Entries now open for new exhibition at The Foundry

“(The theme is) celebrating a range of artistic practices, encompassing both expressions of nature in art, and socially and ecologically motivated works relating to our natural environment and climate change,” a Campaspe Shire Council representative said.

Following the closing of entries, the exhibition of submitted works that meet the qualifications will open on July 19 and run until August 18 at The Foundry.

There is a prize pool of over $4500 for awarded works, including a youth prize that will be awarded to two pieces created by secondary school aged artists.

All prizes will be awarded on the exhibition’s opening night except for the people’s choice award, which will be decided by attendees voting on their favourite artwork.

Every artist will be asked to submit commentary about their artwork and what it means to them from the perspective of the theme, ‘Nature Speaks’.

All the artwork at the exhibition will be available for purchase, with all proceeds going to the artists to continue supporting local art.

Chair of the 2024 EMAI Art Prize organising committee, Dr Suzanne Harrison OAM, highlighted the importance of this year’s theme, ‘Nature Speaks’, and how it can be effectively portrayed in various artistic expressions.

“The art prize is an environmental art prize. We are looking at works that celebrate nature and the environment or comment on the climate catastrophe and its effect on the environment,” she said.

“(The theme) comes from being incredibly blessed to live in a part of the world where nature is such an important aspect of our town and the environment.

“We, like many others, have concerns for the effects of climate change and humanity on the environment, so we saw it as an opportunity to ask people to consider that and to have a focus for their work.”

Dr Harrison reflected on past iterations of the EMAI Art Prize, with the first being in 2022. She hopes that with support from Campaspe Shire, they will have more space to exhibit this year.

Dr Harrison also recognised the importance of the exhibition and art prize to the community of Echuca and being able to bring more art culture to the area.

“Last year, we were able to show all of the artworks that met our criteria, and with the help of Campaspe Shire, we will have a bit more space this year to display all of the works,” she said.

“This year, we have had really great support from sponsors, so I hope we will have an even bigger and better exhibition than we did two years ago when we first attempted this art prize.

“Echuca is incredibly blessed with its natural features. We also have some incredible old buildings, but we don’t have a big art gallery.

“So what we would like to do is bring the art world to the minds of the local community and what a benefit it could be to all of us.”