BALLARAT Frolic Festival are inviting expressions of interest for regional artists to display work in their upcoming Backspace Galley show.<\/p>\n
With the festival set to take place this year over the June long weekend, the Festival coordinator for art and literature projects Sarah Hart said the 2021 event will be a shorter, tighter but COVID-safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven that we\u2019re having it in June, we\u2019re going for a bit of a darker, weirder, stranger feel to embrace the cold weather, one of the things Ballarat is known for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have the old favourite, the cabaret, which always sells out and we\u2019re thinking about doing quite a significant art piece, an immersive experience that covers a range of different mediums and performances.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, the art show which we\u2019ve done every year since the inception of the festival, but this is the first year we will be in Backspace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having previously held the Frolic art show in a variety of locations around Ballarat including the Miner\u2019s Tavern and the George Hotel, Ms Hart said organisers are excited to make the most of being part of the Backspace program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first year we will be in the heart of the arts precinct which is great visibility and a real sign of acceptance and solidarity by the arts community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the exhibition scheduled to run 13 May to 20 June, it also means we have access to curatorial access and that sense of professionalism, we\u2019re really happy about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Including the art show, Ms Hart said that after 2020, the Frolic Festival is an important opportunity for the LGBTQI+ community to finally celebrate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe festival is so important particularly for the queer community who always struggle with issues around isolation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve all lost a sense of community over the past year, we literally haven\u2019t been able to get together.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur safe places are less and everyone\u2019s struggling a bit so the chance to actually get together and celebrate what makes us different is going to be a really wonderful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
With applications closing towards the end of April, Ms Hart said regional artists can get in touch with Frolic organisers and they will send through the theme and necessary information.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have any restrictions on medium or size or anything like that apart from obvious logistical restrictions of the space itself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no fee to apply and there will be a couple of prizes as well which is quite nice because there are not many exhibitions in Ballarat that do award prizes to emerging artists.\u201d<\/p>\n