Dungog Arts Society has put the call out for artists to start creating in the lead up to their biggest exhibition of the year.
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After a two year hiatus due to COVID-19, the society is gearing up for its annual art exhibition which will run across a 10 day period beginning from Friday, September 30.
"It is our major fundraiser for the entire year and with COVID we've missed out the last two years," arts society secretary Greg Mudie said.
"We're really looking to have a big one this year. We've been all set to go on two occasions and then lockdown comes."
As well as acting as the primary fundraiser for the arts society, the event provides a great exhibiting opportunity for local artists.
The exhibition also attracts entries from around Australia, with artists from Sydney and Brisbane entering in past years.
The exhibition is made up of nine categories: open paintings, traditional landscapes, local artists, photography, fibre art, 3D art, miniature paintings, youth (12 to 18 years) and a junior category (under 12).
"There's no theme as such. The beauty of it is we've got nine categories so it caters for all artists. It's not just painting," Mr Mudie said.
Throughout all the categories there is more than $7000 in prize money to be won.
In the past, the exhibition has hosted upwards of 300 different entries.
Typically, the annual art exhibition would make the society around $7000, which would be used to pay expenses that the society incurs.
In the past two years that the exhibition hasn't run they have missed out on approximately $14,000 in revenue and has had to live off commissions from selling art out of their headquarters.
Also read: Dungog Arts Society takes its gallery online
The annual exhibition is a favorite among local artists, according to Gallery on Dowling owner Helene Leane.
"I look forward to the exhibition at the Dungog Arts Society. I'm always an entrant and I think it's really important to support the local initiatives. There's kicak section which is really exciting for all local artists to exhibit in," Ms Leane said.
Ms Leane painted an artwork two years ago for the 2020 exhibition. After it was postponed, she withheld it and plans on submitting it again this year.
"I wasn't sure when the exhibit was going to be on and I didn't want to have to rush to paint something. It's a Dungog inspired landscape," Ms Leane said.
Entries for the exhibition open in early July and close on Wednesday, September 14. Each artist can submit four entries in total but only one per category.
For more information visit dungogartssociety.com.au.