The Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is an art museum in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1936 as the Shepparton Art Gallery, the collection lacked a purpose-built gallery until the current $50 million building opened in 2021. SAM holds over 4,000 artworks, including one of the largest ceramic art collections in Australia. The building also hosts the Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre; Kaiela Arts, a studio for Aboriginal artists; an outdoor amphitheatre and the Art Hill café.
 Front entrance, 2024 | |
  Location within Victoria | |
| Established | 1936 |
|---|---|
| Location | 530 Wyndham St, Shepparton, VIC, Australia |
| Coordinates | 36°22′39″S 145°23′53″E / 36.377488°S 145.398188°E |
| Type | Art museum |
| Collections | Ceramic art |
| Director | Melinda Martin |
| Website | sheppartonartmuseum |
Description
SAM holds one of Australia's most significant collections of Australian ceramics[1] and Indigenous Australian art. The museum has one of the largest collections of works by the extended Namatjira family (including Albert Namatjira and Vincent Namatjira)[2] and ceramics by Merric Boyd. It is host to the Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award (SMFACA)[3] and the Indigenous Ceramic Art Award.[4]
Previously managed by the City of Greater Shepparton,[5] the museum is now governed by the non-profit organisation Shepparton Art Museum Ltd (SAM Ltd).[6]
Redevelopment
In 2013, the SAM Foundation was established to raise funds for a new building.[7] In 2017, a design by Denton Corker Marshall won the architectural design competition for a new Shepparton Art Museum building.[8][9]
The building design won the Victorian Architecture Award for Public Architecture in 2022,[10] and was the first Australian gallery or museum to be awarded a 6 Star Green Star Rating.[11]
Construction on the $50 million new building commenced in 2019 and opened in November 2021.[12]
Past exhibitions
- Yorta Yorta artist Lin Onus – The Land Within (2021)
- Maree Clarke –Connection to Country – I Remember When...: Stories From Elders About Their Connection to Country, Culture, and Place (2021)
- Flow: Stories of River, Earth and Sky in the SAM Collection (2021)
- Amrita Hepi – A Call to Echo (2021) exhibition for SAM Kids
- Melbourne-based Pakistani artist Nusra Latif Qureshi – The Land I See Is Not Elsewhere (2022)
- Vera Möller – Liquidarium (2022) exhibition for SAM Kids
- Ponch Hawkes – 500 Strong (2022)