Exhibition celebrates artistic side of colourful Celeste

In her final years, Dr Celeste Lawson had a long-held a creative dream to hold her own art exhibition.

This month, family, friends and colleagues of the colourful academic will bring the dream to life, at Yeppoon’s Fig Tree Galleries.

The high-profile CQUniversity lecturer, former president of the University’s Academic Board and Emeritus Professor, passed away suddenly two years ago at her Emu Park home.

But her passion for art continues to inspire her community.

Her works will be on show for the first time, with an exhibition across September 22 to October 18. 

It's titled You Colour My World, fulfilling her exhibition dream – and giving locals a new opportunity to remember and celebrate vibrant Celeste. 

Drawing inspiration from her Danish grandmother (a prolific sewer and crafter, after whom Celeste was named) her work features dramatic fabrics, woollen artifacts and colourful pictures.

Dr Lawson’s husband, Christopher, said the exhibition features the works of many subjects that surrounded her life.

“Celeste painted, knitted, sewed quilts, made ceramics and took photographs. She had many images printed to fabric and was best known for her pineapple designs, paying homage to the Capricorn Coast where she lived,” Mr Lawson said.

“Celeste had pink hair and a colourful personality, hence the title You Colour My World. Over the decades she taught hundreds of uni students and anyone that knew her would say she was an inspiring woman who really did colour their world.”

Before her academic career, Dr Lawson was a Rockhampton police sergeant, and also worked with the Crime and Corruption Commission of Western Australia.

In her early career, she worked with teenagers and young people, and carried the Olympic Torch ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and the Queen’s Baton for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay.

Works for the art exhibition were assembled by CQUniversity art lecturers Pat Connor and Carmen Gray.

You Colour My World runs from September 22 to October 18 at Yeppoon’s Fig Tree Gallery.

The exhibition coincides with Yeppoon’s Tropical Pine Fest (10 and 11 October 2025) and CQUniversity’s Annual Dr Celeste Lawson Memorial Lecture (Friday 10 October, CQU Building 5, 4pm). 

This year’s public lecture titled Is Science a Pain in the Arts?, and will be presented by Dr Michael Hewson, an environmental geographer with CQUniversity’s College of the Arts.

Friends, colleagues and community members can register to attend the Dr Celeste Lawson Memorial Lecture in person on online.