Conversations with Suzanne Jones from The Jones Collective
In the lead up to The Sorrento Art Prize, Suzanne Jones will be asking Curator Julie Collins the big questions.
Question One:
Why did you develop the Sorrento Art Prize - SAP?
Our motivation for this initiative is multifaceted. As artists ourselves, we wanted to offer someone a truly life-changing opportunity without any strings attached. That meant creating a prize substantial enough to make a real difference—whether it's a deposit for a home or studio, paying off a mortgage, funding travel and research, or simply enabling an artist to step away from non-art-related jobs and dedicate at least 12 months to their practice. We didn’t want to impose restrictions, themes, or requirements that might alter an artist’s authentic creative process. Nor did we want them to justify how they’d use the prize through essays or proposals—we simply wanted to see their best work.
The second layer of our motivation is connected to the gallery itself. Located outside Melbourne, we must work harder to put & Gallery on the radar of collectors, art consultants, institutions, and organizations like Art Bank. Our gallery offers a dynamic monthly exhibition program, featuring three solo exhibitions and The Salon, a visible stockroom showcasing an additional 30 artists. Spanning 475 square meters, it’s a unique space with a distinctive approach—run by artists, for artists. Unlike traditionalgalleries, we do things differently.
The third layer stems from our love for Sorrento and our involvement with the Sorrento Chamber of Commerce. We are always exploring ways to promote the town as a year-round destination, so SAP has been designed to spotlight the July-August period, building on the momentum of our Winter Festival, Taste Sorrento, in June. Winter in Sorrento is a hidden gem—crisp morning beach walks, serene bush trails, cozy restaurants, wellness retreats, boutique shopping, and, of course, our vibrant art scene with seven galleries to explore.
While summer is undeniably popular, winter offers a blissful charm we are eager to share and cultural tourism is a wonderful way to showcase all that Sorrento has to offer.
Question Two:
Why did you select Smooth Nzewi as the judge?
We wanted an international judge from the start—someone with a fresh perspective on Australian art. While Australian judges are highly qualified, many artists feel it's always the same judges and artists in these competitions, and this discouraged participation. I’m not sure if this perception is justified, but many artists have applied who have long given up submitting for prizes, so it’s a good outcome. As well as an international judge we decided on a blind judging concept, with no names or CVs. This concept has been welcomed by many artists.
Further motivation was to also expose Australian Artists to an international curator, you never know where an introduction may lead. All up we wanted The Sorrento Art Prize to potentially provide significant opportunities for our shortlisted artists.
Smooth Nzewi stood out during our research. As the Steven and Lisa Tananbaum Curator of Painting and Sculpture at MoMA, New York, he has vast experience across art forms. His previous roles include Curator of African Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Dartmouth's Hood Museum, where he curated impactful exhibitions and facilitated acquisitions of major artists' works. With a PhD in art history from Emory University and an impressive career as an artist himself, Smooth brings unparalleled expertise.
In addition to judging the $125,000 Sorrento Art Prize (SAP), Smooth will attend events, give talks, and visit the National Gallery of Victoria, MONA and Melbourne art schools.
We thrilled to be hosting Smooth Nzewi and look forward to the unique insights he’ll bring to SAP.
