Corban & Blair Lifestyle Blog

The Australian Collection Rehang - Art Gallery of NSW

Charles Meere Australian beach pattern 1940 (detail), Art Gallery of New South Wales © Charles Meere Estate

Colonial to Contemporary

With the Picasso exhibition gone the Art Gallery of New South Wales has taken the opportunity of rehanging its permanent collection and reopened last weekend with a special program of events to show case their Australian galleries which have been expanded and revitalised.  If you weren't able to make last weekend it's still well worth a visit - wether you have seen them before or not, it offers you a fresh opportunity to see a rich and varied collection.

On display will be a selection of works from the Gallery’s collection of Australian art, from colonial to contemporary – one of the finest in the country.

Some of the Gallery’s most famous and popular works of art are presented in new contexts alongside recent acquisitions and numerous works brought out of storage for the first time in years. Works across all media – paintings, sculpture, photography, video and prints – are included.

The Gallery’s iconic collection of 19th-century paintings returns to the Grand Courts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art has a significant presence, and contemporary works link art practices across time.

Get Creative with Paper Cut Outs and Box Frames

We found this Abscission Framed Paper Leaves (pictured top left) by Owen Gildersleeve show casing a selection of autumnal hand-crafted paper leaves and thought it was a great idea for our Box Frames. Have fun cutting out paper designs and arranging them in the Box Frames, and change them when you want – your very own perpetual exhibition space.

Head On, a photography festival.

Running from 4 May - 3 June 2012, Head On celebrates photography across a range of genres. Works are displayed not only in traditional venues such as galleries and museums but also in cafes, pubs and even outdoor exhibition spaces, most notably, Centennial Park.

As part of the festival, a number of activities, workshops and talks will also be available for the public to attend. Workshops include food photography, fine art painting and portrait photography, among others.

To find out more information on the festival or what’s on, click here.

Photograph by Head On Portrait Prize Winner Louise Whelan.

The School of St Judes

At the end of 2011 we, as a company, donated to The School of St Jude in Northern Tanzania and last week received a very sweet letter (pictured above) from a student thanking us. We were happy to hear that our donation has enabled the school to purchase extra land and to build a new sports facility!

If you’d like to find out more about St Judes or donate visit them online.

Sydney's FOODprint Challenge

There's no doubt about it, all of us at Corban & Blair have a soft spot for food so when we came across the FOODprint challenge we thought it was a great little idea to share!

The challenge was set up to create a space for the Sydney community to come together and discuss 'green' food options through a series of free workshops. The first two workshops focused on food sustainability and growing your own produce. The third and final workshop will take place on Thursday 3 May and will discuss the expanding network of environmentally conscious food suppliers in the Sydney, featuring guest speaker Adam Taylor from Alfalfa House. If you're intersted in finding out more click here to register.

Wool Modern

Wool Modern is coming to Sydney! From 24 April - 30 April, the exhibition that celebrates the aesthetic, environmental and technical benefits of wool, first shown in London last year, will be showing at Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay, Sydney. The collection features archival and custom made pieces by both international and Australian fashion and interior designers. Noted designers include Akira Isogawa, Paul Smith, Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Christian Lacroix, Colette Dinigan and Lisa Gorman, among others. Definitely worth checking out!

Art Month, Sydney 2012.

For those of you who have yet to experience Art Month, we would highly recommend you do so! With 300 artists, 200 events and 100 galleries, Art Month showcases a fantastic variety of art and brings forward great conversations, talks, panels and workshops for the art community and general public. To have a look at what’s happening or what events and exhibitions are taking place head to the Art Month website for a full run down. Our very own Patricia is also exhibiting as part of the Yen and Toni & Guy group exhibition at Gaffa Gallery! So make sure to immerse yourself and be inspired!

Gill and Amanda visit Singapore and Hong Kong.

Last week Gill and Amanda set off to Singapore and Hong Kong for a number of client and manufacturing based meetings and visits. During their trip, one of a few they will take this year, they met with now long time friend Helena along with Fifi, whom Amanda works with directly on the manufacturing and product solutions side overseas. Gill and Amanda were pleased to have had time to not only discuss possible product development but also spend a bit of down time with them both, further developing their relationships and friendships – something they truly value. A big thank you to Helena for her hospitality and welcoming nature and Fifi for all her hard work, dedication and kindness.

Craft Punk at the Powerhouse Museum.

In just over two weeks, the Powerhouse Museum will be holding drop-in and booked workshops to get your creative juices flowing. Run by textile industry professionals, including Karen Davis, Pepa Martin and Donna Sgro the workshops aim to teach dyeing techniques and screen printing methods along with being introduced to different materials and tools of the trade. For more information or to book, check out the Powerhouse Museum website.

Sydney Park, 21 years young.

Looking for something to do this weekend with the kids? Well, why not commemorate the birth of Sydney’s largest park. At a ripe age of 21, Sydney Park in St Peters is celebrating its birthday in style, with complimentary cupcakes, entertainment, music and of course, a bright jumping castle for this kids to play in. Head on down on this Saturday (11 Feb) from 2:00pm – 4:00pm to join in on the party!

Image: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au