Since opening, the gallery has shown more than 300 exhibitions with an average of 30 per year, including 5 which have been curated and toured nationally by the gallery. Over 65% of exhibitions offered an intriguing insight into the social heritage and culture of Far North Queensland.
The Exhibitions Policy stipulates that exhibitions are local, national and international, with local content a high percentage of the program each year.
Exhibitions will offer the community ways of seeing its cultures, environments and histories. Exhibitions will encourage the expression of ideas, attitudes and ambitions - they are about the tradition of art and art in our time, cultural diversity, communication and enjoyment. Exhibitions should offer audiences stimulation and challenging engagement.
The curated exhibitions feature the artworks of the Far Northern region, which have toured nationally; including Artists Studio, Escape Artists: Modernists in the Tropics, the highly acclaimed Ilan Pasin (this is our Way) exhibition of Torres Strait Islander art and Home Island, Home Country - a special exhibition of works on paper by young people from communities across Cape York and the Torres Strait, and Encounters with Country: Landscapes of Ray Crooke.
Exhibitions by local artists are developed through the Community Exhibitions Program. The Gallery curates exhibitions using works from the Collection and by regional artists. Some of these exhibitions are toured nationally and highlight particular aspects of an artist's work in the region. The Gallery also presents touring exhibitions from regional, state and national museums.
All exhibitions are complimented with an active promotional, educational, advertorial and interpretive program targeting both the local and visitor community to the region.
Headwear Hardware - The Milliners Group
7 June 2008 - 20 July 2008
These artists of creative and flamboyant headwear explore the potential of materials not normally associated with the mainstream fashion of wearable hats, headpieces and fascinators.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
» More information...
Ocean to Outback: Australian landscape paintings 1850-1950
20 June 2008 - 27 July 2008
This exhibition documents the most dynamic century of landscape painting from the colonial 1850’s to the immediate period following World War II. Over this century, landscape painting was the "great" subject of Australian art. This fascination and love of the Australian landscape continues to this day.
A National Gallery of Australia Travelling Exhibition
» More information...
Cairns to the Cape - Nathan David Kelly
26 July 2008 - 31 August 2008
A photographic journey documenting the communities, individuals and landscapes of this region, unique in its diversity and remoteness.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
» More information...
Cuisine and Country: A gastronomic venture in Australian Art
1 August 2008 - 6 September 2008
A diverse range of historic, modernist and contemporary artworks, this exhibition is designed to take the audiences on a gastronomic odyssey through distinctive Australian artworks inspired by food related matters.
A Travelling Exhibition from Orange Regional Gallery
» More information...
Earth Links - exploring ceramic diversity with our international sister cities.
8 August 2008 - 5 October 2008
An international showcase of ceramics from Cairns’ sister cities across the globe. Ceramicists from Sidney (Canada), Scottsdale (USA), Riga (Latvia), Minami and Oyama (Japan), Zhanjiang (China) and Lae (Papua New Guinea) will be participating along with potters from the Cairns region.
A Cairns City Council and Cairns Potters Club Exhibition.
» More information...
Desert to the coast and all that is in between - Anne Ah Gee
6 September 2008 - 12 October 2008
Ah Gee's colourful landscapes explore and document the rich tapestry of people, festivals and places she has experienced on her journey from Broken Hill to Cairns.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibitions Program
» More information...
Torrid Zones
12 September 2008 - 26 October 2008
An exhibition from the Cairns Regional Gallery Collection depicting the landscape from Cardwell to Cooktown with additional works on loan from Arone Meeks, Geoff Dixon, Claudine Marzik, Steven Nowakowski & Roland Nancarrow.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Curated Exhibition
New Directions - Lenore Howard
12 September 2008 - 26 October 2008
An exhibition of Howard’s new direction in abstract painting. Lenore Howard is a painter of quite remarkable images: powerful, beautiful, sensual, dramatic and challenging. She works in a genre in which the artist paints thought rather than known reality, creating a bridge to a different kind of existence where vibrational qualities of energy are explored. This exhibition celebrates Howard’s development towards a more subtle use of symbology.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Curated Exhibition
» More information...
Myth to Modern - Bronzes from the Queensland Art Gallery Collection
10 October 2008 - 30 November 2008
A showcase of the long-standing use of bronze in a variety of subjects and themes in Western Sculpture. Myth, legend and portraiture feature in works dating from c1700 to the late twentieth century.
A Travelling Exhibition from the Queensland Art Gallery.
TAFE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Students
17 October 2008 - 23 November 2008
An exhibition presenting the rich visual culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders through works by TAFE ATSI students. Includes paintings, works on paper, printmaking, 3-dimensional works and textiles.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibitions Program
Cairns Art Society 62nd Annual Open Award Art Exhibition
31 October 2008 - 7 December 2008
An annual exhibition of works by local, state and national artists hosted by the Cairns Art Society.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibitions Program
TAFE Mainstream Visual Arts Students
28 November 2008 - 11 January 2009
Graduating students from the Tropical North Queensland TAFE Visual Arts Department present an exhibition of various media including digital arts, installation, ceramics, and printmaking.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibitions Program
"Hidden Treasures" - the Postcard Show
5 December 2008 - 21 December 2008
The annual postcard show fundraising exhibition with over 100 artworks up for auction, this year. The auction on Friday 19 December offers an ideal opportunity to purchase original works of art to keep or give away for Christmas.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Fundraising Exhibition
Recent Acquisitions
12 December 2008 - 25 January 2009
An exhibition of recent additions to the Cairns Regional Gallery Collection.
Please contact us for further information about our exhibition program.
