Jindera Pioneer Museum will host large-scale installation The Sun and the Moon are Dancing, which invites visitors to wander through glowing sculptural forms that will transform the venue’s grounds into a luminous, participatory artwork. Photos: Supplied.
Jindera’s Pioneer Museum is lighting the way for the region’s growing arts and cultural landscape with the world premiere of a large-scale inflatable sculptural garden at its annual Lantern Walk on 1 August.
Customs from the past will blend beautifully with the vibrancy of the present when the museum hosts The Sun and the Moon are Dancing, an immersive work by acclaimed Australian artist Matthew Aberline and The Beautiful and Useful Studio.
The installation invites visitors to wander through glowing sculptural forms that transform the museum grounds into a luminous, participatory artwork unlike anything previously seen in the Greater Hume Shire.
This premiere marks a defining moment in the museum’s evolution as it prepares for a new building and an expanded creative program, according to museum president Margie Wehner.
“We believe that nothing like this has ever been experienced in the Greater Hume Shire before and it’s a major triumph for our museum,” she said.
“As the daylight fades, these sculptural forms will begin to glow among our historic buildings and gardens, adding a new layer of colour and quiet wonder to a place already rich with stories. It will weave in beautifully with our Lantern Walk.”
Jindera’s artistic coup comes on the back of several prodigious additions to the shire’s cultural calendar, including The Bald Archy Prize, currently on display at Holbrook.
Considered Australia’s premier satirical art prize, The Bald Archies includes cartoons or humorous portraits making fun of Australian celebrities and politicians — and is famously judged by Maude, a cockatoo.
State Member for Albury Justin Clancy said securing events of this calibre in the shire showed the vibrancy of rural and regional communities.
“There is so much happening on our doorstep,” Mr Clancy said. “These types of exhibitions and events provide food for our soul while at the same time supporting smaller communities.
“We love our sport here, but our community is a rich tapestry of many different strands. It all goes into the melting pot of making this a great place to live and raise a family.”
Mr Clancy paid tribute to the “countless people behind the scenes” working tirelessly to enhance their community’s cultural development.
“The contribution from people like Margie [Wehner] at the museum is just so valuable, and they should be celebrated as icons in their community.
“At Holbrook there’s been an inordinate amount of effort from the Holbrook Rotary Club to get the fabulous and funny Bald Archy exhibition.
“At a time when household budgets are stretched, these events provide a great opportunity to enjoy a low-budget excursion that supports our local community.”
Mr Clancy added that it was fantastic to see artists on an international stage — including Matthew Aberline — recognising and feeling strongly about their connections to their roots.
Australian artist Matthew Aberline’s projects have spanned from the United Nations in New York to the Art Gallery of NSW, and regional communities across Australia.
Aberline’s projects span collaborations with the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, community-led creative projects for the Art Gallery of NSW, and partnerships with First Nations artists and regional communities across Australia.
Bringing a work of this magnitude to Jindera has personal significance for the acclaimed artist, who has generations of family connection to the area.
“This project celebrates kindness, joy, family and friends making things together, and the simple pleasure of gathering around something big, gorgeous and colourful,” Aberline said.
“It’s called The Sun and the Moon are Dancing because it’s about the relationship between work and play, the real and the imaginary, what we create by ourselves and what we create as a community.”
The installation will debut at the museum’s Lantern Walk and then be exhibited daily from 2 to 9 August.
Ms Wehner said the work offered a vivid glimpse of the museum’s future direction: contemporary, imaginative experiences that sit alongside — and enrich — its long‑held commitment to community, heritage and storytelling.
The annual Lantern Walk is inspired by the German tradition of Laternelaufen, a centuries-old custom whereby children carry handmade lanterns through their village at dusk.
In Jindera, children and adults will walk together along Urana Street, carrying lanterns they have made themselves, singing traditional songs and celebrating the warmth of community on a cold winter evening.
The Sun and the Moon are Dancing exhibition will be at the Jindera Pioneer Museum from Saturday, 1 August, until Sunday, 9 August, at museum admission prices (twilight and evening sessions will be available). To find out more, visit the museum website.
The Bald Archy Prize is on display at Holbrook Shire Hall until 2 August ($10 adults, children free). For a full list of dates and times, go to the Greater Hume website.
