibition, the Shepparton Motor Museum presents a show of superb examples of the American vehicles depicted in the drawings.

Duration of both exhibitions Saturday 7 March to Sunday 17 May 2015 Both exhibitions will be ticketed, with dual entry available.

Events Dream Machines Launch Party & Show ‘n’ Shine Saturday 14 March 2015 SAM Out Late! April Dream Machines with Anna Briers, SAM Senior Curator, and local car enthusiasts Thursday 17 April 2015, 6pm See SAM’s website for a full listing of special events and workshops presented during this exhibition.

Charles H. Stewart Cadillac Coupe de Ville concept drawing (detail) 1965 pencil, magic marker, and ink on vellum paper 53.3 x 68.6 cm Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Collection image courtesy and © the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

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benwell/ halpern.

Duration Saturday 31 January to December 2015

Stephen Benwell and Deborah Halpern are ceramic artists who were particularly celebrated and prolific throughout the 1990’s, and who continue to make work and exhibit today. Uniquely, the Shepparton Art Museum has collected each artists’ work consistently throughout their careers, enabling this spotlighted showcase.

As a counterpoint, emerging Melbourne-based fashion designer Rafaella McDonald has produced an integrated exhibition design in response to elements in the ceramists’ visual lexicon. Referencing the vibrant colouration and strong patterning, McDonald’s approach affirms the pervasive 90’s influence on contemporary fashion and visual culture, reinvigorating the collection by setting up new conversations and juxtapositions.

Stephen Benwell Vase (detail) 1994 glazed earthenware with underglaze 52.5 x 35 x 24 cm Shepparton Art Museum, Sidney Myer Fund Australia Day Invitation Ceramic Award, 1995 © the artist

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greg creek.

The Desktop Drawings

Created on modest scaled desks and yet sometimes beguiling by their incredible length, Greg Creek’s drawings are reminiscent of an era, pre-desktop computers, where white collar work was fashioned by a simple land-line telephone and a quality blotting sheet. Initially trained as an architect, Creek first discovered he could draw when he began doodling in the margins of architectural studies.

The doodles, becoming the focus of his work, soon took over as the prevailing subject of study, and Creek shifted his attention to art. The desktop markings of the student architect, gave rise years later, to an extraordinary drawing practise now spanning 20 years of desktop drawings, and the subject of this exhibition which brings them together for the first time.

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Creek’s desktop drawings overlap intimate, political, public and social subjects.

They are a development from Creek’s extraordinarily accomplished oil paintings, described as allegorical and with satirical undertones, his practise is often engaged with representation of the protagonists and narratives of politics of the day. However, in the desktop drawings, the address is personal, the works are memorandums of daily ‘lived in’ drawings. They are the remainder of the multiple functions of their in-to-being life; a blotting pad for other paintings, a table cloth for Creek’s at work dining, a note pad for his shopping lists, and an ink pad for his most sincere or ubiquitous considerations.

The Desktop Drawings map associations

Greg Creek ChatterShapes (Mechanisms of Gardens) 2009 mixed media, text on cut paper, pins 100 x 345 cm Originally commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival for the 2009 Visual Arts project ‘The Enlightenments’ Courtesy the artist and Sarah Scout Presents, Melbourne © the artist

with a life-time of remembrances, knowing, observances and longing. The exhibition works like a junk shop of ideological symbolism whereby the act of collectivism, architecture, language, consumerism, national politics and daily life all become the one subject, a poetics of life.

This exhibition includes a new acquisition to the SAM collection, The Melbourne Desktop Drawing, 2003 which mounted under a perspex-top, on an aluminium table 80cm in height, 40cm in depth, spans in entirety, 27 continuous metres.

Commissioned for the grand hall at ACCA in 2002, the work is so long it will be rotated twice during the exhibition. The exhibition also includes a body of new political portraits and drawings commissioned specifically by SAM for The Drawing Wall.

Duration Saturday 30 May to Sunday 9 August 2015 The Melbourne Desktop Drawing, 2003 on show as follows: Section 1 Saturday 30 May Section 2 Monday 22 June Section 3 Monday 13 July Official Opening Saturday 30 May Combined with an artist talk - see SAM website for further details Event SAM Out Late!

Kirsten Paisley presents a floor talk on the exhibition Thursday 25 June 2015, 6pm

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the drawing wall.

