THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 23 #39 Tuesday, March 10, 2009 Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 21,000 copies every week
S O M E T I M E S D E R I VAT I V E , R A R E LY T O X I C
Paint a FEHVA portrait
Pages 18-19
Local Aboriginal art celebrated in new book Artists and art lovers gathered at Retrospect Galleries last Thursday to celebrate the launch of a new publication celebrating contemporary Aboriginal art of the Northern Rivers region. An 84-page full colour publication, A Special Kind of Vision showcases diverse contemporary works from 26 local Indigenous artists, who were selected from almost 70 Indigenous artists surveyed across the region last year. The publication is a first for Indigenous artists in the region and across the state. It shines a light on some of the talented artists living in the region, including established artists such as Digby Moran, Garth Lena and Karla Dickens, as well as talented emerging artists such as Joanne Lapic, who are just starting their careers. The launch of the book also includ-
ed a preview of an exhibition of works by 25 of the featured artists, which is on now at Retrospect Galleries until March 26. Lois Randall, CEO of Arts Northern Rivers, believes that the public will be overwhelmed by the exceptional standard and range of works included in this exhibition. ‘I encourage everyone to go to Retrospect Galleries and see for themselves how stunning the artwork is, and to buy a copy of the book as well,’ she said. A Special Kind of Vision was launched by Chris Bonney, Program Officer for the Australia Council for the Arts’ Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Unit, who flew up from Sydney for the event. Copies of the book are now available from Arts Northern Rivers, 6628 8120 or Retrospect Galleries, 6680 8825, RRP $38.50.
Author Di Morrissey’s face miraculously appears on artist James Guppy’s canvas while FEHVA festival coordinator Lisa O’Meara looks on. No paint was used in the making of this image. Photo Je ‘Brush With Fame’ Dawson.
The sixth annual FEHVA Visual Arts Festival opens registration for its Portrait Prize this week with two new famous faces looking forward to sitting for artists. Bestselling author of sixteen novels Di Morrissey and contemporary Australian artist James Guppy are the portrait subjects in this year’s event. The Portrait Prize sitting is on Saturday April 18 at the Catholic Hall in Bangalow. Di Morrissey is first up with a morning sitting then James Guppy in the afternoon. Newly appointed festival coordinator Lisa O’Meara was delighted to have such high profile sitters: ‘We are thrilled to have Di and James pose for the Portrait Prize this year. Di and James have given much to the literary and visual arts communities both regionally and nationally and this year James is celebrating 20 years as a professional artist. With two such celebrated Australians, we know the number and quality of entries will be excellent.
‘The competition encourages a variety of mediums including painting, works on paper, mixed media, photography and digital. With $2,000 prize money on offer, I encourage all those interested in entering this year’s Prize to start researching their subjects prior to the sittings.’ The portrait competition is just one of the many events included in this year’s FEHVA program. Bangalow Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the Bangalow Art Prize and this year’s theme is Postcard from Bangalow. President of Bangalow Chamber of Commerce, Michael Malloy, said, ‘Bangalow Chamber of Commerce is delighted to be supporting this event. We are asking artists to submit works depicting the Bangalow region. The winner will be awarded $1,000 with the winning artwork being donated for permanent exhibition at the Bangalow Heritage Museum.’ Also featuring at FEHVA again this year will be the art exhibition and lecture series as well as workshops
for art lovers and artists. The schools program will be expanded to include lectures and workshops for teachers and students. The Portrait Prize sittings will mark the start of the FEHVA Visual Arts Festival which commences in earnest on Saturday May 23. The Festival will run until Sunday May 31. To sign up for the FEHVA Portrait Prizes and the Bangalow Art Prize download the forms from www.fehva. com or phone 6687 1623. Portrait Prize and Bangalow Art Prize entry tickets can be purchased by artists through Jetset Travel Byron Bay as of March 12. The entry fee for a single portrait is $75 and $120 for both. The entry fee for the Bangalow Art Prize is $25. Full program updates of all FEHVA events can also be found on the website. FEHVA is the annual flagship event for the The Buttery Arts Program. The funds raised from the event support the important rehabilitation work being done by The Dancer Lewis Walker with artist Digby Moran and his painting ‘Spiritual Dreaming’. Photo Je Dawson. Buttery.
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