The Maroondah Art Gallery, located at Maroondah Federation Estate in Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood, is the municipality’s premiere art exhibition space and features artworks delivered by artists, as well as community organisations.

This evening I had the pleasure of launching two exhibitions, Studio 4 Exposed by the Maroondah Life Drawing Group and Glass an exhibition by local artist Emma Borland.

The Maroondah Life Drawing Group meets each fortnight at Maroondah Federation Estate and the exhibition showcases the diverse work of 12 artists, including paintings, works on paper and jewellery.

Glass is the first exhibition by Nunawading-based artist, Emma Borland, who uses glass to create observations of human behaviour and provide an insight into emotion through her sculptures.

Both Studio 4 Exposed and Glass will be on display until Saturday the 27th February at the Maroondah Art Gallery. Please visit www.artsinmaroondah.com.au or contact 9298 4542 for details.

Please continue reading to view the speech delivered for the launch of this exhibition:

In the spirit of Reconciliation, we acknowledge that we are meeting on land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on land which the Indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

We, Maroondah City Council, accept, respect and have shared with the Wurundjeri people in their customs of welcome.

The Wurundjeri people support the coming together of all people, respecting their individuality to focus on a unified and cohesive nation.

Good evening and welcome to the opening of not one – but two very exciting exhibitions. Tonight we are launching ‘Glass’ by Emma Borland and ‘Studio 4 Exposed’ by the Maroondah Life Drawing Group.

I am joined tonight by Councillors Rob Steane and Les Willmott

Our main gallery space features the second Maroondah Life Drawing Group exhibition. This group of dedicated artists meets once a fortnight here in the artist studios at Maroondah Federation Estate. Over the past twelve months the group has produced fascinating studies of the human form, continuing in one of the most enduring traditions of western art.

The idea behind ‘Studio 4 Exposed’ however, is to explore the group’s artistic practices beyond the realms of life drawing. As such, this exhibition showcases the diversity of artistic media, styles and techniques that these twelve artists from the Maroondah Life Drawing Group engage with.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the Life Drawing classes, or in attending the drawing sessions, information is available at the front desk in the Gallery.

The exhibition ‘Glass’, located in our second gallery, features the work of local artist Emma Borland, displaying the artist’s unique approach to her medium, which is industrial recycled glass, a medium that is notoriously labour intensive and technically difficult to work with.

Emma, takes this medium, which is often associated with the decorative arts, and transforms the glass into highly expressive sculptures, which powerfully conveys her keen observations of human behaviour and insight into emotional interiors. These quite abstract works are very direct in their impact, revealing raw emotional states and a palpable sense of anguish. This is in fact Emma’s first solo exhibition and reflects the quality of works on display. Congratulations to Emma on achieving this great milestone.

A catalogue accompanying this exhibition is available at the counter in the gallery.

Please take this wonderful opportunity to now view both these exhibitions, as I now declare these exhibitions open.