Visual Arts in the Valley 2022 is calling out to all local KV artists to enter this year’s biennial festival, which will be held on the October long-weekend. This year, total prize money, all donated by generous Valley residents, has increased to $22,000. There are three prizes for which local KV artists may enter:
- Kangaroo Valley Art Prize – open to all artists, local and national
- Tony White Memorial Art Prize – young emerging artists under 30 years of age
- Salon of Local Artists Prize – local KV artists only.
The Salon of Local Artists will again be an important part this year with its own gallery and prizes – the $1500 Salon Prize donated by long-time supporter Alice Oppen OAM and $500 Commended donated by Linda and Tino Vella of The Hive KV.
Online entries open Monday 25 July – time to prepare your entries. All forms of visual art are welcome – painting in any medium, drawing, printmaking, photographic art, digital art, textile and fabric art, collage, multi-media, new media, video art, etc.
Also a part of the October long-weekend festival of visual arts will be a Satellite Gallery at The Hive KV featuring a major Sydney gallery, KV Art Trail including the Silo Gallery and Feat of Clay, special gallery talk ‘Politics of the Portrait: 4000 BC to the Mugshot (or the Selfie)’ by Rex Irwin, plus a collaborative art Installation at the Pony Club by a group of innovative artists through a residency overlooking Lake Yarrunga.
The goal of Visual Arts 2022 is to continue to grow as a national contemporary visual arts event while retaining a local and regional flavour. In 2020, over 1300 people visited the galleries in the Hall – and elsewhere in the Village. The road over Barrengarry Mountain is slated to be open before September, so we hope for similar numbers this year.
We’ve had a commitment, following the lead to legendary Sydney art dealer, Frank Watters, to keep entry fees and commissions as low as possible, just enough to recoup costs, in order to return as much as possible to artists. In each of our past two shows, over 30% of artworks sold. In 2020, 50% of finalists in the Salon of Local Artists sold.
Guest Curator – Megan Monte – award-winning Australian curator, recently appointed inaugural Director of Ngununggula gallery at Retford Park. Previously director Cement Fondu contemporary arts space in Sydney and curator of contemporary art at Campbelltown Arts Centre.
Judge – Jane Watters – Director, SH Ervin Gallery in Sydney since 2001. Has curated many gallery and touring exhibitions and judged major art prizes including the Portia Geach Memorial Award, NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize, Calleen Art Prize and Gallipoli Art Prize.
Special Advisor – Rex Irwin – Internationally known art dealer in contemporary Australian and European art and former co-director, Olson Irwin Gallery, Sydney, who has nurtured the careers of many Australian artists including the most recent Wynne Prize recipient, Nicolas Harding.
Key Dates
- Entries open online at https://www.artsinthevalley.net.au/visualarts on Monday 25 July
- Entries close on Friday 18 August
- All exhibitions open at the KV Hall and elsewhere in the Valley over the October long-weekend – Friday 30 September through to Monday 3 October.
We look forward to your entries and to seeing you there.
Gary Moore Matt Southworth
Visual Arts Director Hanging Crew Leader
