Outdoor sculpture trails a growing tourism attraction
McClelland gallery & sculpture park in Langwarrin, Mornington Peninsula
Eye-catching outdoor sculpture trails are the latest attraction for cultural tourists keen to seek out a walking experience with a difference, and there’s plenty available for art lovers both in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Regional Victoria
The Lorne Sculpture exhibition (Great Ocean Road)
Once a year, the Great Ocean Road coastline becomes the backdrop for one of the most scenic sculpture walks in Victoria – the Lorne Sculpture Exhibition (October 15 to November 6, 2011). An annual competition which sees a series of major sculptural works and installations created by prominent Australian artists, this year’s event will feature 40 works created in response to the Lorne environment installed along Lorne’s Foreshore Walk. A further 20 or so smaller works will appear in the Lorne shop windows. A companion program of events runs alongside the exhibition including guided tours of the foreshore; the Lorne Sculpturscape, where artistic teams of up to 20 create a site-specific work over one day; nightly projections of video works, workshops and meet-the-artists seminars.
Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove (Mornington Peninsula) - the grounds of this notable winery doubles as a picturesque outdoor gallery, with art works embracing all aspects of the vineyard, from the orchard and olive groves to the herb garden and wetlands. Curated by Neil Williams, many of the works are past acquisitions from the Montalto Sculpture Prize which runs annually.
Mildura City Centre (Murray)
Mildura has long been considered a creative centre in regional Victoria. One of the most significant events in the town’s artistic history was the Mildura Sculptural Triennial, a national competition which was held between 1961 and 1988, and attracted many acclaimed sculptors and artists to the city. The many sculptures located in the grounds of the Mildura Arts Centre (currently closed for redevelopment) and dotted throughout the city are an enduring and notable reminder of that legacy. Opposite the Mildura Arts Centre is the Sculpture Park, where you can view the famous One Sun, One Earth, One Peace sculpture, part of a network of similar pieces around the world. At the equinox the sun casts a shadow through the sculptures at successive times all over the world. A sculpture trail, which outlines the locations of key artworks, is currently in development.
McClelland Gallery and Scuplture Park (Mornington Peninsula)
Set in 16 hectares of bush and landscaped gardens 4 kms east of Frankston, the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park is Victoria’s largest public gallery attracting thousands of visitors each year. Home of the biennial McClelland Sculpture Survey and Award for contemporary outdoor sculpture, McClelland’s outdoor sculpture collection includes over 70 works by prominent Australian sculptors such as Inge King, Lenton Parr, Clement Meadmore along with recent acquisitions including Rick Amor, Peter Corlett, Robert Owen, Lisa Roet and Ken Unsworth.
Melbourne:
Sculpture Park at Heide Museum of Modern Art
Located approximately 30 minutes drive from the Melbourne CBD, the Heide Museum of Modern Art is a unique synthesis of indoor and outdoor environments, a place of modern and contemporary art and design, with a rich and colourful art heritage and social history. Heide’s gardens, which include its notable Sculpture Park, are a great place to take a sunny weekend stroll. There are over 30 beautiful sculptures to discover, from the top of the slope near Heide 1 down to the banks of the Yarra River.
Werribee Mansion Sculpture Walk: The grounds of the historic Werribee Mansion contain a collection of contemporary works, all finalists or winners in the Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Prize that ran from 2000 – 2008. The works appear by surprise amongst bushland, in trees, framing paddocks or with The Mansion’s grand Victorian architecture as a backdrop.
For more information:
www.lornesculpture.com, www.montalto.com.au, www.visitmildura.com.au, www.mcclellandgallery.com; www.heide.com.au, www.lancemore.com.au/mansion
Media contact: Danielle Poulos, Tourism Victoria Ph: (03) 9653 9773
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