The 11th Meroogal Women’s Art Prize was launched on 30 August at the Shoalhaven City Arts Centre. 152 works were on exhibition, all inspired by the 2008 theme Celebrating the everyday things women do. Several hundred people attended the opening which has become a great community event. Margaret Wallace, descendant of the Thorburn/Macgregor families of Meroogal and daughter of the property’s last owner, June Wallace gave a wonderful response to the exhibition and spoke about how much her family appreciates the Trust’s custodianship of Meroogal.

Judges awarded First Prize to Alexandra Cody of Exeter for her work Peregrination which represents life’s journey and the different paths and choices women make in their daily lives. The work is created out of a stocking that has been laddered and stretched between nails in the form of a female torso.

Judge Caroline Mackaness said on behalf of the judging panel, ‘We awarded Johanna Weiss Second Prize for her work Teapot Dreaming as it cleverly portrays an intimate world of conversation, reflection and comfort using stitched and embossed metal, patina, colour and patterning.

“Third Prize went to Patrice Cooke for her work Kettle’s on as we were very impressed by the combination of two dimensional black and white line work representing universal ideas of motherhood on a ceramic pioneer kettle.

Bethany Thurtell was awarded the Australasian Occupational Science Centre award for her painting Circles of Life. Director Alison Wicks said the art work, which focuses on the role of the hands in everyday things, sensitively portrays the essence of what it means to do the things a woman does.

Kim Williams was awarded the Bundanon Trust Regional Artist in Residence Scholarship for her mixed media artwork Time Machine which explores the role of water in women’s lives, inspired by the well at Meroogal. Many people were moved by the WOW factor in Kim’s work and she went on to win the People’s Choice prize.

Highly Commended awards were presented to Jan Kierzkowski for her work “We question, strive, reflect … breathe” and to Rita Burgess for “Labour of Love”.

Two other prizes were awarded at the closing ceremony. The Meroogal Packers prize went to Dinah Mitchell for Out of the drawer, a large, layered paper cut out inspired by the many lace works found in the drawers at Meroogal.  The HHT Members prize was awarded to Kristen Kell for Nostalgia a large, brightly coloured quilt made of cotton, linen & various recycled vintage textiles.