ORANGE councillor Chris Gryllis wants to lift the profile of Orange artists by giving them regular access to space in the Orange Regional Gallery.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cr Gryllis said it was important for Orange to showcase the work of its talented artists at least twice a year.
“I think it would need to be well-promoted and it would be well-patronised,” he said.
“We owe them the opportunity to allow people to view what Orange artists produce.”
However, council spokesman Nick Redmond said council staff had pushed hard to increase the focus on the work of local artists.
“The Orange Regional Gallery is looking for new ways hard to encourage local artists and include their work in exhibitions,” he said.
“So far there are 19 exhibitions planned for the Orange Regional Gallery in 2015. Of those, there are nine solo exhibitions of the work of established, recognised artists from the region. That includes seven artists from the local area and two from the broader region.”
Orange Art Society publicity officer Jan Savage would also like to see more opportunities for artists from the region to exhibit their work, however, it was important to get the balance right.
“I think local art shouldn’t dominate the gallery. The gallery is there to bring external exhibitions through [to Orange],” she said.
Mrs Savage said it was important any art that was exhibited was of a high standard.
“There has to be a degree of competency in the art that’s exhibited and there also needs to be variations in the type of art that’s shown,” she said.
Mrs Savage said the region had several award winning artists and it was important to have somewhere for them to exhibit their work on a permanent basis.
tracey.prisk@
fairfaxmedia.com.au