WENDY Sharpe, the 1996 winner of the Archibald Prize, is coming to Coffs as guest speaker at a fundraising dinner by Friends of Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.

The Friends are thrilled to welcome Wendy to Coffs on Friday 17 June, as one of Australia’s most awarded and best loved artists.

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Wendy will share her insights and experiences with the regional audience.

“Wendy Sharpe’s lifetime commitment to the arts shows us how valuable artists are in helping communities bond and grow,” says Friends of Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery President, Heather McKinnon.

“Making her living entirely from painting, Wendy is proof of the hardworking nature of a successful artist.

“This will be an inspiring night for Coffs to come together again to celebrate and support the arts.”

Dinner with Wendy Sharpe will also feature music by Bellingen’s Sunset Strut.

Funds raised go towards still life works for the new Yarrila Arts & Museum now being built in Coffs.

“Known for her fearless approach to art, Wendy will share her experiences working around the world and reveal why people are at the heart of her success and the causes she supports.

“One of the few women to famously win the Archibald Prize with a self-portrait in 1996, Wendy was recently announced as a finalist again for the eight time with another portrait of herself, this one featuring ghosts as a nod to her family’s spiritual past.”

With over 60 solo exhibitions now under her belt, Wendy has been sought-after for such diverse projects as deployment as an official war artist in East Timor, to capturing the backstage world of ballet and burlesque performers.

Wendy often uses her bold portraits of daily life and humanity to highlight social issues including women’s health and asylum seekers’ rights.

Her latest exhibition Her Shoes has raised funds for Lou’s Place Women’s Refuge in Sydney’s Redfern.

Wendy created and donated 52 artworks of women’s shoes; each pair representing a life lost every week due to domestic violence.

In demand more than ever, Wendy is featured in the new ABC television series Space 22, helping people discover the benefits of art on their mental health.

This follows ABC’s Compass program showing the moving story of Wendy’s 40m ephemeral mural, documenting her trip to Ukraine researching her Jewish ancestry.

Dinner with Wendy Sharpe is on Friday 17 June at 6.30pm at C.ex Coffs.

The event is sponsored by Bryant McKinnon Lawyers and Southern Cross University.

By Andrea FERRARI