Rediscovered Letters Inspire New Exhibition at Port Pirie Regional Art Gallery
Port Pirie Regional Art Gallery is proud to present Women of Letters by South Australian artist Christine Goodwin, opening with a special launch on Thursday 18 September at 5.30pm. An artist floor talk will follow at 6.00pm.
The exhibition is the result of several years of creative research sparked by Goodwin’s remarkable discovery of a 1947 handwritten letter by Daisy Bates, welfare worker and anthropologist, addressed to Mary Norman-Bail, artist and educator. This fragile letter, tucked into an old book, became the seed of an exploration into the connections between these two significant Australian women.
Through over 130 hand-built ceramic works, Goodwin gives form to Daisy and Mary’s personalities and passions. Plants, flowers and landscapes become symbolic motifs, with the arid west coast of South Australia set against the forests of Victoria’s Grampians. Accompanying research displays offer further insight into the women’s lives, letters, and influence.
“Women of Letters is about connection, resilience and rediscovery,” Goodwin explains. “Daisy and Mary were both pathfinders in their own ways. Their correspondence reveals fragments of lives devoted to knowledge, creativity and teaching. I wanted to bring those fragments back into conversation through clay.”
Event Details:
- Launch: Thursday 18 September, 5.30pm
- Artist Floor Talk: Christine Goodwin, 6.00pm
- Venue: Port Pirie Regional Art Gallery, 3 Mary-Elie Street, Port Pirie
- Tickets: The community are invited to attend the launch event with free tickets available here.
The exhibition will then be on view from 19 September to 2 November 2025, as part of the Flinders Ranges: A Brush With Art Trail, proudly supported by Port Pirie Regional Council.
Image: Christine Goodwin, Bush tea anyone?, 2023, ceramic, Photo: Michal Kluvanek.
Image: Christine Goodwin, Will you have a daisy cake with your cuppa Mrs B?, 2023, ceramic, Photo: Michal Kluvanek.