Lunch with Peter Batey

Title of Work: Lunch with Peter Batey (Bald Archy's exhibition text)Reference: Museum of the Riverina, Wagga Wagga, live exhibition 2004.Research BackgroundThe Bald Archy's is a nationally recognised caricature competition established by founder of the Coolac Festival of Fun, Peter Batey OAM. The awards have been announced each year since 1993 as part of the festival, and succeed in taking some of the pomp from the premier national portrait competition, The Archibald Awards. This exhibition of the best works from that eleven year period represents the first public viewing of the collected acquisitive art pieces outside of the Old School House, Coolac. National media, television and newspaper coverage, has presented the winners to the public each year, but this exhibition was the first retrospective exhibition that covered a formative decade in our sociocultural history.Research Contribution Jen Thompson prepared the textual material for the exhibition. This required a research visit to Coolac, viewing and collection of anecdotal records of the winning entries, and a digitally recorded two hour interview with Peter Batey, OAM. The material collected was then written and edited into a biographical panel that introduced the exhibition. Research SignificanceRegional Arts events seldom received the national attention and sustained funding that Peter Batey's Coolac Festival of Fun was able to attract. Although it is an acquisitive art competition, and the winning pieces have been exhibited in Sydney and Canberra, there has not been a retrospective curated exhibition which also attempts to collect the social history of the event and to chronicle the Bald Archy's competition.This exhibition led to a subsequent rehousing of the annual exhibition at the Museum of the Riverina, once the Coolac Festival of Fun was discontinued. The Bald Archy's competition continues with the winning caricatures exhibited at the Museum of the Riverina each year. The researcsubsequent work on the first exhibition established a trustworthy relationship between these cultural partners. The research furthers the Charles Sturt University Key Objective of 'forming collaborative networks and alliances with other institutions' through valuing staff engagement with communities 'through responsiveness, partnerships and inclusiveness.' (CSU Strategic Plan 2007-2011)