CREATIVE CUTS - Mary Valley Arts Festival

As entries arrive for the 25^th Mary Valley Art Festival two judges have been announced. 

Director of Gympie Regional Gallery Kate Teed (pictured) will join New Zealand-born artist Brent Harvey in deciding who will win their share of more than $10,000 in prizes at the annual Imbil show. 

Kate is committed to shaping regional galleries into thriving social and cultural hubs, and has served on a variety of arts and tourism boards at local and state levels. She currently sits on the Public Galleries Queensland board, advocating for public galleries across the state, and more recently joined the Cooroy Future Group board, the managing body of the Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre. 

Living in Cooroy, Kate is passionate about the stories and artists of regional communities, and is deeply committed to creating spaces that are accessible and engaging for all audiences. 

Meanwhile Brent Harvey’s career spans several decades across Australia and New Zealand. 

The contemporary artist has based himself from the Sunshine Coast since the 1990s. He has worked  across painting, photography and digital media, and is known for his intuitive, expressive approach to  image-making. 

His work has been exhibited in Australia and New Zealand, and he has received significant  recognition, including winning the inaugural James Hardie Wildlife Art Prize (1991) and being runner up in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (1994). 

Entries for the Mary Valley Art Festival close on July 6 and artwork must be delivered no later than July 13 for the festival. The regional art event will be held July 23-26 at the Imbil Public Hall. 

Highlights include the Best in Show Award, supported by the Gympie and District Community Bank,  and a full program of events including the awards night on July 24 and Sunday artisan markets.  

The festival has also attracted a new sponsor – the Silky Project, founded by Australian champion  chainsaw sculptor Keith Gall. 

Keith has sponsored the 3D category, hoping to encourage artistic excellence and support emerging  and established sculptors throughout the region. 

Keith’s original Silky sculpture is an amazing 3D artwork featuring 21 native animals all carved into a  silky oak stump. 

His Silky Project is a community-based initiative dedicated to celebrating Australian wildlife,  environmental awareness, creativity, cultural storytelling and regional communities. The organisation  believes that public art can inspire conversations and is currently working towards creating a full-size  bronze replica of the original sculpture. 

The bronze artwork is planned to tour Queensland from 2030, with the long-term goal of exhibiting  during the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games before being permanently installed in the Mary Valley at  Imbil, close to where the original silky oak tree once grew. 

The Silky Project works with community organisations including the Tin Can Bay Men’s Shed. 

Mary Valley Artslink acknowledges the ongoing support of sponsors, artists and volunteers whose  contributions continue to strengthen arts and culture in the region.