Regional Australia’s premier outdoor art exhibition, Sculptures in the Garden (SIG), will embark on its biggest year yet after receiving an unprecedented number of submissions.
A third of the entries came from new artists who had never submitted their work before in the event’s 14-year history. The 2024 event will feature more than 250 artworks from 130 successful artists, along with works from local kids in the SIG for Kids! section.
The lineup of major artists exhibiting this year includes Lucy Humphrey, Bridget Whitehead, Stephen Coburn, Dave Horton, Stephen Marr, and Peter Lewis, along with last year’s top prize winner Ingrid Morley. It also includes Brisbane sculptor Mela Cooke, and other Queensland sculptors like Javier Garibaldi, Preston Fisher and David Fanning.
SIG is a not-for-profit exhibition, with proceeds going to local charity partners and the acquisition of sculptures for the Mudgee community’s public arts initiative. Since 1983 event founders Gerry and Kay Norton-Knight have worked tirelessly to develop the garden, gallery and surrounds of Rosby Wines, where the not-for-profit event is held, creating a magical setting for this now-iconic event, which began in 2011.
This year’s lineup reinforces SIG’s commitment to supporting artists at various stages of their careers and to nurturing the vibrant art scene in Australia. “We’re incredibly excited about this year’s lineup,” said Norton-Knight. “The variety of work showcases the incredible range of creative talent in Australia. It promises to be an unforgettable event.”
Renowned architect, contemporary painter and guest judge Susan Rothwell said they were seeing more people at the exhibition each year. “We’re seeing a natural growth in a country which is usually focused on sport, not art, which is great,” Rothwell said. “It’s excellent that local communities are now embracing art and local councils are realising that art is an important part of people’s lives.”
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