Show Us Your Olives
Community Call Out for photographs and memories relating to Olive Cotton.
Do you have a portrait taken by Olive Cotton? Perhaps a family photograph from her Cowra studio or an image passed down through generations? Or even a photo you or a family member took of Olive?
The National Gallery of Australia and Cowra Regional Art Gallery invite you to celebrate the legacy of Olive Cotton (1911–2003), one of Australia’s most significant photographers who made Cowra her home. In the National Gallery touring exhibition Olive Cotton and her contemporaries, the legacy of Cotton’s influence can be seen across fellow modernist photographers. The exhibition will be presented at Cowra Regional Art Gallery from 14 March to 10 May 2026.
On the main street of Cowra, Olive Cotton captured beautiful portraits of families and individuals in her photographic studio. These photographs are an important part of our shared history, and we would love to bring them together for a special community event.
We invite you to share these photographs for inclusion in a community slideshow following the screening of The Light Years: Olive Cotton and Max Dupain at Cowra Regional Art Gallery.
Alternatively, if you have a memory or an anecdote, we would love to hear of this too. These can be presented as text slides in the community slideshow.
Join us as we celebrate Olive Cotton’s extraordinary contribution to Australian photography and her deep connection to the Cowra community.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
• Submit: A digital copy (JPEG) of your Olive Cotton photograph or an anecdote to cowraartgallery@cowra.nsw.gov.au
• Include: Your name, a short caption, and any story or connection to the photograph
• Deadline: Friday 24 April 2026 All submissions will be shared with the National Gallery of Australia.
ENQUIRIES cowraartgallery@cowra.nsw.gov.au OR (02) 6340 2190
IMAGE Sally McInerney, Olive Cotton, c.1990, hand coloured photograph
This event is part of the National Gallery of Australia’s touring exhibition Olive Cotton and her contemporaries, presented at Cowra Regional Art Gallery. These programs are generously funded by the Bowness Family Foundation.