The Mark of Times celebrates Ararat's wool heritage

The Ararat Gallery commissioned acclaimed photographer Andrew Chapman OAM for a new photography installation, The Mark of Time: Celebrating Ararat's wool heritage.

An ode to the region's association with wool production, the exhibition captures the Australian wool story of nine local properties featuring classic woolsheds, wool growers, and sheep as a reminder to value our past.

Mayor Jo Armstrong emphasised the role art can have in celebrating our region's rich history and encourages visitors to enjoy the compelling storytelling.

"We're fortunate to have a diverse and robust economy driven by agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing," Cr Armstrong said.

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"We have strong ties to fine merino wool production and distribution in the region, it is part of the fabric of our economy.

"Since the early 1970s, Ararat Gallery has a longstanding commitment to supporting textile and fibre art. This is partly due to our region's historical association with wool production.

"The humble fabric, wool is incredibly versatile, sustainable and used in some of the finest knitwear available.

"We're privileged to have an exhibition that highlights our region, heritage and achievements of generations of local wool growers."

Photographer Andrew Chapman OAM has long been using his passion for rural life to inspire his work.

"Ararat's districts contain some of the most classic Australian rural scenery a photographer can wander through," Mr Chapman said.

"The land is well suited to wool production, and the paddocks, resplendent with aged red gums, undulating and often framed with the background of the Grampians or the Mount Cole Forest, make it a visual delight for anyone travelling through.

"Often hidden away in these landscapes, out of sight of those passing by, is the rich wool heritage of the area in the form of classic wool sheds and outbuildings.

"Sheds like Gorrinn, Mt William, Barton, Decameron and Wangari hark back to the earliest days of white settlement in the district and to a time when wool was king.

"For it was wool that opened up the district, and aside from a brief period of gold mining, wool has been the backbone of the district's economy for much of its existence.

"Wandering through many of these sheds, it is common to stumble across so many visual traces of history or what I would call 'The Mark of Time'. In many woolsheds, it is not uncommon to find that not much has been thrown away. Wool presses, old stationary engines, rusty tin stencils and wool scales tell a story of what once was. Sometimes it can be like walking through a history lesson.

"As age starts catching up with many of these historic buildings and spaces, it is a good time for us to reflect on their part of our history and to think ahead to how we as a society, should be helping to preserve them, before they fade away."

The free exhibition will be on display at Ararat Gallery TAMA from June 5 until November 7, 2021.

Contact the Gallery on 03 5355 0220 for further enquiries.