Conversations from the Collection

This special bonus episode of Conversations from the Collection was recorded live at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival with artist, fine art conservator and writer Christabel Blackman. Christabel joined Miriam Kelly, Head of Curatorial and Exhibitions at Newcastle Art Gallery for a fascinating in conversation event celebrating her book 'Charles & Barbara Blackman: A Decade of Art and Love'. In this captivating conversation, she reflects on growing up as the daughter of two influential figures in Australian art and literature, and shares insights into her own creative journey and work in conservation. Conversations from the Collection is a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted by Miriam Kelly Introduction by Zana Kobayashi Produced by Gemma Wroblewski Edited and Music by Duke's Creations

Megan Cope is a Quandamooka artist from Moreton Bay/North Stradbroke Island in South East Queensland. Her site-specific sculptural installations, public art practice and paintings investigate issues relating to colonial histories, the environment and mapping practices.  In this conversation with Newcastle Art Gallery’s Head of Curatorial and Exhibitions, Miriam Kelly, Megan Cope discusses her living sculptures that draw on ancestral technologies and seek to heal saltwater environments. She also delves into the historical and ecological importance of oysters. This conversation was captured live at the Ngumpi Kinyingarra Oyster House during the New Annual Festival in Newcastle in September 2024. Presented as a temporary pavilion on the Honeysuckle Marina, Ngumpi Kinyingarra Oyster House hosted workshops, performances, talks, and even an oyster shucking competition! Thanks to an enthusiastic group of oyster shuckers from the community, this 'Scrub Club' saw over 4,875 oysters cleaned for use in a future work of art by Megan Cope. Conversations from the Collection is a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted by Miriam Kelly Introduction by Zana Kobayashi Produced by Gemma Wroblewski Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations

In honour of NAIDOC Week, we are bringing you a special podcast episode featuring Wiradjuri poet and artist Jazz Money in conversation with Newcastle Art Gallery's Curatorial Lead Peter Johnson. Recorded live at the Newcastle Writers Festival earlier this year, Jazz discusses the way their practice has challenged the perceived elitism of poetry, the power of writing in Wiradjuri Language, and embracing joy as an act of radical resistance.  Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery Hosted by Peter Johnson Introduction and Production by Zana Kobayashi Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

For the past two decades Owen Leong has developed a highly personal art practice that spans sculpture, photography, video, and installation.  Through the lens of his own identity as a queer person of colour, Owen examines the social, political, and cultural forces that impact our lives. Often centring his own body within the frame, Owen has used his practice as a way to locate himself within the world.   In this conversation, Owen talks about the steely determination he has needed to pursue his career and why his decision to undertake a Master of Fine Art at the University of NSW was viewed as 'somewhat controversial' by his family.   Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 14 February 2024.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations Research by Tulleah Pearce & Pippa Budge  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

Janet Fieldhouse's distinctive combination of ancestral practice and contemporary techniques has positioned her as a singular voice in Australian ceramics. Through her hand-built sculptures, Janet simultaneously records and reinterprets traditional stories and practices from the Torres Strait Islands drawing on her own cultural heritage, as well as academic research. Her unique process and forms combine Western ceramic techniques with First Nations’ pottery practices from the Pacific and the Americas - places where she has engaged in extended cultural and artistic exchanges. In this conversation, Janet discusses how she infuses her works with goodwill, her approach to interpreting cultural material, and the cyclical processes within her practice. Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 14 February 2024.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations Research by Tulleah Pearce  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

Fusing her experience as a documentary film maker and post-punk drummer, Tina Havelock Stevens has established herself as an exciting figure in contemporary Australian video and performance art. Tina has travelled across the world to create video documented performances that feature her drumming within monumental and historically charged sites. Over the past decade, Tina has drummed at an abandoned industrial site in Detroit, in the vast landscapes of the West Texan desert, fully submerged in the Derwent River in Hobart and even on Newcastle's very own Breakwater - the resulting video work now within Newcastle Art Gallery's collection. To view Tina's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 14 February 2024.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations Research by Tulleah Pearce  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

In this episode, we speak with one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists, Lindy Lee. Throughout her life and practice, Lindy has sought the answer to one of the most fundamental questions - where do I belong? This investigation began in her childhood as a first-generation Chinese-Australian growing up in Brisbane during the 1950s and 60s. During the early years of her art practice, Lindy explored themes of family, personal identity, and history. Later, as Lindy began to engage with Taoism and Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism, this question expanded to examine her place within what she calls 'the cosmos'. Lindy's monumental public sculptures feature prominently outside many of our national institutions. With a career spanning over four decades, Lindy has also achieved widespread international acclaim, showcasing her work in counties such as Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore. To view Lindy's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 14 February 2024.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations Research by Tulleah Pearce  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

In our second episode, we speak with palawa artist Jemima Wyman, who lives and works between Brisbane and Los Angeles.  For the past 15 years, Jemima has collected images of protests from around the globe to use in her intricate collages. Jemima is interested in camouflage and how it is strategically used by resistance movements. Patterns and masking are repeating motifs in her artmaking and through this work she makes visible the shared visual language of public demonstration. Jemima's layered hand-cut collages contain thousands of images from her ever-expanding archive. She extensively documents the source, date, and location of each image. This data then forms the titles of her works of art. Reading like a history of protest, her longest title to date reaches over 13,000 words. To view Jemima's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 14 February 2024.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations Research by Tulleah Pearce  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

