Griffith University Art Museum has won a national book prize for a publicationshowcasingthe work of late Queensland College of Art(QCA)alumnus andacclaimed artist Gordon Bennett.
Gordon Bennett: Selected Writingswas namedMuseums Australia Publication Design Awards (MAPDA) Best Book for 2021at the annualAustralian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) national conferenceinCanberrathisweek.
“I am thrilled that this publication has beenrecognisedwith a national award,”Director of Griffith University Art Museum (GUAM) Angela Goddardsaid.
Griffith University Art Museum Director Angela Goddard
The book wasedited byMsGoddard and art historian Tim Riley Walsh, and co-published with Power Publications. Itis the first publication to showcasethe writing practice of the late Gordon Bennett, providinganinsight into one of Australia’s most important contemporary artists.
Bringingtogether nearly 40 published and unpublished essays, artist’s statements, letters, and interviews from across Bennett’s thirty-year career,MsGoddard said itrecognised the extraordinary legacy of the First Nations artist.
“Gordon Bennett remains an incredibly influentialmajorfigure in contemporary Australian art, but not everyone knows how important writing was to his creative and intellectual process,” she said.
“This publicationgives usrich insightsinto Bennett’s life and art, throughformal correspondence, essays and interviews, and we are also given glimpses into his deeply personal notebooks, correspondence, sketches, and preparatory compositions.
“We are proud of the way that this project amplifies Bennett’s own voice.”
The award alsorecognisesthe work ofQCA alumnus Michael Phillips, who designed the publication.
“It was alabourof love over several years and came to fruition during the craziness of 2020 and COVID lockdowns,”Ms Goddard said.
Griffith University Art Museum also received a Highly Commended in the Exhibition Catalogue (Small) category for Elizabeth Newman: Is that a ‘No’?
GordonBennett: Selected Writingsisavailable on the GUAMwebsite.
