The Winners and Finalists of the 2023 Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards (GAMAA) were announced by Museums and Galleries Queensland on Wednesday 22 November, at a special awards presentation hosted by Logan City Council at the Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct, Kingston.
Gympie Regional Gallery was recognised as a finalist for its 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’ aimed to give a voice to the unspoken impacts of the natural disaster on the social, environmental and economic fabric of the region.
“Gympie Regional Gallery is commended for creating an emotive and impactful response to the shared trauma of the 2022 floods.“ said Museums & Galleries Queensland (M&G QLD) Executive Director, Rebekah Butler.
“The ‘22.96/receding’ exhibition was a remarkable community focused project, full of meaning, and contributed to important healing and recovery in the region.
“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 a trophy by Queensland artist, Nicole Jakins, commissioned by M&G QLD.
Nicole’s works are designed to explore environmental concerns, drawing on the beauty and fragility of nature.
The 2023 Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards are supported by Logan City Council and sponsored by Public Galleries Queensland and Australian Museums and Galleries Association Queensland.
