Conversations from the Collection

This special bonus episode of Conversations from the Collection was recorded live at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival with artist, fine art conservator and writer Christabel Blackman. Christabel joined Miriam Kelly, Head of Curatorial and Exhibitions at Newcastle Art Gallery for a fascinating in conversation event celebrating her book 'Charles & Barbara Blackman: A Decade of Art and Love'....

Megan Cope is a Quandamooka artist from Moreton Bay/North Stradbroke Island in South East Queensland. Her site-specific sculptural installations, public art practice and paintings investigate issues relating to colonial histories, the environment and mapping practices.  In this conversation with Newcastle Art Gallery’s Head of Curatorial and Exhibitions, Miriam Kelly, Megan Cope discuss...

In honour of NAIDOC Week, we are bringing you a special podcast episode featuring Wiradjuri poet and artist Jazz Money in conversation with Newcastle Art Gallery's Curatorial Lead Peter Johnson. Recorded live at the Newcastle Writers Festival earlier this year, Jazz discusses the way their practice has challenged the perceived elitism of poetry, the power of writing in Wiradjuri Language, and embr...

For the past two decades Owen Leong has developed a highly personal art practice that spans sculpture, photography, video, and installation.  Through the lens of his own identity as a queer person of colour, Owen examines the social, political, and cultural forces that impact our lives. Often centring his own body within the frame, Owen has used his practice as a way to locate himself within...

Janet Fieldhouse's distinctive combination of ancestral practice and contemporary techniques has positioned her as a singular voice in Australian ceramics. Through her hand-built sculptures, Janet simultaneously records and reinterprets traditional stories and practices from the Torres Strait Islands drawing on her own cultural heritage, as well as academic research. Her unique process and forms c...

Fusing her experience as a documentary film maker and post-punk drummer, Tina Havelock Stevens has established herself as an exciting figure in contemporary Australian video and performance art. Tina has travelled across the world to create video documented performances that feature her drumming within monumental and historically charged sites. Over the past decade, Tina has drummed at an abandone...

In this episode, we speak with one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists, Lindy Lee. Throughout her life and practice, Lindy has sought the answer to one of the most fundamental questions - where do I belong? This investigation began in her childhood as a first-generation Chinese-Australian growing up in Brisbane during the 1950s and 60s. During the early years of her art practice, Lindy ex...

In our second episode, we speak with palawa artist Jemima Wyman, who lives and works between Brisbane and Los Angeles.  For the past 15 years, Jemima has collected images of protests from around the globe to use in her intricate collages. Jemima is interested in camouflage and how it is strategically used by resistance movements. Patterns and masking are repeating motifs in her artmaking and throu...

In our first episode, we visit the home and studio of Newcastle-based artist Lottie Consalvo. Lottie's practice explores our invisible worlds - the unknown and the intangible, often drawing on feelings such as desire, longing, and loss. Through her diverse practice, Lottie has continued to examine these ideas using painting, performance, video, and sculpture. While elements of Lottie's work touch...

Conversations from the Collection – a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast.  This six-part summer listening series explores stories from renowned artists who have contributed to Newcastle Art Gallery ’s iconic collection.  Our second season will include conversations with artists Lottie Consalvo, Janet Fieldhouse, Tina Havelock Stevens, Lindy Lee,  Owen Leong and Jemima Wyman.  Season Two launches on Wed...

In honour of International Day of People with Disability, we are delighted to release a bonus podcast episode featuring artist Fayen d'Evie. Fayen d'Evie is an artist with lived experience of low vision who creates installations, publications, and performances. She draws on blindness as a way of understanding the world and navigating uncertainty. She also works closely with arts organisations to i...

In this episode, we visit the studio and gallery of sculptor Hilarie Mais. Hilarie's formative years as an artist began in London, followed by a potent stint in New York during the late 70s. For the last 40 years, she has settled in Sydney and enjoyed a highly successful career from Australia. Hilarie's practice has been described as a dedication to the grid, with each of her works beginning from...

In this episode, we speak with award winning photographer Tamara Dean. Tamara has been working with the medium of photography for over 20 years – beginning as a photojournalist with the Sydney Morning Herald before transitioning to a conceptual fine art practice.   Tamara has firmly cemented herself as one of Australia’s most prominent photographers – winning several high-profile national awards,...

In this episode, we visit the home of artist Joan Ross, whose vibrant and experimental practice tackles complex themes such as colonisation, capitalism and the environment. In this conversation, Joan discusses the challenges of working with new technologies and shares the story of how she first came to use animation within her works. To view Joan's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collectio...

In our third episode, we speak with Japanese ceramic artist Kenji Uranishi. Kenji moved to Brisbane over 18 years ago, and the freedom he experienced away from his home country allowed for an exciting shift within his practice.  In this conversation, Kenji discusses his process within the studio, the two identities he navigates as a Japanese artist living in Australia, and the importance of long-t...

In our second episode, we speak with celebrated Torres Strait Islander artist and curator Brian Robinson.  This conversation explores some of the major milestones in Brian's career including creating an Australian landmark, designing 'The Parade Track' for the Commonwealth Games in 2018, and his development of a printmaking style that combines traditional cultural motifs and pop culture characters...

In our first episode, we speak with one of Australia's foremost abstract painters Virginia Cuppaidge. This conversation traverses Virginia's time in New York, her relationship to Feminism, and her changing identity as an Australian artist who spent much of her career overseas. To view Virginia's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the...

Conversations from the Collection – a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast.  In this six part series, each episode will dive into a different collection area of the Newcastle Art Gallery to uncover hidden stories and connect with artists who have contributed to the significance of our diverse collection. Our first series will include conversations with artists Virginia Cuppaidge, Brian Robinson, Kenji Ur...