We had two goals – to bring interesting contemporary to the Valley for residents and visitors, and to support artists by selling their works and rewarding the best with prizes.
Around 1,000 people passed through the three galleries at the Village Hall. There were brisk numbers also at the Utopia Art Sydney Satellite Gallery at The Hive, at Installation Art at the Pony Club and on the KV Art Trail. The opening night was booming with people talking about art and enjoying themselves. The special talk by Rex Irwin was oversubscribed, and the ‘In conversation with Gudula Dornseifer and Installation Artists’ was also well attended. In all there was a great turnout and a wonderful vibe with people hungry for gathering and for seeing and talking about art.
Just over $85,000 in artwork was sold over the four days, with another $22,000 in prizes awarded to artists for the finest works as judged by three highly regarded judges.
Local artists again sold extremely well. 50% of all works in the Salon of Local Artists sold, plus multiple editions of prints. Jennifer Thompson received the $1,500 Salon of Local Artists Prize donated by Alice Oppen OAM, with Patrick Cummins again successful this year with the $500 Commended award donated by Tino and Linda Vella.
In the two other prizes, open nationally, Highlands and South Coast artists sold well, with Ric Able from Robertson, Venessa Stockard from Bowral, Peta West from Conjola and Vivienne Tanner from Shoalhaven Heads all selling significant works, and Callala Beach artist Angela Knight receiving the commended award in the Kangaroo Valley Art Prize. Locally raised Lauren O’Connor received the $5,000 Tony White Memorial Art Prize (see separate article) donated again this year by Alexander Michael.
Our sincere thanks to team leaders and the many volunteers, without whom nothing would have happened, to Natalie our contract manager and Jacqueline who was finally paid by Council for what she has done previously on a volunteer basis.
Big shout-outs to Tino and Linda Vella and Nikki Little of The Hive KV for their generosity in offering the satellite gallery space, to our wonderful caterer Katrina Endean of Caterina of Kangaroo Valley, our friends at Tertini Wines in the Highlands for their assistance, my special no-longer-so-secret advisor Rex Irwin, Megan Monte curator from Ngununggula and judges Sophia O’Brien from Bundanon and Jane Watters from the National Trust, Terhi Hakola and colleagues who set up the Installation Art at the Pony Club Building, Anne-France Fulgence and Sue Prescott for joining the KV Art Trail, and to the many others who made all of this possible. And to generous valley residents who donated the prize money and the many valley and regional residents who supported artists from the valley, throughout NSW and across the nation over the long-weekend festival of the visual arts.
Gotta love this community!
Gary Moore Visual Arts Director
Arts in the Valley
