Community

What a great event Art Unlimited is.

Now in its fifteenth year, it is considered one of regional Australia’s most anticipated and well supported art events. The prize pool of $14,000 is obviously a drawcard, and one of the reasons I attended as an entrant.

But the fact is that it is much more than simply an art competition.

It is a the culmination of many weeks of planning and work by a dedicated band of volunteers, an event that draws this small regional community of Dunedoo and its surrounding neighbours together. I was lucky enough to be involved a little more deeply than anticipated. Having a couple of friends who live there helped.

My wife and I drove up the weekend before to visit one of them at Makers Space Dunedoo, and to personally deliver my two photo entries to Art Unlimited. Our visit happened to coincide with the Made n’ Grown 3 Rivers Produce and Artisan Market which although not huge, made up for it with great live music, local crafts and produce, and best of all, warm friendly faces. It was easy to while away the entire Saturday morning there, just enjoying the laid back country pace.

Meanwhile, over at the Dunedoo Central School, the hall was being transformed into a gallery space. Volunteers were quietly busy unpacking the works from some 300 entrants, and the bare movable display walls and pedestals that now subdivided the space waited patiently to feature those works.

Back at the markets, and with the car now empty of artwork, we even managed to fit in a set of six refurbished mid-century dining chairs that we had bought from the gents of the Dunedoo Men's Shed. To his credit, George there did his enthusiastic best to persuade us to take anything (or everything) that they had on display, but we resisted his cheeky charm. With cloudy skies above nixing any chance of some bonus astrophotography later that night, we left Dunedoo under the watchful eye of the famous racehorse Winx, painted hugely upon the town silo, and set off for the four hour drive home.

A few days later we returned for the official opening of the exhibition. First stop was the Dunedoo Men's Shed. We had brought along a large wall-mounted whiteboard from home that we no longer needed, figuring it would be of much better use donated to these handy gentlemen. George met us there and opened the door, happy with this new acquisition. Of course, he gave us the grand tour of their large, well-appointed workshop. The pride in their facilities and good work they do was evident in his voice, and it was well-founded. Without stating it, he made the value of Men's Sheds clear. Yes, they do furniture restoration and some mechanical restoration, but more importantly, one's health is dependent on many things; feeling good about yourself, being productive, community contribution, connection to others, and being active in body and mind. Here at the Shed George and his mates have a safe and busy environment in which they can access many of these without pressure, in an atmosphere of good old-fashioned community-mindedness. And it's not just Men's Sheds, there are Women's Sheds as well, providing the same valuable support and outcomes.

But back to the art exhibition; as mentioned earlier, our local friend was involved with organising the event, so I was asked to assist in the photographing of all entries on the day prior to the launch. The bare walls and the pedestals of the previous weekend were now adorned with the creative output of many very talented individuals; artists, printmakers, photographers and ceramicists.

The renowned art critic Robert Hughes once said “The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize." Well, I must be a great artist, because I certainly was beset by great self-doubt upon seeing them all.

The judges handed down their decisions in private for the various categories on the Friday afternoon, and I was once again asked to assist by photographing of the winning entries for the Art Unlimited website and socials before the formal announcements later that evening. Did I win? I'll tell you later.

I was also asked to be one of the evening's photographers, so it was with camera around my neck that we returned at 7.00 pm for the official launch. Photographing an event such as this provides the perfect icebreaker, allowing you to approach anyone and everyone, as you try to capture the spirit of the evening. What I experienced not only through my viewfinder, but also face to face and in conversation, was an enthusiastic and appreciative audience. They were excited to be attending the opening night, they were keen to applaud the winners, and they largely admired the submissions from across Australia (of course, there was a fair amount of spirited discussion about the judges decisions, but hey, it wouldn't be an art show without it, right?).

But there was more than all of that. There was a palpable sense of community. The air was thick with it. This was not some city show where pretty much everyone was a stranger to each other. These people knew each other. The few hundred of them in the hall could form small knots of animated conversation, unravel, and form new knots, over and over in hundreds of permutations.

Bunnamagoo Winery in nearby Mudgee kindly supplied the fine wines that helped lubricate the social gears even further, and with true country hospitality, the locals welcomely mingled with the visitors from other parts of New South Wales. Of course, the school’s food technology students created and served the delicious finger food. The food and wine kept coming. No-one was left wanting. Seems everyone had pitched in to make this event a success.

The Dunedoo Lions Club President proudly welcomed the crowd, then Jess McGuire from ABC Western Plains did a wonderful job of MCing and announcing the winners, with a deft lighthearted touch. Executive Director of Regional Arts NSW, Dr Tracey Callinan, officially open the exhibition. She spoke about the importance of making expressions of art accessible to people living in regional and rural areas. She is indeed right. And as I witnessed, it is important in so many ways; not only as a creative outlet, but also integral to weaving a strong community fabric.

And as a bonus, I even managed to sneak in some astro after the event. I had to do it at 3.00 am, and it was zero degrees, but it was worth standing out there. Dunedoo is situated out in Warrumbungle Dark Sky country. If you want to experience stars unlike anything before , head out to Cobbora Station. Sally there will make sure that you are warm, comfortable and cared for in one of their charming cottages, and treat you to some of that legendary country hospitality.

Art Unlimited ran for two weekends, visited by hundreds of locals, and people from across the district and beyond. Yes, the Dunedoo CWA catered the lunches for visitors. What else would you expect? Congratulations to the Dunedoo Lions Club in creating such a resoundingly successful community event. It was such a pleasure and a privilege to be part of it all for the last few days, and to witness and share in that coming together.

Yes I won something, but not any awards. I did sell one of my prints on the opening night (to a gracious and obviously discerning patron...) which was reassuring.

What I did win was a peek into the warm heart of regional Australia. Thank you Dunedoo. The sign at the town entry says "where the people make the difference". True.