Wildlife Art Museum of Australia will showcase the ‘intriguing’ wildlife-art collection of the late Bill and Maureen Mann, of Horsham, which celebrates artists inspired by wildlife and the environment.

The collection, gifted to WAMA, comprises 67 pieces of artwork from both regional and nationally based artists.

The Manns personally collected the works throughout almost 30 years, starting in the early 1990s.

WAMA patron Glenda Lewin said the museum planned to exhibit the collection within the community before displaying it in WAMA’s permanent art gallery to be built near Halls Gap.

She said this would continue the Manns’ passion and vision to connect people back to nature through art.

Some of the artists who feature in the collection include Robert Mancini, Robert Ulmann, Pete Marshall, Nicholas Pike, Brett Jarrett and Halls Gap artist Steve Morvell.

Morvell knew the Manns when they started their collection and acted as an advisor once it grew.

“I met Bill and Maureen when I was a young artist trying to make ends meet,” Morvell said.

“I remember them coming into my studio, buying a couple of pieces and then coming back a few months later to buy more and this went on for the next 30 years.

“We soon developed a relationship, and I was able to help them develop their collection of wildlife art that they had such a deep appreciation for.

“Bill and Maureen were both very passionate about representational wildlife art, particularly supporting local artists and were very mindful conservationists.

“They would be very pleased to have the collection managed by an organisation that shares their passion for wildlife art and the role it plays in connecting people back to nature and WAMA is the perfect fit.”

Ms Lewin said she was delighted WAMA was receiving the collection and planned to exhibit parts of it within the community ahead of the WAMA site development, where it will be housed within a dedicated nature-inspired art gallery.

“Within the near future we plan to have both an online exhibition and live showings of the collection within the local community,” she said.

“We are giving the collection a good home and are doing with it what its intent is – to inform people about nature and the importance of it. In a nutshell, this is what WAMA is all about, to inspire and enrich people’s appreciation for nature.

“We feel very fortunate to have the collection and to be able to serve its purpose.”

Located adjacent to the national heritage listed Grampians, Gariwerd, WAMA is creating a wildlife and art precinct that ‘inspires, educates and stimulates our connection with nature’.

WAMA will boast a dedicated wildlife-art gallery, showcasing art inspired by nature, set within botanic gardens and wetlands, which will nurture and protect rare species of plants and animals. 

WAMA will be a unique tourist destination designed to celebrate the relationship between, art, science and nature.

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