Sydney Living Museums is proud to announce Sharnie Shield, a local artist from Austinmer (NSW), has won the 2014 Meroogal Women’s Art Prize with her work Collars in the afternoon.
The Meroogal Women’s Art Prize is a non-acquisitive art prize that invites female artists to respond to the house museum’s history, stories and collection of household objects and family treasures and create artworks that reflect Meroogal, a house that was handed down through four generations of women from one local family.
Sharnie Shield’s winning entry, Collars in the afternoon, is a collection of printed paper collars created using digital photographic collage and inspired by lace and embroidered collars hand-made by the women of Meroogal. Shield wins a cash prize of $6000 and a prestigious artist-in-residency placement at Bundanon Trust.
Another local artist, Linda Dening, from Tomboye (NSW) was awarded the second prize for her work, Let your hair down. Made from 
hair and wood, the artist was inspired by stories of domestic labour of the women of Meroogal. Dening wins a cash prize of $3000 for her work.
The third prize of $1000 was won by Sydney artist, Nicole Eisdell for The drawing room at Meroogal, an oil painting depicting the house’s drawing room half lit by dappled sunlight through the curtains.
182 entries were received for the 2014 Meroogal Women’s Art Prize – a record number – with thirty-nine works by thirty-four finalists selected for exhibition in the house, garden and grounds of Meroogal.
The judging panel for the 2014 Meroogal Women’s Art Prize included Deborah Ely, CEO of Bundanon Trust, Anna Corkhill, Project Curator and Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon, Assistant Director, Creative Services, Sydney Living Museums.
“The artists selected for the 2014 Meroogal Women’s Art Prize exhibition have brought historic Meroogal house, its 
history and stories, lovingly into the spotlight through the creation of their artworks. Sharnie’s winning work is an innovative and playful take on the beautiful lace collars in the Meroogal collection. The work reimagines the collars in crafted paper, printed with refracted, digitally manipulated images taken throughout Meroogal. The work is clever and interactive, and demonstrates a high level of conceptual thinking as well as crafting skill”, said Project Curator, Anna Corkhill.
Meroogal
Until 25 January, 2015
New South Wales
Sharnie Shield, Collars in the afternoon
Linda Dening, Let your hair down
Nicole Eisdell, The drawing room at Meroogal
Photos © Nicolas Watt for Sydney Living Museums
