Douglas Shire’s artistic flair, talent and imagination will go on display later this month at a Port Douglas exhibition.

Produced by Port Douglas Artists Incorporated, it seeks to explore the region's spirit, showcase and celebrate the past, present and emerging artists of the Douglas Shire.

The exhibition – Titled ‘Retrospective: PAST – PRESENT – FUTURE’ – will run for three weeks, with the grand opening on Friday 25 June 2021 (6 pm) until 16 July.

The free exhibition will be open from 10am to 4pm and will be located at the Douglas Shire Community Centre.

“With this new space, we hope to develop world-class artists and inspire emerging artists by giving them a temporary regional gallery space to show their works. 

“The major objective in the new temporary space at the Douglas Shire Community Centre is to showcase visual artists in the Douglas Shire in a professional regional gallery style. We hope to find a permanent space in the Shire for visual arts,” said Chrissie Mclaughlin, Curator.

Famed for changing the face of fashion in Australia, Linda Jackson is among the more prominent artists on show.

“The fashion and fabric designer and painter is a contributing artist. She has lived in the Shire for many years and is a member of the Port Douglas Artists Inc.,” said Mclaughlin.

Jackson recently had a Retrospective Exhibition at the Power House Museum in Sydney with Jenny Kee.

“The ABC has produced a documentary, which is coming out later in the year on the pair.  

“Many more prominent artists will feature in the Show, including Stom Gould, Heinz Steinmann, Tania Heben, Diana Bowden, Helen Wiltshire, Diana Crooke, of national and international acclaim,” she said.

‘Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson: Step Into Paradise’, held in Sydney in March, was the first major survey of the work of the duo, whose Flamingo Park partnership helped put Australia on the international fashion radar in the late 70s. The exhibition featured more than 200 garments plus artworks, photographs and multimedia.

The Port Douglas region has inspired many and is now home to numerous talented artists across all mediums.

“Curators have assembled significant past works representative of the rich artistic history of our Shire on loan from private collections. The Port Douglas Exhibition continues with both present artists and future emerging artists’ works selected to continue the story of our Shire,” said Mclaughlin.

Catseye Productions will launch a documentary archiving not only the Shire’s visual landscape, but also the story of the artists in their environment. Artists will be selling selected pieces over the duration of the exhibition.

“Curatorial support was received from Cairns Art Gallery, and produced with funding from the Regional Arts Services Network (RASN) and in-kind assistance from Douglas Shire Council.

“Locals and visitors will witness the celebration of an exciting new chapter for the visual arts in the region and a positive year of events and new inspiration for our Shire’s recovery post-COVID,” said Mclaughlin.