Arts group hits the road for out-of-town show

AFTER nearly a decade of exhibiting locally, members of one of Ballarat’s prominent community art groups are taking their works out of the region for their first-ever out-of-town exhibition.

Having launched on Friday, the Soldiers Hill Artist Collective’s SHAC on Track show is introducing 18 of the group’s roughly 23 creatives to a new space, site, and community at the Willaura Modern.

SHAC chair Neale Thompson said the show, located just over an hour from Ballarat, will be an exciting opportunity for the group’s members.

“It’s a way to explore the regional opportunities outside of Ballarat,” he said.

“We’ve also been a community conscious group and this gets us there in a community that might encourage other similar groups to do a similar thing.”

Between 25 and 30 pieces will be on display with the show ranging from photographs to woven works, linocuts, and canvas art.

Thompson is presenting a chair constructed with recycled redgum and messmate timber as well as copper piping that he said is a commentary on society’s dependence on and misuse of water.

He also said he’s keen to become acquainted with a new arts scene outside of Ballarat.

“It’s a good networking opportunity for people to meet our artists and see what they and the group do and to establish hopefully ongoing relationships,” he said.

“They had something like 400 people come through for an exhibition. For a small town like Willaura that’s pretty impressive.”

SHAC On Track will be open between 11am to 3pm from Fridays to Sundays, or by appointment, until Sunday 24 September at the Willaura Modern art gallery located at 49 Main Street, Willaura.