The black teardrop under a Cheetahs eyes may enhance vision by minimising glare from the sun.
Taronga Foundation 2010 Artists in Residence program
Artists Pack up in the Zoo and Prepare for Fundraising Auction
2 August 2010 at Sotheby’s Australia
The 20 renowned contemporary Australian artists who have made Taronga their second home for the last three months have packed up their sketchbooks and easels and have been submitting their final artworks. The paintings, photographs and sculptures are being donated to the Taronga Foundation and will be auctioned at Sotheby’s Australia on 2 August with proceeds supporting our vital conservation work. Staff at Taronga have been overwhelmed by the diversity of works and unique interpretations of the zoo and its inhabitants.
The Taronga Foundation gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the artists for donating their time and talents so readily.
Click here to view images of donated artworks received to date
About the Program
Click to view other photos from the launchTaronga Zoo, long known for its conservation work, is now making a name for itself in the visual arts.
If you visited the Zoo between February and May this year you may have come across up to twenty of Australia’s best artists. Though not perhaps in their natural habitat, they were roaming the zoo and capturing the animals, visitors and landscapes on paper and film. Participating in the Taronga Foundation’s Artist-in-Residence program, each artist is depicted the animals and the zoo in fresh new ways.
The residency aims to raise money for the Taronga Foundation while at the same time offering unique experiences and inspiring surroundings to some of our most highly regarded painters, sculptors and photographers. It was trialled for the first time last year and the response from participating artists was immediate and exciting. Many had not visited the zoo since childhood and were delighted at the changes that had taken place; the conservation focus, world class exhibits and education endeavours.
Artists began the residency with an overnight stay at the Zoo’s new Roar and Snore campsite, meeting the keepers and their charges, exploring the Zoo after dark, sleeping in luxury tents and feeding the animals in the morning. Artists were provided with a special pass to visit and work as much as they wish over a three-month period, including access before opening hours. Each artist agreed to donate a work which will be auctioned at Sotheby’s Australia on Monday 2 August 2010. All monies raised will support the Taronga Foundation.
The 2010 participants are again of a very high calibre, and include:
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Greg Weight and |
Assisting with the project is artist Leo Robba , who participated in the 2009 residency.
Taronga Zoo enjoys an historic connection with the arts community, being adjacent to the site of one of the artists’ camps that sprung up around the Mosman foreshores in the late 19th century. “En plein air” (outdoor) painters Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts established a significant camp at Curlew Cove in the 1880s, next to what is now Taronga Zoo. Their paintings of the harbour and its surrounds are now cultural icons. A visit to the original Curlew Camp site was included in the artists’ itinerary.
The Taronga Foundation gratefully acknowledges Sotheby’s Australia, the galleries representing the participating artists and the assistance of Jim Crofts Studios in supporting this residency.
For more information contact Linda Newton at the Taronga Foundation on 9978 4689 or email lnewton@zoo.nsw.gov.au
