Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 2003-04

18 to resemble a seven-inch vinyl record. 'Pop' has been visited by more than 20 000 people on its regional tour. The Gallery also continued to provide industry advice and support to the regional gallery sector as part of its travelling exhibitions program. On 31 May and 1 June 2004 the Gallery hosted Off the Wall: Sustaining Good Practice, the Regional Galleries Association of Queensland seminar program. For this professional development event, the Gallery provided access to its staff, exhibitions and behind-the-scenes operations for the benefit of regional gallery directors, staff and volunteers. along with street press and local alternative radio sponsorship and advertising, helped generate strong word-of-mouth. A free printed program with profiles on the young artists and musicians involved was distributed during Prime 04. Organised by Education Queensland, the annual 'Education Minister's Awards for Excellence in Art' continued to play an important role in presenting the work of young artists from secondary schools throughout Queensland. In 2003–04 the Gallery displayed a selection of 47 works chosen from entries submitted by approximately 15 000 senior art students from across the state. The exhibition featured a video documentary commissioned by the Gallery, and was strongly attended by school groups. The Gallery's Starter Space initiative for emerging Queensland artists continued, with the work of five artists under 25 exhibited during the year. They included: Jo Laboo's 'Search for a Supermodel' series, which presented stark black-and-white portraits of young model hopefuls; Paul Adair's striking photographic series using the suburban Queensland landscape as a backdrop for self-portraiture and narrative; regional Queensland artist Pamela Mei- Leng See's installation A change in frequency , consisting of hundreds of traditional Chinese paper-cut moths, reflecting on the artist's experience of living in Mackay as part of a minority Chinese community; and collaborative team Wilkins Hill's (comprising Wendy Wilkins and Wesley Hill) exhibition, which featured playful, text-based work. The launch of the New Wave tertiary program encouraged one of the Gallery's core audience groups — tertiary students and young adults — to seek out inspiring debate, imagery and ideas in contemporary art. Exhibition previews, artist talks, lectures, tours and screenings were offered in conjunction with a number of exhibitions, including 'Man Ray' and 'Design Excellence in Queensland'. Behind-the-scenes tours for secondary students were also introduced to encourage an understanding of the Gallery's conservation practices, and a new study room program allowed tertiary groups access to art works in the Gallery's Collection not on display. REGIONAL EXHIBITIONS AND SERVICES Regional Queensland artists from Cape York Peninsula formed the focus of the Gallery's major 'Story Place' exhibition and subsequent touring exhibition during the year. In September 2003, the travelling exhibition 'Exploring Outback: Artists' Responses to Life on the Land' concluded its tour at Artspace Mackay. In August 2003, 'Pop: The Continuing Influence of Popular Culture on Contemporary Art' commenced its eight-venue regional Queensland tour. 'Pop' was curated to hold special appeal for young people in regional Queensland. The exhibition highlighted ways in which the techniques and ideologies of the original Pop art movement of the 1950s and 1960s have been reinvented by contemporary artists. It also explored the ongoing influence on society of music, celebrity, packaging, advertising, the media, new media, and popular culture. More than 40 art works from the Gallery's Collection were featured, including works by Andy Warhol, Howard Arkley, Roy Lichtenstein, Tim Johnson and Takashi Murakami. The exhibition was accompanied by an interactive website and an exhibition catalogue designed