Artist and educator, Professor Denise Ferris, will be this year's judge of the River of Art Prize.
Head of the ANU's school of art and design until last year, Denise will be the sole judge for this year's competition. As head of the school and as a continuing member of the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools as well as the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Art, Denise contributes to the development of visual art, craft and design tertiary education in Australia.
Above: Professor Denise Ferris, former head of the ANU’s School of Art and Design
Living on the Monaro in the high country of NSW, Denise is a photographer and advocate for inclusive education and culture, which recognises art and design as invaluable social action and critical knowledge.
Co-chairs of the River of Art Festival, Di Jay and Vicki Lascelles, are delighted that Denise has agreed to be the judge.
"This competition is a major highlight of our festival. We are delighted that Denise with her extensive experience and expertise has agreed to be the art prize judge. We're hoping for a record number of entries.," Di said.
"While many of last year's works highlighted the impact of the region's bushfires, we're expecting a COVID-theme to run through this year's entries." Vicki added.
Artists across all media, from within and beyond the region, are encouraged to submit their work for this year's prize. The deadline for entries has been extended to midnight, Sunday 22 August. All work must be submitted electronically via a digital image of the work, using the online application form which can be found on the festival’s website, www.riverofart.com.au. The cost of entry is $40 per work. Artworks must be the original, unassisted work of the entrant, completed within one year of the exhibition date and not previously exhibited.
Around 25 shortlisted works will appear in the River of Art Prize exhibition to be held at Gallery Narooma run by SoART.
Artists whose work is not shortlisted will be invited to exhibit their submitted artwork in the Salon de Refusés at Narooma’s School of Arts’ studios. Both exhibitions will run throughout the festival.
Now in its 16th year, the 2021 River of Art Festival will run from 17 to 26 September. Apart from the art prize, the festival will feature 119 events and activities.
The big favourites will include Open Studios, REVIVE public art, Art on Parade, music gigs and workshops ranging from poetry and writing family histories through to weaving and bicycle repair.
A fabulous new event is the Wattle Walk - a collaboration between the University of Wollongong and the Eurobodalla Botanical Gardens. This will be an all-day event at the gardens featuring a walk of knitted wattle representing renewal as well as an exhibition by the renowned wood workers group, Splinters as well as performances by the Eurobodalla Chamber Orchestra and the Thugs Ukulele Band.
The full program for the festival can be found on the River of Art website at www.riverofart.com.au