In our first episode, we visit the home and studio of Newcastle-based artist Lottie Consalvo. Lottie's practice explores our invisible worlds - the unknown and the intangible, often drawing on feelings such as desire, longing, and loss. Through her diverse practice, Lottie has continued to examine these ideas using painting, performance, video, and sculpture. While elements of Lottie's work touch on difficult subject matter, she is also a romantic and joyful artist whose intentional and philosophical engagement with the world flows between her personal and professional life. To view Lottie's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 14 February 2024.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations Research by Tulleah Pearce  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

Conversations from the Collection – a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast.  This six-part summer listening series explores stories from renowned artists who have contributed to Newcastle Art Gallery’s iconic collection.  Our second season will include conversations with artists Lottie Consalvo, Janet Fieldhouse, Tina Havelock Stevens, Lindy Lee,  Owen Leong and Jemima Wyman.  Season Two launches on Wednesday 10 January 2024. Listen weekly to new episodes here or find us on your favourite podcast listening app.

In honour of International Day of People with Disability, we are delighted to release a bonus podcast episode featuring artist Fayen d'Evie. Fayen d'Evie is an artist with lived experience of low vision who creates installations, publications, and performances. She draws on blindness as a way of understanding the world and navigating uncertainty. She also works closely with arts organisations to improve access and embed disability-led practice.   Recorded live at the Newcastle Writers Festival earlier this year, you will hear Fayen in dialogue with Newcastle Art Gallery Curatorial Lead Peter Johnson - engaging in a conversational strategy Fayen terms 'blundering'. This experiment will take listeners across vast and varied topics including how we might begin to decentre sight within the arts, all the way to how we might understand alien languages and the impact of nuclear power on deep time, and even touching on the indecipherable language of the ancient Minoans. To view the images from Fayen's slideshow, visit our website nag.org.au/Podcast/FayendEvie Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Season Two launching from Wednesday 10 January 2024. 

In this episode, we visit the studio and gallery of sculptor Hilarie Mais. Hilarie's formative years as an artist began in London, followed by a potent stint in New York during the late 70s. For the last 40 years, she has settled in Sydney and enjoyed a highly successful career from Australia. Hilarie's practice has been described as a dedication to the grid, with each of her works beginning from this same point. Hilarie has worked within this theme for over 30 years and our final conversation for the season explores how she has been able to maintain her commitment to this singular focus. To view Hilaire's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 8 February 2023.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

In this episode, we speak with award winning photographer Tamara Dean. Tamara has been working with the medium of photography for over 20 years – beginning as a photojournalist with the Sydney Morning Herald before transitioning to a conceptual fine art practice.   Tamara has firmly cemented herself as one of Australia’s most prominent photographers – winning several high-profile national awards, exhibiting worldwide and developing a large online following. In our conversation, Tamara takes us behind the scenes of key series within her career as she describes the lengths she will go to get each shot – including building an underwater studio in her backyard. To view Tamara's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 8 February 2023.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

In this episode, we visit the home of artist Joan Ross, whose vibrant and experimental practice tackles complex themes such as colonisation, capitalism and the environment. In this conversation, Joan discusses the challenges of working with new technologies and shares the story of how she first came to use animation within her works. To view Joan's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 8 February 2023.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

In our third episode, we speak with Japanese ceramic artist Kenji Uranishi. Kenji moved to Brisbane over 18 years ago, and the freedom he experienced away from his home country allowed for an exciting shift within his practice.  In this conversation, Kenji discusses his process within the studio, the two identities he navigates as a Japanese artist living in Australia, and the importance of long-term thinking to overcome failure when working with an unruly medium such as ceramics. To view Kenji's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 8 February 2023.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

In our second episode, we speak with celebrated Torres Strait Islander artist and curator Brian Robinson.  This conversation explores some of the major milestones in Brian's career including creating an Australian landmark, designing 'The Parade Track' for the Commonwealth Games in 2018, and his development of a printmaking style that combines traditional cultural motifs and pop culture characters.  To view Brian's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 8 February 2023.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

In our first episode, we speak with one of Australia's foremost abstract painters Virginia Cuppaidge. This conversation traverses Virginia's time in New York, her relationship to Feminism, and her changing identity as an Australian artist who spent much of her career overseas. To view Virginia's works of art in Newcastle Art Gallery's collection, visit www.nag.org.au/podcast Conversations from the Collectionis a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast. Find new episodes weekly until Wednesday 8 February 2023.  Developed by Newcastle Art Gallery  Hosted & Produced by Zana Kobayashi  Produced, Edited and Music by Duke's Creations  Mixed by Sawtooth Studio 

Conversations from the Collection – a Newcastle Art Gallery podcast.  In this six part series, each episode will dive into a different collection area of the Newcastle Art Gallery to uncover hidden stories and connect with artists who have contributed to the significance of our diverse collection. Our first series will include conversations with artists Virginia Cuppaidge, Brian Robinson, Kenji Uranishi, Joan Ross, Tamara Dean and Hilarie Mais. Enjoy the Gallery's inaugural summer listening program weekly from Wednesday 4 January 2023. Find new episodes here or on your favourite podcast listening app.