18th International Panorama Conference

The 18th International Panorama Conference will be held in Hawker, the hub of the beautiful Flinders Ranges in South Australia from 26 March to 29 March 2009. This will be the first time an event of this nature will be held in Australia and the repercussion of such a prestigious event can only be imagined. The day prior to this event will be held the official opening of Jeff Morgan's latest project entitled 'Outback on Canvas' and will also allow all to view Jeff's internationally renowned Wilpena Cyclorama. The former project consists of three panoramas one 20 feet in width entitled 'Cooper Creek Sunset', one 27 feet wide entitled 'Siller's Lookout, Arkaroola, and the third one 50 feet in width entitled 'Ron's Creek, Elder Range'. The President of the International Panorama Conference, Mr Ernst Storm from The Hague, will open this project on 25 March 2009 at 3pm to which the public are cordially invited. Approximately 700 people are expected to attend, including the guest speakers for the conference, which follows.

The Conference which will be based at Rawnsley Park, 37 kilometres from Hawker, will commence on the next day with invitations being extended to Australian and overseas dignitaries involved in either the painting of, restoration, or those interested in panoramas generally. These will include professors of Art Departments of universities, panorama artists, curators, restorers, researchers, and others with expertise in the field of panoramas, from all around the world.

Among the Australian speakers will be Mr David Jack of the Melbourne Mural Studio, so the late famous Kenneth Jack, but who has become famous in his own right as Australia's leading mural artist; Mr Stavros Pippos, internationally known for his magnificent cibachrome panoramic photographs; Dr Mimi Colligan, an honorary research associate in the School of Political and Social Inquiry, National Centre for Australian Studies, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, and the only historian to have made a detailed study of Australasian panoramas; and Mr Jeff Morgan Jeff Morgan, 'Wilpena Cyclorama' and 'Outback on Canvas' artist and executor.

Also featured will be local Australian musical talent including a professional harpist from Adelaide, the famous Tea Rose Duo from Melbourne, country style artists and an indigenous choir.

A post conference tour will be organised for those interested. The itinerary for this event will start by flying (possibly in chartered fully restored DC3 aeroplanes) in a double figure eight over Wilpena Pound and then on to Arkaroola to view the actual locality of the Siller's Lookout mural. From there, flying to Broken Hill to view 'The Big Picture', a cyclorama executed by artist Peter Anderson, and on to Melbourne to possibly visit some remnants of historical panoramas with Dr Mimi Colligan as our guide; Mr David Jack's murals will also be viewed, including one at Melbourne railway station. Sydney will be our next port of call and then over to Norfolk Island where the cyclorama 'Fletcher's Mutiny' has been completed by Australian women Sue Draper and Tracey Yager.