SEE

Muswellbrook Art Prize 2025

27 March to 24 May 2025

Established in 1958, the Muswellbrook Art Prize is a now $70,000 acquisitive prize across the categories of painting ($50,000), works on paper ($10,000), and ceramics ($10,000). Medium alone acts as theme of the Muswellbrook Art Prize; the Prize capturing the diverse subjects and practices of contemporary artists working throughout Australia.

Astute adjudication of the Prize over the years has yielded an excellent collection of modern and contemporary Australian paintings, works on paper, and ceramics from the Post War period of the 20th Century and into the 21st Century, with the winning acquisitive works forming the nucleus of what is now known as the Muswellbrook Shire Art Collection.

Along with Muswellbrook Shire Council, who since 1958 has acted as sponsor and administrator of the Muswellbrook Art Prize, Bengalla Mining Company has generously sponsored the Prize for over 30 years, their commitment ensuring the development of the Muswellbrook Shire Art Collection.

Swallow the Rain: Patricia Casey

11 January to 24 May 2025

Following a diagnosis with a painful chronic illness, Casey was forced to redefine both her life and her art. During this time of loss and adaptation, daily walks in nature became her anchor, offering moments of reflection and connection. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty’s concept of ‘lived body experience’, Casey’s ongoing work explores the interconnectedness of humanity and the natural world. Her work in ‘Swallow the Rain’ captures fleeting beauty -wild weeds, shifting light – preserving these moments in ice. These glowing, jewel-like creations serve as meditations on resilience, transformation, and the profound bond between people and nature.

Art Tracks VIII: Boundless Boundaries

27 March to 2 August 2025

For decades, artists have explored the delicate interplay between exposure and isolation, visibility and solitude. Long before the digital age, the struggle between wanting to be seen and the fear of being truly known has shaped the human experience.

This exhibition brings together past winners and finalists of the Muswellbrook Art Prize, spanning works from the 1970s to today. From Strom Gould’s exploration of public anonymity in ‘Pedestrians’ (1970) to David Fairbairn’s intimate pandemic-era portraits ‘Double Lives’ (2022), ‘Boundless Boundaries’ reveals how artists have continually grappled with themes of vulnerability, detachment, and the complexities of human interaction.

Whether responding to urbanisation, social change, or digital transformation, each work contributes to an ongoing dialogue about presence and absence. The act of self-representation—through portraiture, abstraction, or symbolic imagery—exposes the paradox of being both connected and alone.