Arts

A report into the economic benefit of Bluesfest to the Northern Rivers region and the state has revealed the music festival, which is in jeopardy of not continuing beyond 2025, contributed $148 million to the region and $235 million to the NSW economy this year. Lawrence Consulting were contracted to prepare a report into the economic impact of Bluesfest which reveals significant economic contributions at a crucial time as the festival prepares for it’s final 2025 event…

What is happening at the gallery, well I will tell you. Our Paint a Skateboard Exhibition has opened. This exhibition has an absolute wow about it, so many different ways to make a deck look fantastic.

An innovative portrait project at Uniting Caroona Yamba by renowned local artist Harry Westera is uniting residents and staff, fostering a friendly community and preserving precious memories ... When his wife Grace, a Pastoral Carer at Caroona Yamba suggested he volunteer he took up the opportunity, and in 2 years he has hand drawn 91 portraits of residents, 52 of which adorn the walls of Caroona, with more being added regularly.

Tweed-based Wiradjuri artist  Hannah Lange has been awarded the top prize in the 2024 Wollumbin Art Award (WAA) with a stunning painting paying tribute to traditional First Nations weaving entitled Weaving by the River. The artist also wins a two-week residency at the Gallery’s Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio.

We had a whopping 96 entries for the Wild About Shellharbour photography competition and received some truly incredible images. We’re very excited to announce the winners of the Over 18, Under 18 and People’s Choice categories.

Cascade Art Gallery reopened after a winter hiatus on Thursday 5 September with a beautiful exhibition of David Moore’s 51 paintings of sky, landscape and domestic objects ... Starting at an early age David learned to paint under the guidance of his father and mentored by Sir William Dargie CBE and Harley Griffiths, who was responsible for restoration at the NGV.

Angela Hart from Nobby has been named as one of fifty finalists in The Australian Artists Awards for Emerging Artists ... Angela has been an artist for many years and as part of the local Back Road Artists group has contributed to exhibitions in local galleries and art spaces.

What do you get when you take a Fireback Huntsman home for research and photograph it in your bathroom? And not just any bathroom... Lego bathroom? And why? TEDx speaker, author and wildlife educator Steven Gill says "Let Me Explain..." with his new Australian east coast tour!

Jenny Pollard. A madcap romp filled with stunning vocals, incredible music and eye-catching costumes drew loud applause from the large crowd which attended the Lyster Opera performance of "The Italian Girl in Algiers" at The Rex last Saturday afternoon. The Charlton production kicked off the company tour which is headed across regional Victoria as well as a number of Melbourne locations.

J Lowe. There are rare humans who… may lack the neural apparatus for appreciating tones or melodies. But for virtually all of us, music has great power, whether or not we seek it out or think of ourselves as particularly ‘musical’. This propensity to music – this ‘musicophilia’- shows itself in infancy, is manifest and central in every culture, and probably goes back to the very beginnings of our species…

The Snowy Mountain Tango Festival took place, for the third consecutive year, on the weekend in Corryong. Steadily growing, it attracted more than 100 participants with dancers and performers coming from Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, as well as from Gippsland and the local region, including Albury/Wodonga, Batlow, Corryong.

The biannual cluBarham Rock by the River Rock ‘n’ Roll Festival attracted 250 attendees from local and interstate to enjoy four days of live music and dancing ... The four days of entertainment were complemented by dancing lessons and the opportunity to buy the perfect attire or pair of swanky shoes to complement one’s moves on the dance floor.

Overlockers and sewing machines, hot glue guns and paper mâché formations worked overtime last week to prepare costumes for the 2024 Book Week Parade at Barham’s Riverside Park. For those time-restricted or creatively impaired, it was a flying trip to costume shops to gather all the bibs and bobs needed to help bring book characters to life!

Divine intelligence creates peace and perfection in nature: An exhibition of bird peace by G.G. Jolliffe and pennie scott. “Can you allow mystery and logic to sit comfortably side by side in your hand?’ This sage question from Stuart Hill, Professor Emeritus, Founding Chair of social ecology in Australia, runs through the core of the exhibition.

The night sky in Kaniva has a new star attraction: a colour-changing windmill, the crowning achievement of a three-year community-driven lighting project that has transformed the town’s main street. From purple to blue, red, green, and gold, the windmill now lights up with subtle hues, adding a splash of color to the town’s nighttime landscape.

After more than 50 years performing and releasing 22 hit albums that have sold more than 2.6 million copies, Australian music royalty, Marcia Hines is bringing her renowned stage presence to Grafton’s Saraton Theatre on her ‘Still Shining’ concert tour. Last week, Marcia spoke to the CV Independent about her upcoming performance in Grafton and her life in music.

Farmers and locals from Birchip and surrounding areas filled the Birchip Community Leisure Centre on Wednesday night to learn of the proposed mining projects and their impacts on agricultural production and the wider community. Andrew Lee addressed the crowd of 150, whose anticipation had been building as Facebook posts gained attention across the district, sparking a wave of community discussion and diverse opinions on the issue.

In his first photo story for Australian Rural & Regional News, professional photographer John Krutop features wood artisan Andrew McPherson at his gallery 'Ride the Wild Goat' in the picturesque Gippsland town of Fish Creek.

It’s a long way from the small town of Carnarvon in WA’s Gascoyne region to the picturesque Italian city of Venice. But that’s exactly where WA glass-artist Sabrina Dowling Guidici will be heading this September. Sabrina is the only Australian to be exhibiting at this year’s prestigious Venice Glass Week where she’ll showcase a unique glasswork collection titled ‘Saltwaters’ ... inspired by seagrasses found in WA’s World Heritage Site of Shark Bay ...

Members found the July topic "Silhouettes" harder than expected. The independent judge was Tryg Hellander who awarded "Honour" to two entries, Michelle’s "Man and Dog" and Glenda’s "Trumpeting in the Night". Michelle’s candid capture of "Man and Dog" was described by Tryg as "Razor sharp, clean, interesting, unmistakable and pretty much what a silhouette story looks like.

August has been an exceptional month for aurora-spotting and photographers have been sharing their extraordinary images online, making everyone else glance skyward with envy. With its elevated position and lack of light pollution, Mount Tarrengower has been a perfect place from which to capture these night rainbows, as Karen Cordell showed in this gorgeous photo that she took with her phone last week.