Dubbo Art Fair at Western Plains Cultural Centre | See pictures
Were you one of the hundreds of people who went to Dubbo’s first Art Fair at the Western Plains Culture Centre? Check out all the photos from the event.
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Eye-catching works of art created by vast array of established and emerging talent in western NSW have been showcased at the inaugural Dubbo Art Fair.
Held at the Western Plains Cultural Centre on August 6 and 7, the event was organised by Dubbo Regional Council, to support local talent and a sector that has been hit hard by the Covid pandemic.
Council’s cultural development co-ordinator Jessica Moore said 40 artists from places like Dubbo, Gilgandra, Peak Hill, Wellington and Narromine took part in the event.
“We were tentatively hoping for about 20 so to get twice that number has been extraordinary,” she said.
“They wanted more opportunities to sell their work because there’s very few places regionally in NSW for artists to put their work on display and for people to buy it.
“We are about to do a full repaint of the gallery so we had this opportunity to jump in before that and turn the space over for artists to have little galleries.”
Like many, the arts sector has not been immune from the challenges the pandemic has presented and Ms Moore said council saw an opportunity to help.
“A lot of artists lost opportunities, exhibitions got cancelled, touring shows got cancelled, residencies got cancelled so a lot of the opportunities they might have had to sell work have disappeared for them,” she said.
“The more that we can show the public how rewarding and exciting it is to have original work, that market will create more opportunities for artists to sell.”
The event also offered the community the chance to learn more about the benefits of arts and culture, Ms Moore said.
“It’s not just about having more galleries for people to sell in, it’s about having a community that values buying original artwork.
“It’s pushed a number of artists to think about taking the next step professionally in terms of having a social media presence and having ways for people to contact them to buy and sell.
“We haven’t culled anybody or limited who can be in it and we hope that encourages people to see the diversity of art practice we have out here. We’ve got young artists and people who have been doing it for many years, so it’s very exciting to see pretty much anyone who wanted to be involved has been able to be involved.”
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