Arts show still hanging in there

• Golf club volunteer David Glover stats the task of repairing a damaged fairway.

By Tony Scott,
June 09, 2021

The reborn North-East Arts and Crafts Festival will be staged in Scottsdale over the long weekend, starting on Friday evening, June 11.

With a theme of ‘Coming Home’ the exhibition will fill the Mechanics Institute Hall with the work of 62 artists and crafts people from throughout the State.

The first such exhibition was held at the hall 47 years ago, but moved to the RSL sub Branch in more recent years.

Co-ordinator Ally Mercer said the entry of 190 artworks and 300 pieces of craft was slightly up on the last show in 2019 for both entrants and entries.

The Covid epidemic caused the cancellation of last year’s exhibition and the former organising committee decided it could not continue this year.

That’s when the James Scott Decorative Arts Society, which operates the Mechanics’ Institute Hall stepped in to revive the annual show.

“It was too good an event to simply let slip away,” Ms Mercer said.

Adding to the sense of life and activity in Scottsdale for the occasion several retail businesses are extending hours to cater for the expected influx of long weekend visitors.

All items in the exhibition will be for sale and there’s also a chance of artists walking away with a $1000 cash prize for the work judged best or a $750 people’s choice award.