This year marks the 10th anniversary of Maroondah Federation Estate and the Maroondh Art Gallery. The gallery, which is located in the art room of the former Ringwood Primary School is Maroondah’s premiere art gallery featuring a diverse range of art exhibitions.

This evening I was invited to launch Parole Viaggiante, the latest exhibition at Maroondah Federation Estate, which was jointly curated between La Trobe University Museum of Art and the Maroondah Art Gallery. Parole Viaggiante features works by Angela Cavalieri, which captures her travel experiences, depictions of cities and the multifaceted use of language.

The exhibition which opened tonight will be shown at the Maroondah Art Gallery until the 26th of May. The speech delivered during the opening is available in this post:

I would like to welcome you all here tonight to the exhibition opening of Parole Viaggiante – Angela Cavalieri’s Travelling Words.

Maroondah City Council, in the spirit of reconciliation, acknowledges that we are meeting on the land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on Land which the indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

I would also like to welcome my fellow Councillors Ann Fraser, Paul Macdonald and Natalie Thomas, as well as welcome Robert Heather, Manager, Collection Interpretation from the State Library of Victoria who will open tonight’s exhibition, as well as Dr Vincent Alessi and
Dr Alana O’Brien from the La Trobe University Art Museum.

This exhibition is part of the dynamic program put together to celebrate the gallery’s 10th anniversary. Maroondah Art Gallery part of the Maroondah Federation Estate facility developed through assistance of a $2 million Commonwealth Federation Cultural and Heritage Program Grant and a $1.2 million State Community Support Fund Grant.

The facility officially opened on the 31st of January 2001 and from the outset the gallery aimed to bring art of the highest standards to Maroondah and the outer eastern suburbs through promoting and inspiring innovation, diversity and discussion in the visual arts.

The gallery set out to support and encourage careers of emerging and mid-career artists and tonight’s exhibition is a continuation of this ongoing commitment.

Tonight’s exhibition has been jointly curated by Maroondah Art Gallery and La Trobe University Art Museum and I would like to thank La Trobe University Museum of Art for this partnership and in particular Dr Alana O’Brien and Dr Vincent Alessi.

I would also like to congratulate the artist, Angela Cavalieri for this exhibition and the depth that is evident in her artwork.

There has been a lot of lot of interest in community, including local schools, with several school groups visiting the exhibition and speaking to the artist.

The exhibition is supported by a catalogue jointly published by La Trobe University Art Museum and Maroondah City Council and I encourage everyone to purchase a copy for just $10. Copies of the catalogue are available at reception.

Thank you for attending tonight’s opening and for experiencing the Maroondah Art Gallery and Maroondah Federation Estate.