Tim Storrier’s The Ladder was voted the People’s Choice winner during the BRAG 200X200 exhibition at the gallery.

The exhibition – showcasing just a portion of the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery collection – was held as part of Bathurst’s bicentenary celebrations.

Nearly 1000 votes were cast over the successful 11-week exhibition curated by Sarah Gurich.

Emma Hill from Bathurst Regional Art Gallery said the top three works in the exhibition, as voted by the audience, were Tim Storrier’s The Ladder in first, Nicole Welch’s Apparitions #1 in second and Lionel Bawden’s The Amorphous Ones in third. 

“A total of 969 votes were cast, with each work in the show receiving at least one vote,” Emma said. 

“With 200 works from the collection to vote for, the BRAG audience had an exceptionally tough job choosing a front-runner.

“All three artists have strong associations with the Bathurst region. Tim Storrier was based in Bathurst for over a decade, Nicole Welch is a Bathurst local, and Lionel Bawden’s parents are also long-term Bathurst residents.

“BRAG 200X200 showcased just 10 per cent of the total BRAG collection. Many of the works featured are by some of Austra-lia’s artistic royalty, including Russell Drysdale, Donald Friend, Margaret Olley, John Olsen, Jeffrey Smart, Grace Cossington Smith, Tim Storrier, Lloyd Rees, Brett Whiteley, and Fred Williams.

“Importantly, the exhibition also focused on the contribution of local artists with the inclusion of works by Rachel Ellis, Luke Sciberras, Graham Lupp and Nicole Welch.”

Works in the BRAG 200X200 exhibition spanned a variety of mediums and materials, from paintings, drawings and prints to installations and new media works. 

With BRAG 200X200 now closed, it has been revealed that 7434 locals and visitors attended  the exhibition over its 11 weeks.

Of this, 2018 people attended the gallery in the last week to see both BRAG 200X200 and the creation of a Sand Mandala by the Tibetan Monks of the Drol Kar Buddhist Centre.