Aboriginal artists from the NSW Central West will show work for the first time at the prestigious National Indigenous Art Fair in Sydney over the weekend July 2-3.
Arts OutWest will have a stand showing and selling work of more than half a dozen artists from this region including paintings, prints, cards, jewellery and weaving.
The third National Indigenous Art Fair is a two-day art market and events in celebration of NAIDOC Week at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, 130 Argyle St, The Rocks.
The art fair is an ethical marketplace, offering a unique opportunity to buy artworks directly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. For the first time NSW based Aboriginal arts centres, galleries and programs will be joining remote community-owned art centres from the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. More than 10,000 visitors are expected over the two days.
“We’re excited to bring work with a distinct regional NSW flavour to this hugely important showcase of art,” said curator and Arts OutWest Aboriginal Arts Development Officer Aleshia Lonsdale. “The program I run at Arts OutWest has a big focus on supporting artists to develop both new work and new markets for what they make. There’s been a busy few weeks travelling across the region to collect new work from artists.”
Featured NSW Central West artists include Jessica Leffley (from Lithgow), Nyree Reynolds (Blayney), Bev Coe (Condobolin), Irene Ridgeway (Parkes), Peter Swain and other artists from Rylstone’s Guluu Gallery, Aleshia Lonsdale (Mudgee).
Many of these artists regularly show work at the Kew-Y-Ahn Aboriginal Gallery at Hartley Historic Site which is a partnership between Arts OutWest and National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The Kew-Y-Ahn Aboriginal Gallery at Hartley Historic Site is just off the Great Western Highway at Hartley, in the NPWS visitors building. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-4.20pm. Arts OutWest’s Aboriginal Arts Development Program is supported by the Australian Government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS).
Blayney’s Nyree Reynolds own solo exhibition Nhadhu Wiradjuri Yinna opens at Platform Arts Hub Blayney on Saturday 2 July at 12noon and runs until 29 July.