Geelong Art Show returns for second year

FOLLOWING last year’s successful inaugural Geelong Arts Show, the event is returning to Sacred Heart College for its second year.

Held by Geelong Art Show Inc., the event will officially open on Friday, August 16 and run until August 18, with more than 200 artworks on display across a range of mediums.

Geelong Art Show committee chair Deb Fribbins said 257 art works had been registered for the show, an increase of 10 per cent from last year.

“The quality of the artists that we’ve had enrolled in this has been amazing,” Ms Fribbins said.

“I’m not an artist, I don’t look at art for what judges look for, brushstrokes and density, the right colours; I look for art that looks pretty on my walls.”

Categories for this year’s show include oils, acrylics, watercolours, charcoal, ink, pastels and graphite, and new to the list is mixed media, a medium that was frequently asked for.

The room has also been configured differently, which will allow for more art to be displayed. Ms Fribbins said there are three objectives around the planning of the art show: support local artists, support the Geelong community and raise money for an Australian charity.

All surplus funds from this year’s event will be donated to the Very Special Kids charity, supporting children with terminal illnesses.

The exhibition will be curated and judged by Melbourne artist Jill Shalless, who has held her own solo exhibitions and group shows.

For Ms Fribbins, the highlight of the event is the official opening on the Friday night.

“The opening night is absolutely beautiful because a high percentage of the artists come,” she said.

“They kind of hang around their art so that if people have a question about the art, they can answer and they can listen to feedback from people that are there.”

The exhibition will be open from 10am to 5pm on August 17 and from 10am to 4pm on August 18.

For tickets to opening night, head to events.humanitix.com/geelong-art-show

For more information, head to geelongartshow.com