Cooroy custom framing business Frame Tree has jumped on board as a new sponsor for the annual Mary Valley Art Festival.
Entries open on May 15 and you can use the online form or pick up a print entry form at local outlets. Entry forms are due by July 8 and you can find them and terms and conditions online at www.maryvalleyartfestival.com.au
Owner operator of Frame Tree Custom Framing, Belinda Richardson, is excited about her involvement with the festival. Her $500 prize goes to the winner of the drawing category, one of 10 sections in the show being held at the Imbil Public Hall, Imbil from July 25-28.
“We are thrilled to be a sponsor in this year’s Mary Valley Art Festival. There is always such amazing artwork coming out of the area,” she said.
“We like to nurture and support new talent, and encourage all emerging and established artists to enter.”
She has more than 20 years’ experience in design and visual arts and said the quality of entries at the art festival was always outstanding.
She began work as a graphic designer for 15 years at The Illawarra Mercury before moving to the Sunshine Coast with her young family, where she studied a Diploma in Visual Arts and trained to be a trade qualified picture framer.
The new sponsorship means the prize pool this year is $11,500 which includes the RJR Property Best in Show award for $3000, and $1500 for the Open winner from Gympie’s Bendigo Bank. Transport company Masondale sponsors the People’s Choice award to $1000.
A total of $350 is up for grabs in the youth section.
The 2024 Mary Valley Art Festival opens for viewing on July 25 from 10am-4pm each day until July 28, with the gala awards presentation on Friday July 26 from 6pm. Celebrate the arts with music, licensed bar and finger food as the adult and youth award winners are announced.
You can make a weekend of it and stay in Mary Valley Country with a poets’ breakfast on Saturday July 27 from 8am, followed by the Masondale People’s Choice Awards at 3pm.
The festival is part of the Gympie Region Studio Trails, which celebrates artists, artisans and creatives and invites you into their private studios, ateliers, and creative spaces to share their work, their skills, their stories and their inspiration. More information at https://www.gympie.qld.gov.au/studio-trails