Join Umbrella from 10am Sunday 2 August to hear from artists Natalie Ward and Athena Costopoulos about their exhibitions, Ore to Earth and Nature Shrines respectively. As part of their talks, the artists will invite audiences to handle test samples and specific works from their exhibitions in a rare tactile art experience. This will be followed by guided tactile engagement with works from the Country Art Case – one of the National Gallery of Australia’s touring cases. Tactile art experiences featuring works from the Country Art Case, will also be available for school or community group bookings throughout the exhibition period.

The Country Art Case is on display 31 July - 23 August 2026 while Natalie Ward's Ore to Earth and Athena Costopoulos' Nature Shrines will be on display from 31 July - 6 September 2026. 

Natalie Ward is an emerging ceramic artist based in Gurambilbarra / Townsville. Born in Djilang / Geelong, she made the move north in 2022 and developed her ceramics practice after joining the community pottery studio, North Queensland Potters Association. In 2023, Ward received a mentorship through the Transitions program offered by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts and Townsville City Galleries. This program supported her to develop and exhibit her first body of work, which was visually inspired by drill core samples from geological exploration.
This visual inspiration became a material inspiration, and Ward then commenced investigating how drill core and other materials and byproducts from exploration and mining could be used in ceramics. She has been supported in this work with grants from the Regional Arts Development Fund and Regional Arts Fund. Most recently, she was awarded a Creative Australia grant to support the creation of this current body of work, and to develop waste stream partnerships between industries and artists. Ward was a finalist in the Next Big Thing Prize (2024) and Queensland Regional Art Award (2024) and was the 2025 Artisan Regional Artist in Residence. 

Athena Costopoulos is a multidisciplinary visual artist based on Gurambilbarra / Townsville, specialising in painting, ceramics, printmaking and fibre art. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Queensland and she has designed and constructed sets for theatre groups. Her work is held in private and public collections. Costopoulos has been involved in notable North Queensland arts events such as Ephemera (three times), Pop Up North Queensland, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Wearable Art Townsville, Pose and Pop Up Percivals. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts with Class 1 Honours in Painting. Costopoulos’ work challenges the traditional use of materials and surfaces. Her recent multidisciplinary practice incorporates motifs that relate to home, family and belonging while exploring the symbiotic relationship humans have with their environment.

COUNTRY ART CASE | National Gallery of Australia
Penny Evans, Carol McGregor, Jimmy John Thaiday, Aubrey Tigan, James Tylor & Lena Yarinkura
The Country Art Case is one of the National Gallery of Australia’s touring cases, an all-in-one suitcase housing small works by artists of national significance. The Art Cases travel to diverse locations, including schools, libraries and galleries, where the works are discovered by adults and children of all ages to inspire creativity, inclusivity and learning. This case features works by Penny Evans (K/Gamilaroi people), Carol McGregor (Wathaurung people), Jimmy John Thaiday (Erub Mer people), Aubrey Tigan (Bardi/Djawi peoples), James Tylor (Kaurna people) and Lena Yarinkura (Rembarrnga/Kune peoples). It brings together First Nation works showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists’ perspectives, ideas and stories about land and Country.

The National Gallery’s Art Cases are generously supported by the Neilson Foundation with grateful acknowledgement of founding patrons Elaine and Jim Wolfensohn.