The Drawing Wall project is an ongoing series of commissioned, temporary, sitespecific wall drawings or installations that enliven the foyer space of the Eastbank Centre, directly outside SAM. Drawing Wall projects often revolve around conversations and collaborations, and provide members of the public an opportunity to interact with artists during installation.

Drawing Wall #18: Lee Ward Saturday 14 February – 17 May 2015

2015 sees four artists produce new works on the 4 x 12 m Drawing Wall; including a drawing of beat-up “Dream Machines” by Lee Ward, a series of political portraits by Greg Creek, a colourful but cheeky painting

by Jordan Marani and a ‘colour-me-in’ pop mural by local illustrator Mimi Leung.

Drawing Wall #21: Mimi Leung Saturday 12 December – February 2016

A series of artist talks will be presented.

Please visit SAM website for details.

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Drawing Wall #19: Greg Creek Saturday 30 May – Sunday 30 August 2015 Drawing Wall #20: Jordan Marani Saturday 12 September – Sunday 29 November 2015

Jordan Marani Pigs Arse 2014 acrylic paint and pencil on board, 70 x 105 cm © the artist

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2015 sidney myer fund australian ceramic award.

The Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award has transformed into a contemporary ceramics exhibition showcasing the work of five Australian artists. Each of the five contemporary artists will be shortlisted for a solo exhibition at SAM and shown as one incredible showcase of current trends in contemporary practise, side by side. In a dramatic shift from previous years, one of the five artists will be awarded a $50,000 acquisitive prize, with their work entering the SAM collection. The five artists and the award-winning work will be shortlisted by an independent contemporary curator along with the SAM Director. Artists are invited to submit exhibition proposals which span media but have at their core the use of clay or ceramic. This award is the richest art prize in Australia celebrating the use of ceramics, and SAM is pleased to be focusing the award on Australian artists from here forward.

Duration Saturday 22 August to Sunday 22 November 2015 Events Cultural Program Saturday 22 August 2015 Please see SAM website for further details SAM Out Late!

Anna Briers presents a floor talk on the exhibition Thursday 15 October 2015, 6pm

Kirsten Coelho Toward the end of the day, 2012 porcelain, pale grey-white and iron oxide glazes on wooden table and shelf dimensions variable Shepparton Art Museum, 2012 Sidney Myer Fund Australia Ceramic Award, Australian Prize Š the artist 19

swamp & drift.

Brent Harris Prints from the SAM Collection

Drawn from the SAM collection, Swamp and Drift are two suites of intaglio prints produced by Brent Harris in 2000 and 1998, generously gifted by the artist.

Characteristic of the artist’s vernacular, organic drips and expressionist shapes cascade down the page, generating an anthropomorphic response in the viewer. Harris’ amorphic forms propel the imagination; the works in Swamp resemble some kind of primordial ooze, evocative of the creature from the black lagoon or the shadow that lurks beneath your bed.

In Drift, sea voyages and shipwrecks are explored as metaphors for life’s journey.

These gestures evidence a consistent motif across the artist’s oeuvre where unconscious forces and various states of human experience are refined into a curvaceous, graphic sensibility. With a career spanning 30 years that traverses the mediums of painting, drawing and printmaking, Harris’ ability to retain an artistic practise that is consistently selfreflective and transformative has cemented his place within the history of Australian art.

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Duration Saturday 25 April 2015 to Sunday 27 September 2015 Brent Harris Swamp no 1, 2000 intaglio print on paper 59.5 x 30.2 cm Shepparton Art Museum, donated through the Australian Cultural Gifts Program by the artist, 2013 © the artist and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne

showcase 2015.

A Suite of Solo Exhibitions by Ceramic Artists

SAM’s Showcase presents four solo exhibitions of new works by ceramic masters in the glass display of SAM’s entry.

Curated for a second year by longtime gallerist Anna Maas, Showcase 2015 is focused on the work of four extremely accomplished ceramic artists who are each represented within the SAM collection. It provides a unique opportunity for collectors to acquire their own master work as all pieces are available for purchase.

Showcase #5: Greg Daly Saturday 7 February – Sunday 26 April 2015 Showcase #6: Owen Rye Saturday 2 May – Sunday 2 August 2015 Showcase #7: Vipoo Srivilsa Saturday 8 August – Sunday 1 November 2015 Showcase #8: Janet De Boos Saturday 7 November – Sunday 1 February 2016

Greg Daly Clear Skies - Tall Bowl 2014 lustre glazed ceramic 22 x 20 cm image courtesy and © the artist

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collisions.

