Welcome to our December Newsletter for 2022.
President’s Report
President’s Report December 2022
Hello fellow artists, art lovers, supporters and friends,
We’re almost at the end of the year! 2022 has been huge.
We have just come back from an epic three weeks up at Flaxton Gardens to put on our annual art competition, Sculpture on the Edge (SOTE).
It was thanks to the support of our sponsors, the artists, the local community and our volunteers that we were able to deliver such a great experience. In addition to the 140 finalist artworks, we had a program of artist talks and demonstrations, workshops and the three ticketed events: The Official Opening, The Sculpted Dinner, and The Official Closing.
We had visitors with all levels of mobility, including visitors using wheelchairs, wheelie walkers, walking sticks, crutches, and prams. The weather ranged from extreme heat to cold, horizontal rains and 100km winds to beautiful sunny days… but still the visitors came. The compliments ranged from “fabulous”, “wonderful” to “the best sculpture exhibition that we have seen anywhere in the world”. It really brought the community together and we felt very supported by our event partners and sponsors. Similarly the feedback regarding the venue was overwhelmingly positive, from the elegance of Flaxton Gardens, to the high quality of their food and friendly professionalism of their staff. For the first time we were able to capture relatively accurate data on visitor numbers. Part of our Sunshine Coast Council grant included market research by an external supplier which will be released soon.
I was very sad to hear the news of the fire that burn down part of SOTE’s previous home at Spicers Tamarind. Spicers have supported Arts Connect Inc for many years, with Spicers Clovelly being the first home of Sculpture on the Edge following the exhibition’s inception at the Maleny Garden Show. Without the support of venues such as Spicers and Flaxton Gardens, we would not have the opportunity to put on this event.
Our AGM and Arty Farty Christmas Party will be on Wednesday. We have no current nominations for positions. Members can nominate for a committee position on the night. I recommend getting involved. It is through being on the committee that I have met so many wonderful members, and that is a huge reward in itself. We have an incredible community of artists and art lovers and it has been an absolute joy being a part of it.
A huge thank you to our committee for their support though out the year, particularly Jen Braithwaite, who started off doing the newsletter, but stepped up partway through the year following the loss of our secretary to take on the role. She has put in a massive amount of work and I can never thank her enough. Without her assistance, none of this would have been possible.
Please register to attend the AGM and celebrate the year that was 2022. We would love to see you there!
With best regards,
Gretchen.
