Kangaroo Valley Hall, Friday 30 September 6:30 Opening through Monday 3 October
By Tom McGann
Prizes of $22,000 are up for grabs with the return of a popular art competition in Kangaroo Valley.
Local artists in the Shoalhaven can now enter the biannual ‘Visual Arts in the Valley’ competition, as it makes a comeback after last appearing in 2020.
The competition is not limited to just painting and drawings, with all forms of visual art being eligible. Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, digital art, textile and fabric art, collage, video art, multi-media and new media – there is no limit to what artists can present in the competition.
After all art has been entered into the competition, a finalist exhibition will be held over the October long-weekend (Friday 30 September through Monday 3 October) at Kangaroo Valley Hall for the community to see what the artists around Australia and the Shoalhaven are capable of.
Visual Arts Director for the competition, Professor Gary Moore, said he wanted to see the event grow and become more well known. “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”, Prof Moore said.
Categories in the event include the signature Kangaroo Valley Art Prize, the Tony White Memorial Art Prize (for a young emerging artist) and the Salon of Local Artists Prize which is open to artists exclusively in Kangaroo Valley.
While the Salon of Local Artists is limited to Kangaroo Valley residents, the other two categories are open nationwide. Prof Moore said as long as the participant is an Australian citizen who is interested in art, they can enter the competition. “The Kangaroo Valley Art Prize is open to the entire nation and is the most prestigious prize in the contest”, he said.
“The Tony White Memorial Prize is the category from upcoming artists aged 30 and under and is a great one to win too.”
In 2020, the competition was a huge success, with over 1300 people visiting the exhibition.
Organisers made sure to keep entry fees and commissions low to ensure artists earn as much as possible.
Major galleries would usually take 40% to 50%; however, ‘Visual Arts in the Valley’ will only take 25%. Prof Moore said they only take the small amount to allow the artists to profit as much as possible. “We keep it low because we have no interest in ourselves, but the point of this is to help and support artists”.
Over 30% of the art was sold in 2020, with sales reaching around $100,000.
According to Prof Moore, selling 30% of the art in the exhibition is impressive, as major galleries in cities struggle to meet those marks. “A major gallery in a city would be delighted if they sold 15% of art over a month. Being able to sell 30% in just four days is phenomenal.”
The show has continued to grow every time it runs, with the last show in 2020 exceeding the expectations of the organisers.
“2020 exceeded all hopes and expectations, among other things in terms of artists who entered. Around 600 people from all around Australia entered, including entries from throughout the Shoalhaven, South Coast and Southern Highlands.”
This year, artists’ entries will be curated by Megan Monte, an award-winning Australian curator who recently assumed the position of inaugural director and curator of Ngununggula, the National Trust and State Government gallery at Retford Park, NSW.
Megan’s job is to pick the finalists that will be displayed in the exhibition, which will then be judged by Director of National Trust of Australia Galleries, Jane Watters, and Curator of the recently renovated and relaunched Bundanon Trust, Sophie O’Brien.
Prof Moore said the judges will be looking out for innovative ideas in the art presented. “The judges will be looking for innovative and interesting ideas in the art. They will be looking for beautiful contemporary art, which we know the participants will present.”
Reprinted (with corrections) with permission of the South Coast Register, Nowra, NSW. First published 11 August 2022. https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/7856993/22000-is-up-for-grabs-are-you-an-artist-who-has-what-it-takes/?cs=12.
Postscript
Since this article was published in the South Coast Register, we are happy to add that, again this year, the long-weekend festival of visual arts will include a Satellite Gallery at The Hive KV. Featuring interpretations of landscape by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists, it will be selected from the stockroom of Utopia Art Sydney by its director, Christopher Hodges.
Also included will be an Art Installation at the Pony Club building immediately behind the Hall, featuring collaborative environmental art following an artist-in-residency program in the Valley.
The second biennial Kangaroo Valley Art Trail will include two major studio-galleries just outside the Village – Feat of Clay Gallery on Glenmurray Road and Silo Gallery on Upper River Road.
A map available at the KV Hall will show directions to all venues.
Gary Moore
image: Visual Arts in the Valley 2020 Satellite Gallery at The Hive Kangaroo Valley