Cross-Cultural Artist Collaborations

A collision in a scientific sense is a creative act; an encounter between particles resulting in the exchange or transformation of energy; the creation of something new.

A partnership project between SAM and Gallery Kaiela, Collisions provides a year-long opportunity for artists from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds to come together and collaborate in the making of art. The project will see a number of local Aboriginal artists partnering with established contemporary artists from outside the region, collaborating side by side, or in response to each other’s practice.

Through the sharing of ideas, narratives and techniques, the artists will engage in an exploration of cultural differences and similarities, forging relationships in a dialogic exchange that departs from the art making process. The outcome of these conversations and artistic investigations will be an exhibition in 2015.

Funders of this project include Sir Andrew & Lady Fairley Foundation, Margaret Lawrence Bequest/Perpetual Trustees, Allan Myers and the Besen Foundation.

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Duration Saturday 5 December 2015 to January 2016

Bruce Armstrong Bete Noir 2012 cast bronze, unique state 154 x 66 x 67 cm image courtesy Ray Hughes Gallery Š the artist

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The Friends of Shepparton Art Museum Inc. work to support the Shepparton Art Museum; its collection, activities and programs.

The Friends of SAM are closely involved with the life of the Art Museum, holding fundraising events throughout the year to raise funds for acquiring new artworks and to conserve artworks in the collection, along with supporting the many activities presented at SAM.

Members of the Friends Committee are also represented on the Shepparton Art Museum Advisory Committee. Becoming a Friend of SAM is the best way to enjoy all the exciting exhibitions and programs with fellow members and friends.

A membership form can be found at the SAM shop or downloaded from our website: www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/ getinvolved.

best of friends 2015.

Every year the Friends of SAM hold a special group exhibition of artwork, across all media, created by individual members. The exhibition showcases the wealth of talent and commitment by artists of the region, and from year to year shows the growth in their practise and training as artists and crafts people. It is an opportunity for artists to share ideas, network and celebrate a life 26

of art. All members of the Friends of SAM, including children, are invited to submit work into this popular exhibition.

Duration Saturday 5 December 2015 to January 2016

The SAM Foundation is a company limited by guarantee and its purpose is to undertake a significant capital drive for a new expanded Art Museum and to grow funds to benefit the SAM collection and program.

The SAM Foundation has deductible gift recipient status which provides opportunity for SAM in generating greater philanthropic giving and thereby increasing its capacity

the tree of giving.

An initiative of the SAM Foundation, the goal of the Tree of Giving is to raise $500,000 over 12 months for the development of a new Shepparton Art Museum. This will incorporate significant art acquisitions, Indigenous and multicultural programming and initiatives.

to exhibit greater quality works. It is a repository for gifts and bequests made for the long-term benefit of SAM and the broader community.

To find out more about the SAM Foundation and how you can become involved, please visit www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/ samfoundation.

The Tree of Giving is on display in the entrance of SAM. The Tree will grow with your donation. You can pledge your support for a new SAM by buying a gold, silver or bronze leaf, with your name inscribed to be added to the Tree of Giving, from the SAM shop. Alternatively you can buy a new SAM lapel pin and talk to your friends and family about why an expanded Art Museum would be good for Shepparton.

All proceeds will go toward the capital fundraising drive for a new SAM. Donations to the SAM Foundation are tax-deductable.

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sam. kids.

School Holiday Programs

Experienced art educators and artists will take you on a journey of self-discovery and handson enjoyment of art in our school holiday workshops. We cater for children and teenagers of all ages and offer workshops in a range of mediums that include drawing, clay, printmaking, painting and animation. Visit SAM’s website or collect a copy of the SAM Program Newspaper from the front desk to view upcoming childrens (and adult) workshops.

Rainbow Kids

Rainbow Kids: Art for Small Hands is a program that provides an opportunity for very young children and parents to join in creative activities at SAM. Designed to enhance and build relationships between one adult and one child, this program shows parents how to provide low cost, accessible art-making experiences which can be repeated at home with their children. This very popular and affordable program occurs over a six-week period. Book early to reserve a place for you and your child.

