Lucky 13th For Arts Festival

April English travelled from Toowoomba to attend this year’s Nanart opening night

May 11, 2013

The annual Nanart Arts Festival got off to a flying start at the Nanango Cultural Centre this evening.

A bubbly opening night crowd turned out to view the Festival’s art exhibition, admire the prize-winning entries, tuck into a spread of wines and canapes, and applaud the prize winners in the competition’s eight major categories.

As 2013 marks the 13th year the event has been run, this year’s opening night also took on a Halloween theme.

Members of Nanart’s organising committee donned witches hats and spooky outfits to greet guests as they walked through the door – but it was all in a light-hearted spirit of fun.

There were 61 entries submitted to this year’s art competition, along with displays of quilts and other crafts mounted in the Cultural Centre’s “art wing”.

Guests were welcomed by Nanart president Lois Hamilton who then turned over proceedings to Cr Debra Palmer for the official opening.

Compere Rod Morgan then gave a brief speech on the importance of art and culture in enhancing community life before announcing this year’s prize winners.

He said the number of entries was down slightly on last year but any shortfall in quantity was more than made up for by quality.

Professional artist Kelli McGregor, who travelled from Maryborough to judge the competition, agreed.

She told the audience the quality of many of the entries was “quite outstanding” and congratulated Nanart for producing such a great regional art show.

The 2013 Nanart exhibition will be on show at the Nanango Cultural Centre from 9:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday, May 11; and from 9:00am to 2:00pm on Sunday, May 12.

Lois Hamilton and Ros Smith — Nanart president Lois Hamilton and treasurer Ros Smith helped give opening night a Halloween theme

Jess and Wendy Elford — Artist Jess Elford and proud mum Wendy admire Jess’s entry ‘Tahliya’ in this year’s Nanart competition

Former Nanango Shire Young Citizen of the Year 2005 Melissa Green travelled from Brisbane to attend Nanart’s opening night and admire Anthony Donas’s award-winning work “Brolga”

Cr Deb Palmer and Lois Hamilton officially opened the Festival

Elizabeth Di Tommaso and emcee Rod Morgan — Prize winner Elizabeth Di Tommaso with compere Rod Morgan

Lyn Krivan, Noeline Dalgarno and Penny Heslop — Can this much fun be legal? Lyn Krivan and Penny Heslop take a break for finger foods served up by Noeline Dalgarno

Country Focus proprietors Ross and Sandy Towell pause to admire Jo O’Brien Welch’s winning oil “Kasey Lee”; from next year, the prize in this category will rise from $300 to $500 and be known as the Lois Hamilton Award

Connie and Amanda Sempf – performing as “The Sempf Experience” – came from Blackbutt to provide musical entertainment for the evening

Natalie Krivan and Kelli McGregor — Year 10 KSHS student Natalie Kriven compares notes with 2013 Nanart judge Kelli McGregor

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2013 NANART PRIZES

ART

Section 1 (Open Oil)
1. Jo O’Brien-Welch
2. Betty Searle
HC: Lois Hamilton

Section 2 (Any Subject, Any Medium)
1. Marjie Zimmermann
2. Jo O’Brien-Welch

Section 3 (Watercolour)
1. Sue Lederhose
2. Trish Erkens

Section 4 (Contemporary)
1. Tricia Reust
2. Shannus O’Sullivan
HC: Lois Hamilton

Section 5 (Indigenous Art)
1. Anthony Donas

Section 6 (Novice)
1. Lois Vreeken
2. Michelle Cartlidge

Section 7 (Any Subject, Any Medium – Under 18 Yrs)
1. Darcy Mellon
2. Willow Anderson
HC: Alex Snape, Michael Snape, Tyrone Snape, Kathleen Gogerly

Section 8 (Sculpture)
1. Sue Flintham
2. Ben Munro
HC: Julia Shaw