Gympie Regional Gallery Finalist at State Awards

The Winners and Finalists of the 2023 Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards (GAMAA) were proudly announced by Museums & Galleries Queensland on Wednesday 22 November, at a special awards presentation proudly hosted by Logan City Council at the Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct, Kingston.

Gympie Regional Gallery was recognised as a Finalist for its outstanding achievement in the category of Project: Organisations with Paid Staff for its project ‘22.96/receding’.

In February 2023, Gympie Regional Gallery presented ‘22.96/receding’, a multi-faceted exhibition commemorating the one-year anniversary of the devastating Gympie floods. This was the second highest recorded flood in the region, measuring 22.96 metres.

‘22.96/receding’ was an impactful, collaborative exhibition that filled the Gallery between 14 February to 15 April 2023. It invited the community to engage with a narrative that was not defined by the worst that the river can do, but rather by what the river provides.

Gympie’s community and the strength of its people were at the heart of this exhibition and accompanying public programs.

Working with local artists Miriam Innes, Joolie Gibbs and Leeroy Todd, and with not-for-profit arts groups, environmental bodies, academics and community groups, Gympie Regional Gallery’s exhibition ‘22.96/receding’ gave voice to the unspoken impacts of the natural disaster on the social, environmental and economic fabric of the region.

Museums & Galleries Queensland (M&G QLD) Executive Director, Rebekah Butler said, “Gympie Regional Gallery is commended for creating an emotive and impactful response to the shared trauma of the 2022 floods. The ‘22.96/receding’ exhibition was a remarkable community focused project, full of meaning, and contributed to important healing and recovery in the region.”

Ms Butler continued, “The Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards are a celebration of the professional excellence, innovation and leadership within Queensland’s arts and cultural heritage sector. We extend our congratulations to this year’s worthy Winners and Finalists.”

Artist and exhibition curator Miriam Innes said for ’22.96/receding’ to be recognised as a finalist is both an honour and privilege, continuing the legacy of the exhibition and all those involved in its creation.

“Together, we (the artists) observed the torn landscape post flood, planning and creating an exhibition to fulfil the vision and reach deep into the community,” she said.

“Through interviewing affected community members, meeting with community groups, interpreting our observations and research, pushing beyond our regular limits, and working closely with the Gympie Regional Gallery, we developed a collaborative extraordinary exhibition and numerous public programs for the community”.

The GAMAA were established by Museums & Galleries Queensland in 2004 to honour the achievements of our State’s individuals and organisations in striving towards excellence.

The 2023 Winners received an exquisite trophy by Queensland artist, Nicole Jakins, commissioned by M&G QLD. Nicole’s works explore environmental concerns, drawing on the beauty and fragility of nature.

The 2023 Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards are proudly supported by Logan City Council and sponsored by Public Galleries Queensland and Australian Museums and Galleries Association Queensland.

‌IMAGE CREDIT: Kate Tuart receiving Gympie Regional Gallery’s Finalist presentation at the 2023 Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards from Karina Devine, Chairperson, Museums & Galleries Queensland. Photography by Katie Bennett, courtesy of Museums & Galleries Queensland.