Ron Gomboc appointed to WA Art Gallery board

21/10/93

Arts Minister Peter Foss today announced the appointment of sculptor and gallery owner Ron Gomboc to the Board of the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

Mr Foss said Mr Gomboc had made an extraordinary contribution to the visual arts in WA, both through his own work as a sculptor, and through the Gomboc Galleries at Middle Swan.

"I know that the Gomboc Galleries have presented opportunities for many established and emerging artists to exhibit and sell their work," Mr Foss said.

"Ron has helped many people solve technical problems in their work, given space to make their art, or simply encouraged them to keep going."

Ron Gomboc was born in Slovenija in 1947 and arrived in WA in 1961.  He studied painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture at the Claremont School of Art and Midland and Perth Technical Colleges between 1970 and 1982.

Mr Gomboc has participated in many solo and group exhibitions, and has won several awards, including the Swan Shire sculpture award in 1982 and 1983.

He was also a member of the assessment panel for this year's Domus Design Scholarships, managed by the Department for the Arts, in which four of the State's outstanding designers are chosen to undertake an intensive winter design school conducted by the world renowned Domus Academy.

His exhibitions in 1993 include 'Life Size', which featured 15 sculptors, at the Bunbury Regional galleries - a branch of the Art Gallery of WA.  He has also been invited to exhibit in Munich later this year.

Ron Gomboc has worked with a number of the State's prominent artists on their commissions for artworks, including Robert Juniper's Commonwealth Coat of Arts and Tree Form at the Federal Law Courts in Perth.

He was awarded this year's Western Australia Week Council, Citizen of the Year Award for his contribution to the Arts.

The Gomboc Galleries and sculpture park at Middle Swan house a program of changing exhibitions, and the gallery also acts as a selling agent for a number of local artists.  The work of WA sculptors can be found scattered about the grounds.

The gallery also has accommodation and working space for visiting artists.

"Ron Gomboc's vision, enthusiasm, dedication and entrepreneurial spirit are the kinds of qualities we look for when making appointments to the boards of our important cultural institutions," Mr Foss said.

"He is a much-liked and respected figure in the community, and will make a valuable contribution to the board of the Art Gallery of WA."

Media contact: Jeanne Klener 222 9595/325 8655