The Barwon Heads Arts Council’s Bellarine Arts Trail 2023 will launch this weekend with an exhibition of participating artists’ works at the Barwon Heads Arts Hub.
Running over the Melbourne Cup weekend, the Bellarine Arts Trail features the works of nearly 80 artists at 45 venues in and around Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove, Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff.
A Taste of the Trail exhibition, launching at 1pm to 4pm this Saturday, October 21 will feature works from many of the artists participating in the Arts Trail and run till November 7.
The exhibition, which will be officially opened by Bellarine Ward councillor Elise Wilkinson, will give art lovers the chance to explore the different artists and plan their own Arts Trail in two weeks’ time.
Arts Trail coordinator and founder Karen Shirley said the free event was a great way for artists and the public to connect.
“The idea of it is, people can grab a trail map, which we provide, and then go and meet the artist in their studio,” she said.
“They can have a look at their work, talk to them about how they create their work. It’s an opportunity for artists to sell their work, and for the visitors it’s an opportunity to find artists they wouldn’t otherwise know about.
“The other thing is it provides a benefit to local businesses over the weekend as well. So it’s really a win-win for everybody.”
Ms Shirley said she was very proud of the way the event had flourished since beginning in 2016.
“When we started in 2016 we started small, because we’d never done anything like this before,” she said.
“Since then, we’ve got galleries, we’ve had all sorts of events, art schools. All these things combined are putting the Bellarine on the map in terms of being an arts destination, and this year is probably the biggest.”
Visit bhac.org.au for more information on the Bellarine Arts Trail 2023.
