www.awnw.com.au
Issue #301 – Wednesday, 30 September, 2015
Albury Wodonga’s largest circulating newspaper
Henty had plenty ... The Henty Machinery Field Days proved they’ve still got what it takes to draw in the crowds, with a record number of 70,000 visitors passing through the gates this year. SEE ALL THE ACTION FROM PAGE 12
Door opens on art By ERIN SOMERVILLE THE wait is finally over. After years of debate, design, and development, Albury will this week get to meet its brand-new MAMA. The Murray Art Museum Albury will be opening its doors to the public on Friday 2 October, following a lengthy $10.5 million redevelopment of the former Albury Town Hall. While relics of the building’s past still linger, MAMA is an open, stylish, and state-of-the-art facility that is expected to be branded as one of the best regional art galleries in Australia. Housing $10 million worth of art collections, world-class climate control systems, and up to 52 rotating shows each year, director Jacqui Hemsley is confident MAMA will be quick to make a name for itself. “We have such an amazing opportunity in Albury to be in the centre of the CBD,� she said. “That’s not replicated in very many other regional Australian cities and so we are really taking advantage of that. “We want people to be excited before they even come into MAMA. “I think that as the years go on it will just develop more and more to be a cultural city, and MAMA is part of that.� MAMA’s expansive art collection spills outside its walls, and will include a cross-knit art installation outside the building, a luminous pathway, and an alfresco dining area that can seat up to 110 people and offers the chance to view the site’s historic well, where hundreds of artefacts have been found. On top of its 10 exhibition spaces, MAMA also boasts educational spaces complete with circa-1937 photographs of Albury, 24-hour education access, works created from salvaged materials of the former Town Hall building, 500 LED light beams, four-tonne concrete paved floors, cost-effective designs, and even a souvenir shop. The gallery will also host a $50,000
MAMA director Jacqui Hemsley welcomes Albury to come and meet their new MAMA. 144958 MAMA Art Foundation Photographic Art Prize. Albury’s Joss family has contributed to MAMA’s list of philanthropic donations, handing over $200,000 for ‘The Joss Family Galleries’ that will be home to MAMA’s prized permanent collection. “We are Albury people, Albury
based, Albury Wodonga focused and love the area, and when this came along ... we were committed to it from that date,� Paul Joss said. “We are delighted to be part of it.� MAMA’s permanent collection, which has been described as a “jewel of MAMA�, includes more than 2400 paintings, works on paper, sculp-
Picture: ERIN SOMERVILLE
tures, and photographs. Albury’s main street will close to traffic on Friday and transform into a large-scale family-friendly performance space featuring roving entertainers, food trucks, a live music stage and stunning light projections. The fun continues during Saturday and Sunday, with some installations
running until Saturday 10 October. Exhibitions by leading contemporary artists including Deborah Kelly, Brook Andrew, Karla Dickens and Jonathan Jones will mark the official opening of this major new cultural landmark. For a sneak peak of MAMA, visit our online gallery at alburywodonga.starcommunity.com.au
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