July 7, 2014
Wondai Art Gallery played host to a group of a dozen visiting Sunshine Coast art fans at the opening of its July exhibition “Artistic Friends Through Art” on Friday night.
Two of the visitors were long-time fans of artist June McCotter, who is exhibiting at the Gallery this month with fellow Sunshine Coast artist Lori Sedgman.
When they heard about June’s exhibition, they persuaded 10 of their friends to accompany them on “a safari” to the South Burnett “to experience country life first-hand”.
The group booked rooms at the nearby Wondai Hotel and later spent the remainder of the weekend exploring the region.
Their visit included an impromptu lunch with Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen at Captain’s Paddock in Kingaroy on Saturday afternoon – prompted by seeing Lady Flo’s portrait in the Gallery – and some also stayed to attend Sunday morning’s Reserve Forces Day ceremony in Wondai’s CBD.
Gallery curator Elaine Madill said she was overjoyed to see the group join regulars at the monthly opening, which also attracted large numbers of locals.
The exhibition’s official opening was performed by June McCotter’s long-time friend, former curator Alison Iszlaub, who reminded guests that June had been one of the artists who originally helped found the Wondai Art Gallery many years ago.
“We started off in a building at the corner of the roundabout and it was simply awful,” Alison recalled.
“There was dust everywhere and it was impossible to keep clean.
“But we persisted through six exhibitions until one day the Wondai Shire Council suggested that it wouldn’t mind if we relocated to the old station master’s residence at the other side of the roundabout providing we tidied it up.
“That’s where the Gallery has stayed ever since.”
Alison noted the Wondai Regional Art Gallery is now considerably larger than it was in those early days, and said this was a tribute to the hard work of all the Gallery’s volunteers and current curator Elaine Madill, as well as everyone who had supported the Gallery’s vision of bringing “wonderful art” to the South Burnett.
She also praised June who had continued to be a “terrific friend” to the Gallery, even though the artist now lives on the Sunshine Coast and has her own “Heart of the Art” commercial gallery at The Big Pineapple in Woombye.
June continues to exhibit at Wondai one month each year, and often brings other Sunshine Coast artists with her.
This year it was friend Lori Sedgman, whose works have never been seen in the region before.
And in a nostalgic twist, at June’s request, students from St Patrick’s Primary School in Nanango are exhibiting in Kidz Korner this month.
St Patrick’s was June’s old primary school.
- “Artistic Friends Through Art” will remain on display the Wondai Regional Art Gallery from 10:00am to 4:00pm daily until the end of July; admission to view the exhibition is free
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