GOLDEN YEAR
Northern Territory’s longest-running art prize – The Katherine Prize – celebrates half a century of showcasing Territory talent with its largest ever prize pool.
WORDS RITA HORANYI
IN 1975, KATHERINE local Brian Lambert noticed that, while there were only a small number of visual art entries in the Katherine Show, the works were of an exceptionally high standard. Inspired by the talent he saw on display, he decided to offer a $500 annual prize to encourage and support more artists to create works and share them with the community.
Two years later, Katherine Town Council threw their support behind the award, hosting the Brian and Jeannette Lambert Art Prize, as it was known then, as an acquisitive art prize. Over the years, the Prize continued to grow in prestige and reach, with support from other arts champions in the community.
Fast forward five decades and The Katherine Prize has become the longest-running art prize in the Territory, with three different categories – The Katherine Prize, the Katherine Town Council Prize, and the Katherine Prize for Young People – attracting over 100 entries from artists across the Territory.
While the Prize is no longer an acquisitive award due to space limitations, the pivotal role the award plays in cultivating and celebrating the richness and diversity of visual arts in the NT has remained constant.
Clare Armitage is the Chief Executive Officer of Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre (GYRACC), which has hosted the Prize since 2012, and says it’s a very inclusive Prize.
“It’s open to anyone who lives in the Northern Territory. The main prize category is for anyone over the age of 18 and the youth category starts at age 5 and goes to 17, so ... it accepts creatives spirits of all ages, and also artists at all levels of their career,” she says.
“And it’s intercultural. It gives us an opportunity to exhibit work by Aboriginal artists alongside non-Indigenous artists and from really diverse geographies, right across the Territory.”
Last year’s Katherine Prize winner, J9 Stanton, believes the accessibility and inclusivity of the award is one of its great strengths, as it gives a wide range of Territory artists an important platform to share their work.
“Any prize in the NT I think is really important because we’re so isolated here, and there’s not that many opportunities for artists to show their work ... I don’t just live in Alice Springs, I’m also rural ... I think the opportunity for other people to see the work and hopefully get interested in it is fantastic,” she says.
The Katherine Prize’s inclusivity also stems from the fact that it accepts all entries received for display in the accompanying exhibition, subject to cultural consultation.
“It always ends up being a really colourful and diverse and vibrant and sometimes even whacky exhibition,” Armitage says.
One of the few requirements of the Prize, however, is that the works submitted respond in some way to life in the Territory. As a result, The Katherine Prize exhibition offers extraordinary insight into, and celebration of, life in the NT.
“This region ... is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse places on Earth, so it’s amazing to see artwork come from lots and lots of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, from First Nations people to recent migrants,” Armitage says.
“The works talk about all different kinds of things that happen – ecological challenges, political challenges, all the way to swimming with noodles in the hot springs. It’s the full spread of life up here.”
For Stanton, the majesty and grandeur of the East Macdonnell ranges, and the ecological threat posed by buffel grass, are recurring themes that find their way into her work. Her award-winning piece, Walking East After Fire, reflects these concerns.
“That piece was inspired by walking up Tin Cat Hill after a fire ... and there were bits of white quartz and traces of ash in the shape of trees where trees had burnt ... and everything was just charcoal.”
This year, with the Prize celebrating its golden anniversary, Armitage hopes there will be more entries than ever, and hints at an extra special exhibition opening in November.
With record prize money up for grabs, thanks to the generosity of local businesses – a testament to the Prize’s enduring community support – there's never been a better time to get involved in this vibrant celebration of Territory life and creativity.
The Katherine Prize
WHEN FRI 3 OCT | 5PM (ENTRIES CLOSE)
COST $10
Exhibition Opening and Award Ceremony
WHEN FRI 7 NOV | 6PM
AT GYRACC
INFO gyracc.org.au
