LOCAL artists listen up, the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery is calling for expressions of interest from Coffs Coast artists to take part in the opening year of exhibitions at the new Cultural and Civic Space.

“It’s really important that the new Gallery program has good representation of local artists,” Cath Fogarty, Gallery & Museum Coordinator, told News Of The Area.

“We don’t have any set parameters of what an exhibition will look like; we want people to think outside the box, not just paintings on walls but sculptures, ceramics, arts, craft and design,” Cath enthused.

“We want all kinds of local creatives to be part of this new era for the Gallery and the City, showcasing the strong and vibrant creative community that exists here.

“We want the gallery to be an inclusive space with a holistic program of artists of all ages, experience and ability including children, with a diversity of mediums and creative approaches.”

Cath and her team are keen to see what’s out there locally, being created in groups or by solo artists and to develop a program with a distinctly local flavour alongside touring and other curated exhibitions.

“There might be an artist working in the community that we don’t know about; they could be an emerging or long-standing artist.

“We also really value creativity in kids; they’re our next generation of art makers and art appreciators, we want to provide them with every opportunity to share and value their innate creativity.”

This is a very exciting year of planning and prepping, said Cath.

Artists are invited to submit their expressions of interest through an online process at www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/gallery.

Expressions of interest are sought from both individual artists and groups of artists living and working in the Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, and Nambucca LGAs.

This will be a selective process and submissions will be reviewed by the gallery team.

Submissions are now open, and close Monday 1 November 2021.

Submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee selection for exhibition.

 

By Andrea FERRARI