Take a stroll along the banks of the Cudgegong River in Lawson Park West, starting at Mudgee Arts Precinct and enjoy works provided by Sculptures in the Garden acquisitions and Mid-Western Regional Council’s public art collection.
View a range of sculptures created using a variety of materials and techniques that enhance the aesthetic appeal of the park with its picturesque backdrop of riverbank.
The Mudgee Sculpture Walk is a community initiative that began in 2013 thanks to Sculptures in the Garden (SIG). SIG is a not-for-profit sculpture event held annually at Rosby Wines & Gallery with sculptures from this quality event donated to the community and adding to the Mudgee Region’s growing public art collection.
This outdoor sculpture walk includes winning acquisition prizes from Sculptures in the Garden that are funded in partnership with Mid-Western Regional Council. Other donors include Friends of SIG and Moolarben Coal, as well as various private donors. The walk also includes a couple of acquisitions by Mid-Western Regional Council from the Rylstone Wood Symposium.
‘Encounter‘ is a modern interpretation of a diving whale. In 2020, John Fitzmaurice submitted his magnificent 316 polished stainless-steel…
Balancing the books is a single tree trunk that has been carved to give the viewer an illusion of multiple pieces in a stack. The way it is carved…
As a child, my grandma told me a story from Wallachian mythology about a bird man who lived with and could speak the bird language, and this is how I…
Inspired by my annual pilgrimage out West, passing the western plains, till after many hours l arrive in Mudgee. Sometimes l feel there’s an Angel…
The shadow/reflection is unseen by the casting figure. This is in keeping with Jung’s theory, ‘The shadow personifies everything that the subject…
This sculpture can be whatever you see. So many times we catch sight of an artist painting in a park or garden and say – ’I always wanted to do…
I have created this sculpture by weaving steel around the shapes of individual rocks, following the contours, aiming to show an expression of…
’Ahead’ is our guardian. She was intended to be the head for ’Transition’, the largest work I have built to date, however, it was too large meaning…
’Is this bird ever going to fly?’ A question asked by Nigel White, the artist from Mudgee. This Ironbark sculpture is perched perfectly across from…
’Humans are born wired for connection – it’s in our DNA.’ This is my interpretation of that connection. This sculpture was awarded the Friends of…
A meeting of the primordial in a changing environment. A striking sculpture made from cementitious grout, steel, sealant and paint by sculptor Sian…
Tobias Bennett says of his sculpture ’ Turbulent’, which was awarded the Moolarben Coal Acquisition Prize in 2017, ’the lines go this way, then they…
We loved these modern day kangaroos crafted by Matt Hill and you will too if you visit Mudgee’s beautiful Sculpture Walk in Lawson Park where you can…
Simon Pankhurst says of his sculpture ’Gathering’, which won a 2017 Acquisition Prize, ’people gather in many different ways, for many different…
There are two concepts to this piece. The first is the sun rising over the horizon, and the second is the inner flame we all have to give us the…
This work depicts a barefooted individual, traversing the Australian desert. Channelling the sensation of freedom, the runner endures the unrelenting…
’I Beam’ is an abstract construction playing with balance and space! This impressive stringybark sculpture is perfectly placed in Lawson Park,…
I was taken with a drawing by Kentridge some time ago and loved the ambiguity I read into it. I hoped to catch the tension of the dance of ’love’ in…
A series of stylised totems, strong reminders that no matter where we stand on the planet there were people and cultures and gentler footprints here…
Always mindful of the inherent qualities of nature, Topolnicki’s works often reflects his deep research into subject and materiality.Henryk…
This work represents a slice of fruit – the void forming the memory/imprint of the seed. It rotates in the breeze on a bearing attached to the post…
To watch the sky at night is to see many wondrous things. Many stars fall across the heavens, some to die in a blaze of glory. Shooting stars is a…
Life is hard and very rarely do the stars all align at the same time. This piece is about doing your best with what you have and taking the…
I am endlessly inspired by the equine forms capturing the inherent beauty and powerful presence. My major work aims to capture this with lengths of…
This work subverts traditional aesthetics to reclaim the silenced female voice in art, challenging the objectification imposed by the male gaze.…
With this cube stack I have arranged the blocks higher and larger than before, but have purposely allowed the material to wobble, giving the sense…
Paul Bacon says of his sculpture ’Town’, which was awarded the Friends of Sculptures in the Garden Acquisition Prize in 2017, is ’a map of place and…
Using a combination of stainless steel and rosewood, this work is without a doubt the most functional of all public art in Lawson Park. Take a break…
’Turbosphere’ by Jim Cross is an abstract welded steel sphere from recycled materials, and was awarded the Mid-Western Regional Council &…
Perfectly placed at an entrance to Lawson Park, this striking sculpture is captivating. It is nice to see the reflections of the surroundings in the…
My sculptural compositions acknowledge an architectural quality, which stems from my interest in design, architecture and construction with the…
Another work from the Rylstone Wood Symposium, this piece was created using only a chainsaw and sits in pride of place outside the Council Chambers…
Images credit: Amber Hooper @ AmberCreative
Below is a list of additional sculpture acquisitions that are on display around the Mudgee Region for the public to enjoy at their leisure:
Ulan Murray
Acacia
Recycled copper and steel
Moolarben Coal Acquisition Prize 2014
Location:
Mid-Western Regional Council Chambers
86 Market Street, Mudgee
Open Weekdays // 8am to 4:30pm
Bridget Whitehead
Familia
Oamaru limestone
Moolarben Coal Acquisition Prize 2022
Nurture connection. Embrace your family; myths, laws, humour and language.
