What is Hawkesbury One?

We are a group of friends who have joined together to collect contemporary Australian art from the first decade of this century.

Each member of Hawkesbury One has contributed a set amount of money to buy art each year, the artists and works have been chosen by mutual agreement and the art has circulated around the members’ homes every six months.

At the end of the ten years, the collection is meant to provide a snapshot of what was happening in this country politically, socially and culturally in the first ten years of the 21st century.

Callum Morton’s Safe #5, 2005. High density foam, shellac and acrylic c. 62 × 31 × 25cm Photo credit: Greg Weight Courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney. Purchased 24/8/05

Hawkesbury One is about sharing the decision-making process in choosing and buying art. As each member has the chance to have the works in their own home for a period, the art can be seen in different contexts and by a range of people who might never experience it in an art gallery. In this way, the ideas that the art explores are also shared by new people.

This power of working as a group of collectors is not merely financial—although Hawkesbury One has the capacity to buy works that might be out of reach for individuals—it is the power of the group to be more adventurous, to take risks, to be introduced to ideas, discussions, artists and art forms, and ways of ‘seeing’ that they might never have considered.

On the opposite side of that, of course, is the potential for a group to disagree, to compromise, and to occasionally lose heart and energy. It is this mix of experiences that makes the story of Hawkesbury One’s ten years compelling for anyone who is interested in contemporary Australian art.

Guo Jian Untitled #5 7491 Oil on canvas 213cmx152 cm Arc one Gallery 1/8/08

The fourteen members of Hawkesbury One come from a range of backgrounds and professions, but one of the common links many members have is a strong connection with Newcastle and the Hunter Region: either through living or working there now or in the past, through strong bonds of family and friends, or by being regular visitors to the area.

At the end of 2009, Hawkesbury One has works by 25 artists (with sets or multiple works by some taking the number of individual works to almost 40). A full list of the collection is available here , but the artists include Adam Cullen, Patricia Piccinini, Neal Smith, Dorothy Napangardi, Michael Bell, Lucas Grogan, Callum Morton, Shaun Gladwell, David Rosetzky and Destiny Deacon. The works include painting, drawing, video, photography, sculpture and installation.

From 11 June – 4 Sept 2011, the Newcastle Region Art Gallery will feature an exhibition of some key works from the Hawkesbury Collection, and some additional pieces from their own collection. We are all very excited, and hope to see you at the gallery when the exhibition occurs.