Perc Tucker Regional Gallery facts for kids
View of corner of Perc Tucker Regional Gallery since the Flinders Street Mall Redevelopment
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| Established | 1981 |
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| Location | Corner of Flinders and Denham Streets, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
| Type | Art gallery |
| Collection size | 2,000+ works |
The Perc (pronounced purse) Tucker Regional Gallery is a special public art gallery in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It's a heritage-listed building, meaning it's important to history.
The gallery opened on September 25, 1981. It has a huge collection of over 2,000 artworks. It also shows amazing art from all over Australia and the world. You can find it at the corner of Flinders and Denham streets.
The gallery focuses on art from North Queensland and the Tropics. This includes modern art, historical art, and art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They also have art from Papua New Guinea. You can join programs, take art classes, go on tours, and listen to artists talk about their work.
Contents
Exploring the Art Collection
The Perc Tucker Regional Gallery has a main idea for all its art. This idea helps people understand the art and connects everything together.
The main idea is "The Tropics". This means most of the art is about tropical places. It's the most important rule for choosing new artworks.
The gallery thinks about the tropics in a big way. It includes art that shows what the tropics are like as a place. But it also includes art that explores the idea of the tropics.
This means they collect art made in tropical areas, especially Tropical North Queensland. This art often shows the local environment. The gallery also collects art from other places. This art might explore ideas about culture, history, or what makes a place special.
The collection includes all kinds of art, like paintings, sculptures, and more.
Strand Ephemera: Art by the Beach
| Strand Ephemera | |
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Logo
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| Dates | Dates vary |
| Frequency | Biennial |
| Location(s) | The Strand, Townsville |
| Inaugurated | 21 September 2001 – 30 September 2011 |
| Organised by | Perc Tucker Regional Gallery |
| Website | Strand Ephemera |
Every two years, the gallery holds a special event called Strand Ephemera. It's an outdoor art exhibition that lasts for about ten days. You can see it along The Strand, which is Townsville's beautiful beachfront.
This event started in 2001. It was created to celebrate the new look of The Strand. It also helped more people learn about public art.
During Strand Ephemera, you can see sculptures displayed along the two-kilometre beach path. There are also fun activities like guided tours, art workshops, and talks by the artists.
History of Strand Ephemera
Each Strand Ephemera show has featured between twenty and thirty-four artworks. They are usually displayed for ten to twelve days. The exact dates change each time.
The very first Strand Ephemera in 2001 showed twenty-six sculptures. It also included seven permanent artworks that were already on The Strand. These permanent artworks were part of the beachfront's redesign.
In 2005, the third Strand Ephemera had 43 artworks. A new event called 'Picnic on the Grass' was added. People were invited to bring their lunch and enjoy live music and performances.
In 2007, Strand Ephemera received funding from the Australia Council for the Arts. This allowed them to include art from five national Australian artists. Their artworks were displayed inside shipping containers along The Strand.
The 2009 event let visitors vote for their favorite artwork. They could also enter their own photos of the artworks into a competition.
In 2011, Strand Ephemera VI had thirty-six artworks and attracted 70,000 visitors. There were live performances and daily activities. An award for artistic excellence was shared by two groups of artists. The People's Choice Award was won by Aden McLeod.
The Percival Portrait Painting Prize
| The Percival Portrait Painting Prize | |
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| Presented by | Perc Tucker Regional Gallery |
| Country | Australia |
| First awarded | 2007 |
The Percival Portrait Painting Prize is a special art competition in Townsville, Queensland. It happens every two years. Artists create portraits, and the best one wins a prize.
History of the Percival Prize
The Percival Prize started in 2007. It was created after the gallery tried to host the famous Archibald Prize but couldn't. The award is named after Perc Tucker, just like the gallery itself.
The first Percival competition had 122 entries. These included paintings, sculptures, and drawings. After this first year, it was decided that only two-dimensional artworks (like paintings and drawings) would be allowed.
The Percival Prize now takes place every two years. It happens in the years when Strand Ephemera is not on. In 2008, 138 artworks were entered. In 2010, 124 entries were received, and 14,450 people visited the exhibition.
Past Winners of the Percival Prize
| Year | Award | Artist | Winning work |
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| 2007 | Philip Leong Investments Art Award | Barbara Cheshire | Jack |
| 2008 | Xstrata Portrait Award | Nick Mourzakis | A Portrait of Alex Wodak |
| 2010 | Xstrata Portrait Award | Ted May | Tate Adams |
| 2012 | Xstrata Portrait Award | Kevin Lincoln | Self Portrait |
| 2014 | Glencore Percival Portrait Painting Prize | Francis Giacco | Charles Blackman |
| 2014 | DUO Magazine Percival Photographic Portrait Prize | Roderick McNicol | The Late Blossoming of Jack Charles |
| 2016 | Glencore Percival Portrait Painting Prize | Lisa Adams | Revelation |
| 2016 | DUO Magazine Percival Photographic Portrait Prize | Brett Canet-Gibson | The Life of Riley |
Major Award
Other prizes and awards
History of the Gallery Building
The building where Perc Tucker Regional Gallery is now was built in 1885. It was first used by the Union Bank of Australia as their main office in North Queensland. A famous architect named F.D.G. Stanley designed the building.
When it was first built, it only had one floor. A second floor was added in the early 1930s. The Union Bank later became the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ Bank). It stayed the regional headquarters until 1980.
In 1980, the Townsville City Council bought the historic building. They wanted to turn it into Townsville's first public art gallery. The Queensland Government helped pay for the building. However, most of the money to start and run the gallery came from the local council.
The Perc Tucker Regional Gallery officially opened in 1981. It was named after a former Mayor of Townsville, Alderman Perc Tucker. The building was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992 because of its historical importance.
Who was Perc Tucker?
Perc Tucker was an important politician in North Queensland. He became a State Member of Parliament for North Townsville in 1960. Later, he became the leader of the Labor Party in Queensland.
In 1974, he lost his seat in Parliament. But in 1976, he became the Mayor of Townsville. As Mayor, he did many important things for the city. Besides the usual council work like roads and water, he helped build the second stage of the Ross River Dam.
He also helped design and build the Townsville Civic Theatre. He developed Flinders Mall, a popular shopping area. And he planned for the art gallery that would later be named after him. Perc Tucker passed away in 1980 while he was still Mayor.
Images for kids
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Logo for Strand Ephemera
