The Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...

Shepparton Shepparton () (Yorta Yorta language, Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River (Victoria), Goulburn River in northern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Mel ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Australia. Established in 1936 as the Shepparton Art Gallery, the collection lacked a purpose-built gallery until the current $50 million building opened in 2021. SAM holds over 4,000 artworks, including one of the largest

ceramic art Ceramic art is art made from ceramic materials, including clay. It may take varied forms, including artistic pottery, including tableware, tiles, figurines and other sculpture. As one of the plastic arts, ceramic art is a visual art. While ...

collections in Australia. The building also hosts the Greater Shepparton

Visitor Centre A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic c ...

; Kaiela Arts, a studio for Aboriginal artists; an outdoor

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

and the Art Hill

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

Description

SAM holds one of Australia's most significant collections of Australian ceramics and

Indigenous Australian art Indigenous Australian art includes art made by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, including collaborations with others. It includes works in a wide range of media including painting on leaves, bark painting, wood carving, rock ...

. The museum has one of the largest collections of works by the extended Namatjira family (including

Albert Namatjira Albert Namatjira (; born Elea Namatjira; 28 July 1902 – 8 August 1959) was an Arrernte painter from the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia, widely considered one of the most notable Australian artists. As a pioneer of contemporary Indige ...

and

Vincent Namatjira Vincent Namatjira (born 14 June 1983) is an Aboriginal Australian artist living in Indulkana, in the APY lands in South Australia. After being a finalist for the Archibald Prize three times, he became the first Indigenous artist to win the pr ...

) and ceramics by Merric Boyd. It is host to the Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award (SMFACA) and the Indigenous Ceramic Art Award. Previously managed by the

City of Greater Shepparton The City of Greater Shepparton is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in the Hume (region), Hume region of Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of and, in A ...

, the museum is now governed by the

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organisation Shepparton Art Museum Ltd (SAM Ltd).

Redevelopment

In 2013, the SAM Foundation was established to raise funds for a new building. In 2017, a design by

Denton Corker Marshall Denton Corker Marshall is an international architecture practice based in Melbourne, Australia. History Denton Corker Marshall was established in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1972. It was founded by architects John Denton, Bill Corker, and Barri ...

won the architectural design competition for a new Shepparton Art Museum building. The building design won the Victorian Architecture Award for Public Architecture in 2022, and was the first Australian gallery or museum to be awarded a 6 Star Green Star Rating. Construction on the $50 million new building commenced in 2019 and opened in November 2021.

Past exhibitions

Yorta Yorta The Yorta Yorta, also known as Jotijota, are an Aboriginal Australian people who have traditionally inhabited the area surrounding the junction of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers in present-day north-eastern Victoria and southern New South Wale ...

artist

Lin Onus Lin Onus (4 December 1948 – 23 October 1996), born William McLintock Onus and also known as Lin Burralung McLintock Onus, was an Australian artist of Scottish- Aboriginal origins. He was the son of activist Bill Onus. Early life William ...

– ''The Land Within'' (2021) * Maree Clarke –''Connection to Country – I Remember When...: Stories From Elders About Their Connection to Country, Culture, and Place'' (2021) * ''Flow: Stories of River, Earth and Sky in the SAM Collection'' (2021) * Amrita Hepi – ''A Call to Echo'' (2021) exhibition for SAM Kids * Melbourne-based Pakistani artist Nusra Latif Qureshi – ''The Land I See Is Not Elsewhere'' (2022) *

Vera Möller Vera may refer to: Names *Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarra ...

– ''Liquidarium'' (2022) exhibition for SAM Kids * Ponch Hawkes – ''500 Strong'' (2022)

References

1936 establishments in Australia Art museums and galleries established in 1936 Art museums and galleries in Victoria (state) Ceramics museums Shepparton {{Australia-art-display-stub