The Inaugural Art Fair of Bega Rotary Club was a great success! It was held alongside the much-loved Book Fair at the Bega Showgrounds from 19-21 January. Opening night was a fabulous event and attended by about 90 people. Andrew Gray, Executive Director of South East Arts and our President, Phil McDonald welcomed everyone and cut the ribbon for entry into the wonderful display of nearly 300 pieces of art by the talented artists of the Bega Valley. Before long there were red 'sold' dots on lots of exhibits.
Maz Hamilton was the initiator of the Art Fair and it was only due to her vision, persistence and organisation that it was such a success – thank you Maz. The running of the Art and Book Fairs side-by-side worked very well and the patrons loved being able to move between the two events.
A special thanks also goes to Charlie Blomfield and John Hamilton who organised all the set-up and running of the Book Fair which was very busy on both days.
Bega Rotary extends a huge thank you to the following sponsors for their generous support: Bega Show Society, Bega Cheese, Big W, Coles, Dan Murphy's, Design Post, Frill Neck Framing, Inkwell Art Supplies and Woolworths. A huge thank you also to all the Artists, Wendy Neville for the donation of many of her art pieces, everyone who donated books, and of course the many Rotarians, friends and family who volunteered their time for the hours of sorting, setting up, sales and packing up. It means a lot to us as this is our major fundraiser and there is uncertainty about when we can hold our next event because of the upcoming redevelopment of the showgrounds. We’ll just have to make it bigger and better!
