NORTH East Victoria has lost one of its greatest champions of the arts, with the passing of local creative and former Wangaratta Art Gallery director Dianne Mangan.
The 73-year-old was travelling from her Beechworth home to attend the opening of the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award exhibition on Saturday afternoon when she died in a two-car collision at Everton Upper.
The tragedy has left Di's family, the Beechworth community, and members of the North East arts scene in mourning for a gifted ceramicist, passionate arts advocate, and much-loved mother, grandmother and friend.
Her only son, Justin, his wife Marcia and their daughters Isabel and Olivia, who knew the esteem in which their matriarch was held locally, have been comforted in recent days to see the recognition expressed for Di's work, and her passion for the arts sector and its place in the region.
Justin said the loving mother and grandmother "always wanted to bring out the best in people", and he remembered a woman who cared deeply for her family, was generous including with her time for others, and who loved the simple pleasures of life.
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Isabel said: "She loved good food, good wine, a good movie, a good book, and good conversation."
Olivia added: "She shared her love for art and gave my sister and I the greatest gift of creating.
"I remember weaving grasses when I was around 10 and she thought it was so special she hung it on display in her living room, where it has remained for the past 15 years.
"She was always inspired by those around her, and instilled unwavering confidence in our ability to make something simple into art."
Prior to her move to the North East, Di worked as a gallery assistant in South Melbourne, having built on her study of art and design at Caulfield Institute of Technology, and fine art - ceramics at RMIT to complete a master's degree of art administration at CoFA UNSW and enable her move into the gallery sector.
Proximity to the snow and the chance to pursue a passion for skiing brought the Mangans to Wandiligong in the 1980s, where Di set up a studio in a former church to work on her ceramic art, the beginning of her contribution to the local arts scene.
"One of the things I really admired was that drive she had to do what needed to be done; she was so passionate," Marcia said.
"She loved her role with the Wangaratta gallery, and always wanted to make sure the best exhibitions could be shown here."
Di continually honed her own work in ceramics, and also loved painting, explaining on her website that she believed "with regular work practice, intuition, expression and ideas keep flowing".
She was well-known locally through the Wangaratta Art Gallery director role she held with the Rural City of Wangaratta from January 1998 to July 2016, and during that time was also part of a working group which planned for development of the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre.
Her role with council extended to see her become cultural services manager, which involved overseeing the performing arts centre, library, gallery and events in the rural city.
Di ran the Off Centre Gallery and Studio in Milawa from 2016 to '21, a project which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic but helped showcase a stable of North East and Australian artists working in a diverse range of media.
She exhibited her ceramic works extensively in her early career, and more recently in a solo and group exhibitions; her work is included in the permanent collections of Parliament House Canberra, Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, Launceston's Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and other public and private collections in Australia and abroad.
Rural City of Wangaratta manager arts culture and events Simone Nolan said Di, who was her supervisor when she began work in the gallery sector in 1998, was "a fantastic mentor, not just for me, but for many creatives in the region".
"Over her 18-and-a-half years in Wangaratta, she achieved a great deal; she was an advocate, a lobbyist, and an artist in her own right," she said.
"Di was an impressive creative thinker who has left an incredibly important legacy for the arts in our region.
"She had a really critical eye, curated numerous exhibitions throughout her career, and was dedicated to working alongside the artists she represented and presenting them to a greater audience.
"Di was a dear friend and the greatest critic, who provided feedback ever so gently and with care - that’s what a true mentor is.
"As an arts leader in the community, she's left a huge legacy, including the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award - that was her baby.
"She came up with the idea that Wangaratta's textile story needed to be told by combining our city's social history with contemporary textile arts practice, and it was Di's initiative to start the award, she had a vision that it was to be Wangaratta’s point of difference and what it was to be known for.
"She lobbied local government to take the arts seriously, and that is why Wangaratta can be proud to have an established regional art gallery that collects significant artworks from across the country. She was driven, passionate and had a vision that she worked to make a reality."
Nina Machielse Hunt, owner/director of the Beechworth Contemporary Art Space which exhibits Di's work, said she met Di on moving to the region and they quickly became firm friends.
"She was a genuine and passionate advocate for art and artists; this was reflected in everything she did," Nina said.
"Di was also an outstanding artist; her celebrated ceramics works were exquisite - perfectly-designed and formed, porcelain, unique and distinctive, world class.
"She participated in numerous important national exhibitions and international design events.
"Artists right across the region were fortunate to have Di’s relentless, passionate and professional support.
"She advocated for countless emerging artists and brought outstanding artists to our region through her time as gallery director and art business owner.
"Her legacy remains in the incredible ceramic pieces she created and in the textiles award she instigated at the Wangaratta Art Gallery."
