Kinimathatakinta/George Town Art Prize Judges Announced

Stay tuned to meet the talented individuals who will be selecting our winners. Finalists will be announced on Friday, June 7, 2024.

Mark your calendars and join us for the launch of the Art Prize on Friday, June 21st, at 4pm at the Jim Mooney Gallery. Celebrate the outstanding creativity of our local artists and be there as we announce the prize winners.

 

Ashley Bird, Senior Curator of Art and Design, QVMAG

Born in Melbourne with a background in garment construction and film/television. Ashley has developed a career in the arts and cultural sector in Tasmania with more than a decade of experience in commercial galleries and education in creative practice at UTAS. As a practicing artist and curator, Ashley's focus through his role at QVMAG is to nurture creativity and be a professional custodian of QVMAG's unique visual art and design collection.

 

Karen Hall, Lecturer in art at the School of Creative Arts and Media, University of Tasmania

Dr Karen Hall is a lecturer in art at the School of Creative Arts and Media, University of Tasmania, where she teaches and researches in curatorial practice and art theory. Through curatorial projects that explore the reimagining of the past in the present and embodied encounters with the forces that shape the cultural and environmental landscape. Her curatorial practices tests the relationship between art objects and the spaces in which they are installed, most recently in Accretion (2023, Sawtooth ARI).

 

Scott Cunningham, Head of Visual and Performing Arts, Launceston College

Tasmanian photo-media artist Scott Cunningham has exhibited widely since 1995, with works in collections like the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. He is closely linked with the Academy Gallery (TCotA).

At 23, Cunningham became Head of Photo-media at Newstead College, earning national recognition for teaching excellence. He holds a Bachelor of Education and a Masters in Fine Arts and is currently the Head of Visual and Performing Arts at Launceston College.

 

Susan Mansell, Artist and Community Officer, George Town

“We live on the land of the pakana people, my people. The Traditional custodians of this land, Lutruwita. I Honour all my ancestors before me… by learning from this country, respecting it, listening to its sounds, learning from the sky and seasons, caring for the land, respecting my culture, and always learning from my Elders.”

Susan has dedicated her life to sharing the rich history of her home, Kinimathatakinta (George Town), a story that deserves to be celebrated and learned from by all. Growing up and raising her children in George Town, she works in Aboriginal Education and Community Development through education, with council and various other community groups.

 

Zara Sully, Director, Sawtooth ARI

Zara Sully is a multi-disciplinary artist, curator, and arts worker currently based in Lutruwita (Launceston, Tasmania). Sully holds a BFA (Honours) from the Victorian College Of The Arts (2018) and Monash University (2019). Previous projects include Angel Exchange (hosted by Bus Projects, 2020), On Screen in the Flesh (curator, Trocadero Projects 2020), Yours Queerly (artist & co-curator with Brooke Van Der Linden, Sawtooth ARI, 2021), and Flow (co-curated with Dr. Helen Whitty, a collaboration between Huon Valley Council and City of Launceston, 2022), and Isn't it Ironic (curator, Junction Arts Festival, and Rosny Barn, 2023). Current projects include Ways of Knowing, a collaboration between the University of Tasmania and Sawtooth ARI, as well as their work as the current Director of Sawtooth ARI.