Welcome to our June Newsletter for 2022.
President’s Report
President’s Note…
Hello fellow artists, supporters and friends!
It’s been a huge month for the arts in SEQ. I had a great time judging the Immanuel Arts Festival and speaking at the Facets of Fairholme Art Festival in Toowoomba. In the mean time the Australian Wearable Art Awards were a huge success and several of our members opened their exhibitions (see below).
Welcome to the committee our new Vice President, Mirela Streza, and our new Secretary, Serban Streza. Mirela is the manager at Sunshine Coast Art and Framing and will be running a free workshop about DIY framing in late June (see below) so it’s a good chance to meet our VP, hang out with fellow artists and get some excellent tips.
Due to family illness we are seeking a new Treasurer, although Robyn is graciously staying on to help until we can fill the role. We are also seeking an Assistant Treasurer, Social Media Coordinator and Social Event Coordinator to lighten the load. We thank Jodi our recent secretary and Rachel for their time and hard work on the committee and wish them well.
DISH, our second ACI members’ show for the year will be held in Owen Cavanagh’s new gallery in Coolum from 17 September, celebrating all things food and eating (see details below)… get your creative juices flowing!
This year, from 19 Nov – 04 December Arts Connect will be holding the main part of our annual sculpture competition, Sculpture on the Edge (SOTE), in a new venue, Flaxton Gardens. The venue at Flaxton Gardens increases accessibility to both the audience and artists. There is an enormous indoor space, as well as a manicured garden and sweeping flat lawns, permitting the inclusion of indoor sculptures, in addition to the traditional outdoor pieces. This means that a greater variety of artists working across a bigger range of media will now be able to participate in this hugely popular exhibition, and there are spaces for up to 150 pieces. The new venue will also make the exhibition more accessible to a greater audience. With ample parking, flat spaces and wheelchair-accessible paths, visitors can easily and safely visit the exhibition. There are also many areas to sit and rest and take in the exhibition and the Flaxton Gardens team are planning a variety of options for visitor refreshments.
We will also be developing a program of SOTE satellite events at other venues in the region to introduce greater variety to the program and complement the main competition. Last year we had in excess of 7000 visitors, and we expect numbers to be significantly higher in 2022. If you would like to be involved on the planning team, or to become involved as a partner or advertiser, please let us know: secretary@artsconnectinc.com.au. We are currently finalising the criteria for the new categories before we put the call out to artists, so expect this message soon. Their regular hours are 10-3 Wed – Sun if you want to go and check out the new site for inspiration. I also really recommend their lunch menu. The raspberry soufflé is worth a visit alone- it’s incredible.
Sculpture on the Edge will have both an opening on Saturday 19th November and a closing to announce the winner of the People’s Choice award on Sunday 4th December so please put those dates in your diary.
Wishing you a wonderful month ahead,
With best regards,
Gretchen.
