Australian Girls Own Gallery facts for kids
| Established | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1998 |
| Location | 71 Leichhardt Street, Kingston ACT |
| Type | Art museum |
| Founder | Helen Maxwell |
The australian Girls Own Gallery (also known as aGOG) was a special art gallery in Canberra, Australia. It was open from 1989 to 1998. This gallery was run by Helen Maxwell, who used to be a curator at the National Gallery of Australia. What made aGOG unique was that it mostly showed art made by women.
The Story of aGOG
The gallery opened its doors in 1989. Its very first art show, called Les femmes formidables 1, ran from March 16 to April 19, 1989. This show featured amazing art from five women artists: Banduk Marika, Barbara Hanrahan, Joyce Allen, Lidia Groblicka, and Kate Lohse. A famous art expert, Sasha Grishin, said these artists were important printmakers (artists who make prints) in Australia at the time.
aGOG held many group and solo art shows each year. Some of the artists whose work was shown included Vivienne Binns, Pam Debenham, Judy Horacek, Marie McMahon, Patsy Payne, Mitzi Shearer, Ruth Waller, and Judy Watson.
In 1992 and 1995, the gallery featured special shows by Yolngu artist Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu. The australian Girls Own Gallery closed down in 1998.
Why aGOG Was Important
This gallery was very important because it focused almost entirely on women artists. Helen Maxwell, the owner, started aGOG because she felt that women artists did not always get a fair chance in the art world. She strongly believed that women needed more opportunities to share their art and have their voices heard.
Helen Maxwell's Next Gallery
After aGOG closed, Helen Maxwell opened a new gallery called the Helen Maxwell Gallery. This gallery was in Braddon, another part of Canberra. It opened in March 2000. This new gallery showed art from both male and female artists. It closed in January 2010.
Many artists showed their work in the Helen Maxwell Gallery's 178 exhibitions. Some of these artists included Tony Coleing, Judy Horacek, Barbie Kjar, Banduk Marika, Patsy Payne, Robin White, and Vera Zulumovski.
Notable Exhibitions
- In 2001, the gallery held Vital Fluids. This show featured art from several artists, including England Bangala, Banduk Marika, Judy Watson, Naminapu Maymuru-White, Robin White, Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu, and Barrupu Yunupingu.
- In 2003, another important show was Groundswell: An exhibition of Aboriginal art. This exhibition also featured many different Aboriginal artists.
