North Queensland Ceramic Awards moves into Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
Date published: 20 July 2020
The North Queensland Ceramic Awards (NQCA) is coming to Perc Tucker Regional Gallery for a special edition of the exhibition next week.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said this was the first time the NQCA would be held at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery.
“In light of the Pinnacles closures due to last year’s monsoon, we are bringing the NQCA to Perc Tucker Regional gallery this year,” she said.
“Perc Tucker is Townsville’s premier gallery, so it’s great to be able to move the highly renowned North Queensland Ceramic Awards into this space.”
Cr Hill said it was great to have almost 100 entries submitted into this year’s Ceramic Awards, including 47 entries from Queensland.
“The biennial NQCA brings the best ceramicists from across the country together for one showstopping exhibition right in the heart of Townsville,” Cr Hill said.
“Townsville has positioned itself as the arts and cultural capital of Northern Australia. Having world-class exhibitions at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery just goes to cement our city’s place as an arts leader in Australia.”
Queensland artist Samuel Leighton-Dore’s piece Sometimes I’m Mean is one of the 89 Ceramic Awards finalists. The piece debuted at Mr Leighton-Dore’s solo exhibition Fragile Masculinity, Handle With Care.
“As a self-taught ceramicist from the Gold Coast it’s incredibly validating to have such a personal work recognised,” Mr Leighton-Dore said.
“My husband’s family lives nearby, in Ayr, so it’s a really lovely chance for them to see my art in a local context. I’m really just stoked to be included alongside such a talented group of Australian artists.”
He said he hoped the 84-piece wall hanging would have a lasting effect on visitors to the exhibition here in Townsville.
“The piece is all about revealing and celebrating vulnerability, about self-reflection, about confronting shame and fear. I hope it’ll plant a happily subversive little seed for visitors to ponder over in their own time,” he said.
Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson Councillor Ann-Maree Greaney said there was plenty talent from across Queensland in the exhibition, with Townsville and North Queensland both well represented in the Ceramic Awards.
“We’ve had 15 Townsville entries, which just goes to show that we have some extraordinary talent here in our own backyard,” Cr Greaney said.
“We’ve also had two successful entries all the way from Hong Kong, which is a fantastic result. This competition draws interest from across the Asia Pacific region and we are thrilled to be able to host the work of international artists.”
The North Queensland Ceramic Awards run from Friday 31 July through to Sunday 20 September.
To check out the full list of finalist names in this year’s North Queensland Ceramic Awards or to book a visit to Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, head to Perc Tucker Regional Gallery.