Location:
In the grounds of the Cultural Workshops
Best viewed through the back courtyard at 65 Short St, Mudgee
John Fitzmaurice
Josephine
316 Stainless Steel with Sydney Blue Gum Plinth
Friends of Sculptures in the Garden Acquisition Prize 2016
The sculpture was inspired by the traditional Art Deco figurines that were common place in most households. I’ve purposely given the piece a hard edge and a modern twist, through the use of polished stainless steel together with angular abstraction.
Location:
Lower foyer of Mudgee Arts Precinct (near the stairs)
90 Market Street, Mudgee
Open 7 days // 9:00am - 5:00pm
Mid-Western Regional Council & Sculptures in the Garden Sculptures Walk
The Lawson Park sculpture walk came to be after Sculptures in the Garden (SIG) founder Kay Norton-Knight along with the exhibition committee in 2012, proposed the idea to have the winning artworks of past Sculptures in the Garden displayed along the banks of the Cudgegong river in the form of public art. The Mid-Western Regional Council (MWRC) deemed it a worthy suggestion and so began a partnership between Sculptures in the Garden and Mid-Western Regional Council.
In 2013, SIG and MWRC equally funded a $15,000 acquisition prize to purchase an artwork from the exhibition. The following year, Moolarben came on board and donated $5,000 for another acquisition prize and has continued donating this prize for the past 10 years.
In 2015, the SIG committee initiated ‘Friends of Sculptures in the Garden‘ with the goal of raising funds to offer another acquisition prize for exhibiting artists. In 2016, ‘Friends of SIG‘ raised enough money for a $5,000 acquisition prize and in 2017 enough money for a $10,000 prize. This prize has remained $10,000 ever since.
The original public art display established in Lawson Park in Mudgee has now extended to sites in Rylstone, Gulgong and the grounds of the Mudgee Hospital.
In 2020, John Fitzmaurice submitted his magnificent 316 polished stainless-steel masterpiece ‘Encounter‘ into SIG. Fitzmaurice wasn‘t successful in securing an acquisition prize that year, however, in 2021 the Sculptures in the Garden committee purchased the work to donate to the newly constructed Mudgee Arts Precinct. The donation symbolises a special connection between Sculptures in the Garden and arts in the Central West, it‘s placement linking the precinct to the Mudgee Sculpture Walk in Lawson Park. It also represents the opportunity and possibilities for recognition that SIG can offer to artists. The $48,000 purchase was wholly funded by Sculptures in the Garden. In 2022, the committee commissioned two more works to be donated to the MWRC. The two works ‘Second Sun‘ by Rylstone artist Alex Scheibner and ‘Rufus‘, a corten steel kangaroo by Victorian artist Matt Hill, were installed in Rylstone and Gulgong, respectively.
Sculptures in the Garden is a not for profit organisation that exists to provide public art for the community to enjoy and we leave an ongoing legacy in the form of sculpture throughout Mudgee and the region, featuring winning acquisition artworks.
The Mudgee Sculpture Walk is a legacy to the region from the SIG event. We want as many people as possible to enjoy the amazing artworks created for SIG, and the permanent art display that is the sculpture walk provides this opportunity to engage all the greater community as well as visitors to the region.
Rosby Wines & Gallery // 122 Strikes Lane, Mudgee
Sat 12 Oct 2024 to Sun 27 Oct 2024
Sculptures in the Garden is an exciting event that combines garden design, large scale Australian sculpture and traditional art mediums in beautiful rural surroundings within a private garden and vineyard in Mudgee.
Now in its 13th year, Sculptures in the Garden is Mudgee and regional NSW’s largest and most renowned outdoor sculpture exhibition. The outdoor exhibition runs for 16 days. Sculptures in the Garden has become a hallmark event on the Central West’s artistic calendar and major tourist attraction, showcasing sculptures from emerging and established artists.
Founded by art director and owner of Rosby, Kay Norton-Knight, Sculptures in the Garden was her dream child. Kay was passionate about providing a new and unique platform for the exhibition and sale of sculptors‘ works.
For more information about Sculptures in the Garden, head to their website.
Click here for the full list of past winners & acquisitions.
