What has Scotland got to do with the development of Australia?
More than meets the eye, according to the Art Gallery of Ballarat which is staging For Auld Lang Syne with the deliberate intention of unveiling facts, stories and fairytales about the relationship.
The exhibition takes the viewer on a journey from First Fleet to Federation, delving into details such as fashion, sport, high art and whiskey and bringing all manner of curious stories to the surface.
Joseph Backler’s ‘Alexander Sinclair’, from 1846
You will discover that the first game of golf played in Australia was at Ratho in Tasmania; Australia’s first Catholic saint Mary Mackillop was a Scottish Gaelic speaker having been taught the language at home in Melbourne in the 1840’s by her father and that the wine industry in Australia was founded by the Scot James Busby.
We owe the Scots a lot.
For Auld Lang Syne brings together artworks and objects from across Australia and overseas to mark the extraordinary contribution by the Scots to the cultural, social and political life of this nation.
The exhibition is curated by Dr Alison Inglis, Associate Professor, Art History Program, University of Melbourne and Patricia Tryon Macdonald, curator, Exiles and Emigrants, Epic Journeys to Australia in the Victorian Era, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2005-2006).
Georgiana McCrae’s self portrait, aged 20, from 1824
The exhibition, its own way, is a fresh contribution towards building Australia’s understanding of its extraordinary cultural inheritance.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue that will include essays by leading scholars on aspects of the Scottish presence in Australia. There will also be a schedule of public and education programs.
What: For Auld Lang Syne: Images of Scottish Australia from First Fleet to Federation
When: Friday 11 April to Sunday 27 July 2014
Where: Art Gallery of Ballarat, 40 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat
Details: Gallery open 10am – 5pm daily
Adults $15, Concession $10, Children free.
Gallery website: www.artgalleryofballarat.com.au
