Tour MOAC with awarded biographer

19 September 2016

Rare insight into the life of cherished Australian painter Margaret Olley will be served up at an exclusive tour and dinner at the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre on Saturday 29 October.

Filmmaker and journalist Meg Stewart, who wrote the award-winning biography Margaret Olley: far from a still life, will lead a tour of the Margaret Olley Art Centre (MOAC) and its current exhibition, Margaret Olley: from the collection.

“Meg will share fascinating stories about the time she spent in Olley’s Duxford Street home studio in Sydney, interviewing Olley for the biography,” MOAC Curator and Collections Manager Ingrid Hedgcock said.

“Gain a new perspective of MOAC’s home studio re-creation by hearing first-hand accounts from a skilled storyteller.”

Margaret Olley: far from a still life has been described as a biography that is comprehensive but also a warmly intimate profile of the deeply loved and very colourful artist.

Ms Hedgcock said Meg’s tour and shared experiences would bring a new perspective of MOAC, which faithfully re-creates the famous rooms of Olley’s Sydney home.

“More than 300,000 people have visited the home studio re-creation and enjoyed its intriguing aesthetic since MOAC was officially opening in March 2014,” Ms Hedgcock said.

“Meg’s talk will bring even more life to those rooms, the fascinating items that fill them, the artist who painted them and the equally interesting people Olley hosted at her home.”

Tweed Regional Gallery and Tweed Fusion, with sponsorship support from Tweed Shire Council, have combined to hold the tour and dinner, which will be held in the Gallery foyer with catering by the Gallery Café. Guests will enjoy drinks and canapes on arrival and, after the tour, will be treated to a dinner showcasing the Tweed Valley’s farm fresh produce.

“It will be a night of fine dining and a privileged peek further into the life of one of Australia’s most celebrated painters,” she said.

Tickets are $115 and bookings are essential before 14 October by contacting the Gallery on (02) 6670 2790 between Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm.

For more information, visit http://artgallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au/