Tamworth Regional Gallery capitalises on arts resurgence

The Archibald Prize, the most prestigious portraiture prize in Australia, is the latest big-name exhibition making its way to the Tamworth Regional Gallery.

"We've actually jumped the queue a bit. We were supposed to have it in 25-26, but I've brought it forward to 2024," Director of Tamworth Regional Gallery Bridget Guthrie said.

She said the Tamworth Regional Gallery is aiming to capitalise on its momentum following the success of the Skywhales: Every Heart Sings event, which attracted a crowd of thousands.

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She also said it's important for the gallery to keep events like these coming, in order to connect young and regional Australians to the arts and continue developing the arts as a tourism drawcard for the area.

"We've certainly had people travelling further and staying longer. Having overnight stays as part of that cultural tourism is definitely part of Tamworth Regional Council's vision for the future and things like the Archibald Prize and Skywhales contribute to that," she said.

It will be the first time in five years that Tamworthians will be able to see an Archibald Prize-winning portrait in their hometown.

"It's about access to the arts in a regional centre, whether it's the Archibald Prize, or Skywhales, or other touring exhibitions and opportunities from national and state institutions. It is about that opportunity for our young people and a wider audience to have that contact and see the portraits in real life," Ms Guthrie said.

She also said the upcoming event is perfectly timed for a tie-in with the 5th Tamworth Textile Triennial.

"We're really excited that this particular Archibald prize tour is coming to us because the winner of the prize, Julia Gutman, has completed her work as a textile piece, and because of that there's a beautiful link with the Tamworth Textile Triennial and our amazing history with our textile collection," Ms Guthrie said.

The Archibald Prize has been awarded annually since 1921 and is administered by the trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The prize is given to the painter of "the best portrait, preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics, painted by an artist resident in Australia during the twelve months preceding the date fixed by the trustees for sending in the pictures," according to the Art Gallery of NSW's website.

The Archibald Prize exhibit will be on display at the Tamworth Regional Gallery from May 11 to June 23, 2024.

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