In 2016 Sculpture by the Sea Inc established an Artistic Advisory Committee which will comprise of leading artists, curators, academics and arts writers who have provided informal support and advice for our Perth and Sydney exhibitions. Thank you to the first members of the committee who are:
Geoffrey Edwards (VIC), Former Director, Geelong Art Gallery and former Senior Curator of Sculpture, National Gallery of Victoria
Formerly Senior Curator of Sculpture at the National Gallery of Victoria, Geoffrey Edwards was Director of the Geelong Art Gallery from 1999 to 2016. He is advisor on sculpture to public and private collections and is widely published in the field. At both the NGV and Geelong he curated numerous retrospective and thematic exhibitions including of the work of Centre Five group pioneers Lenton Parr, Clifford Last and Inge King, and of prominent Melbourne-based sculptor Augustine Dall’Ava. He was responsible for major national and international surveys of contemporary sculpture presented under the auspices of the Australian Sculpture Triennial series. He is a member of the Curatorial Advisory Panel for Sculpture by the Sea.
Dr Michael Hill (NSW), Head of Art History & Theory, National Art School
Michael lectures on modernist, contemporary and Australian art, as well as other specialist areas such as classical architecture, sculpture and 17th century painting. His research interests include sculpture, Baroque art, portraiture, and art historical methodology. Michael has been associated with Sculpture by the Sea since 2009 as curator and artistic advisor for the Bondi and Cottesloe exhibitions.
Dr Nien Schwarz (WA), Artist & Senior Lecturer, School of Communications and Arts, Edith Cowan University
Dr Nien Schwarz was born in the Netherlands, raised in Canada, and completed graduate studies at the Australian National University. Nien is a writer, an artist, and Senior Lecturer at Edith Cowan University specialising in visual art with particular focus on environmental art, sculpture and art history. Her artworks probe relationships between physical and human geographies. Nien has a strong interest in Earth Sciences and since 1981 has worked in the field with geological mapping crews across the Canadian Arctic and WA. To better appreciate Western Australian geography and history, and her Dutch heritage, in 2015 Nien started volunteering with the Duyfken Foundation, which includes crewing on the Duyfken (a Dutch replica 16th century tall ship) and maintenance work. In 2006 she curated Floating, an exhibition featuring artworks by artists of Dutch descent living in Perth and her book chapter “Dutch Artists in Australia: Artiesten in Australie van Nederlandse oorsprong” was published in Peters, N. (ed), The Dutch Down Under.
Philip Spelman (ACT) Artist
As a practicing sculptor for the past 30 years, Spelman works in painted steel, he maintains a broad professional arts practice. He is actively engaged in national and international exhibitions, commissions and conference programmes as well as technical management and consultation. His works are abstract constructions where elements balance, tumble and float creating positive and negative compositions of space, light and shade. The sculptures are memorable for their vibrant colours which give luminosity and depth, creating stunning silhouettes within their environment. Spelman’s sculptures are held in many public, private and corporate collections, nationally and internationally. In 2012 he was awarded a Helen Lempriere scholarship for research and travel.