A LOCAL family has celebrated the life of a loved one by donating artwork to the public collection at Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, in Booragul.
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Narelle Lewis, of New Lambton, worked as a lecturer at the former Newcastle College of Advanced Education in the early 1980s.
After her passing, her family chose to honour and celebrate her life by making a donation.
“We wanted a special way to remember Narelle who was also an artist and a great supporter of the arts in the region,” Peter Lewis said.
“My parents were frequent visitors to Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, and Narelle would have loved this work and the idea of it going to a public gallery.”
The artwork the family chose to donate to the gallery was Nicola Hensel’s drawing, Dark leaves.
Gallery director Debbie Abraham said the process of matching the family and an artwork was sensitive, and Ms Hensel’s drawing resonated beautifully.
The donation was made on Australia Day.
Earlier gallery news:
Ms Hensel explained that her artwork described a time of reflection and sorrow, but also renewal.
“The story of the work is best told, initially, in relation to its sister work From the sad morning to now (2005) (Newcastle Art Gallery’s collection), which Lake Macquarie borrowed for Meryl Ryan’s 2016 exhibition Earth Cry. I made Dark leaves as a companion piece for that show,” she said.
“The two works reflect both a pivotal time and the subsequent understandings gained in their making that are now integral to my life and art practice.”
Ms Abraham said the work was a valued addition to the gallery.
“We are thrilled to have this new artwork by Nicola Hensel in the collection and to have made a firm connection with the Lewis family,” Ms Abraham said.
“A gallery acquires artworks through many avenues according to our policies, including purchase, commission, through the federal government’s Cultural Gifts Program, and donations,” she said.
“The Lewis family donation is a beautiful way to link the community with their collection, and to pay tribute to Narelle as an artist and gallery supporter. Dark leaves is a great addition to the collection and to our future exhibition program.”
