Gardens venue to feature new talent

A NEW hospitality precinct in the Bendigo Botanic Gardens has put out a call for amateur artists who would like to have their work featured in the space.

Co-owned by Jareth Richardson and Aaron Clay, Omari will include a cafe, restaurant, and event space, and is set to open in about a month’s time.

“The whole idea is to be able to provide a platform for all styles of artists to showcase their work,” said Mr Richardson.

“At the end of the day, the botanic gardens is a community space, and we just wanted to be that platform.

“We wanted to embed ourselves in the community and intertwine with other community groups, we already work with Dja Dja Wurrung, we work with council and other smaller community groups.”

The plan is to have artworks displayed for a pre-determined period of time so that there are constantly new pieces for people to return to see.

The first display will be on the walls from August to September.

“When people do come visit, maybe it is only a couple of times a year, there will be different artwork with different pieces to showcase,” said Mr Richardson.

“The whole idea behind that is to work with various groups and individuals to do a showcase on a rotation per season.”

Artists will have a plaque and a description of their piece with it, along with a QR code through which potential buyers may contact them directly.

Mr Richardson said Omari will not profit from any sales and that the business has already received several submissions.

“It’s important for us to provide that platform to a whole range of artists, not just up-and-coming,” he said.

“We’ve had a majority of artists that have never thought of showcasing their work, and some of the stuff that’s come through has just been amazing.”

Artists can contact Mr Richardson by email at [email protected] for a chance to have their work displayed.