Art Passport (9 to 12 years)

Venture into art with your family or your friends! The Art Passport is designed to encourage children and families to learn about our exhibitions through self-guided tours. There are great activities to complete and prizes make it a very rewarding experience for all. Pick up your passport or activity at the front desk for $2 per child.

For more information on any of our programs, visit www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au, or check out the SAM Program Newspaper available from the SAM front desk. To make a booking, phone on (03) 5832 9861.

sam. education.

School Tours and Activities

Each semester, education tours and trails focus on key artworks from the collection and new exhibitions at SAM. Activities are designed to explore different approaches to art-making and to develop an understanding of Australian ceramics, art history and contemporary art. Suitable for Early Years, AusVELS, VCE Art, Studio Arts and the Humanities, school resources are available through SAM’s online collection galleries on our website. PDF resources are also available online or can be accessed by contacting SAM education staff.

School Workshops

Complementing SAM tours, one-hour visual art workshops are designed to inspire students to create their own unique artworks using clay or 2D media. A materials fee applies for both 2D and 3D workshops.

Teacher Professional Development

Linking in with our collection and exhibition displays, SAM education provides teachers with a range of exciting opportunities to engage in relevant and insightful art talks and artist -led workshops. Our professional development programs are supported by the Victorian Department of Education and Training.

NB: All education tours, trails and resources are free but must be booked in advance with education staff.

A small materials fee applies to workshops. Tours and activities can also be tailored to suit your needs. For further information or school bookings please contact our education staff on (03) 5832 9520.

sam. community.

The Art Museum facilitates long-term and short-term art projects with diverse communities, groups and individuals and explores specific art forms in the context of one’s cultural expression and connections to time, place and identity. Through our varied program of art workshops and public events we encourage wider participation and enjoyment in artslearning for the young and young-at-heart.

Adult Workshops Led by leading visual artists and educators, SAM’s extensive skills-based visual arts and design workshops provide for all levels of arts learning that include senior students, arts educators, beginners and more experienced adults. Using our well equipped workshop room that includes a kiln and printmaking press, we offer a range of visual art programs in clay, textiles, drawing, painting and printmaking. In addition, the partnerships between SAM and Gallery Kaiela will continue to generate new and sustained local interest in working with and learning from local Aboriginal artists. All enquiries are welcome as various programs operate throughout the year.

Art Talks Complementing our exhibition program, artists and curators present stimulating floor talks, forums and seminar programs for our Friends, educators, VCE students and the general public. Check our website and SAM’s public program newspaper for details of upcoming SAM Out Late! talks and other events.

Volunteers If you would like to get to know SAM better, volunteering your time to become a part of our arts community is a rewarding experience. We offer an annual training program and ongoing support for volunteer guides throughout the year. Other opportunities for volunteering are available, so please register your interest with SAM. Cultural Partnerships Partnerships between SAM and other cultural organisations will continue to generate new and sustained local interest in working with and learning from people of the diverse cultures which make up the fabric of the Goulburn Valley region.

Exhibitions SAM administers a community exhibition space in the upstairs foyer of the Eastbank Centre, next door to the Art Museum. This space provides an opportunity for local artists and community groups to hold exhibitions in a bustling arts venue. The SAM community exhibition program encourages and promotes local cultural activity. To apply for a community foyer exhibition, please download an application form from the SAM website or phone SAM on (03) 5832 9861 to discuss your proposal.

eastbank cafe.

sam. shop.

The Eastbank Café is the perfect place to stop for a bite to eat. It serves a wide variety of sandwiches and focaccias, gourmet meals, cakes and slices, and the best coffee in Shepparton.

The SAM shop is a fantastic place to purchase artist-made ceramics and gifts.

The shop stocks work by a number of local and interstate artists including Emily Green, Gary Bish, Kaye Poulton, Owen Rye, Samantha Robinson and Sandra Bowkett.

It features the best of Australian art, craft and design while supporting some of the region’s best artistic talent.

Book your private function at the Eastbank Centre and let Eastbank Food take the hard work out of catering. Contact the Eastbank Café on (03) 5832 9529.

The shop also stocks a range of publications, including SAM exhibition catalogues, books on Australian ceramics and other arts, and a range of art magazines and journals.

Friends of SAM are eligible for a 10% discount on most purchases at the SAM shop.

Free gift-wrapping is provided and gift vouchers are available.

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