General News
27 October, 2022
Community artworks to be front and centre
The Central Goldfields Art Gallery has begun putting the call out for local artists to enter their works in one of the gallery’s most popular annual exhibitions. The Community Art Exhibition will make its return early next year, with the art of...
The Central Goldfields Art Gallery has begun putting the call out for local artists to enter their works in one of the gallery’s most popular annual exhibitions.
The Community Art Exhibition will make its return early next year, with the art of local residents to be exhibited in the newly redeveloped gallery space.
Open to Central Goldfields Shire and Avoca residents, the exhibition sees a range of colourful, quirky and thoughtful works entered across a broad range of mediums.
Central Goldfields Art Gallery coordinator Helen Kaptein said the exhibition will form part of the celebration around the gallery’s redevelopment.
“The Community Art Exhibition will be on display in the redeveloped gallery when it reopens early next year,” she said.
“We felt it was right and appropriate that this exhibition be one of the first exhibitions to form part of the celebration of the gallery’s reopening.
“The art gallery is the community’s gallery and to profile the works of local people and their various talents has always been an important part of what we do.
“This is a profile and celebration of local artistic practice from right across the shire and we’re seeing diversity in what’s being entered.”
Any type of visual art or craft can be entered into the exhibition including woodwork, spinning and weaving, knitting, photography, painting, drawing, ceramics and mosaic, however all works must have been completed in the past 12 months.
After the exhibition was held at the Central Goldfields Visitor Information Centre at the Maryborough Railway Station last year to allow for redevelopment works at the gallery, Ms Kaptein said it was important residents put their thinking caps on to make next year’s exhibition one of the biggest yet.
“There is so much interesting creative work going on in this area, there’s woodworking, weaving and animation among everything else and that’s what we want to showcase,” she said.
“We really are encouraging people to think about what they might be making or could make for the exhibition.
“I’d like to think the next exhibition is a special one because the artwork will be on display in the redeveloped gallery which should be a source of pride for people.”
The popular People’s Choice Award will make its return for the upcoming exhibition, as well as a variety of prizes again sponsored by the Maryborough Craft Shop, including monetary prizes for knitted or crocheted items and awards for youth.
Maryborough Craft Shop Inc member and gallery volunteer Joy Ashton said it was important to encourage young people to be involved with art.
“If we get young people involved and interested, they become the adults who are involved in the next generation,” she said.
“I think everyone just loves art as well and this encourages that, art is a part of life.”
Central Goldfields shire councillor Grace La Vella said the exhibition would celebrate the achievements of the community.
“I am certainly encouraging people to take part in the upcoming exhibition, it is a celebration of the creativity and skill we have in our community,” she said.
Further exhibition details, including entry forms are available on the Central Goldfields Art Gallery website at centralgoldfieldsartgallery.com.au, with residents entering work to be asked to bring their art into the gallery early next year.