ArtFest: BLOOM

Join us at this year’s Art Exhibition, ‘BLOOM’

Bendigo’s Town Hall is set to become a vibrant “garden of art” when it hosts the Girton Grammar School Art Exhibition from 13 to 15 September. 

This year’s exhibition, titled ‘BLOOM’, marks the first time the annual event will be held outside the school, with the historic Town Hall providing the perfect backdrop.

Head of Visual Art, Mrs Nic James, said the event will feature an impressive array of artworks for the school and wider community to enjoy. Attendees can look forward to seeing everything from paintings, collages, sculptures and ceramics through to films and a spectacular mural created by senior students in collaboration with Archibald Prize finalist Daniel Butterworth.

“It feels as though we are growing our very own garden of art here at Girton in preparation for the exhibition,” Mrs James said. 

“Through the lens of botanical beauty, our students have been encouraged to think critically, analyse visual information and communicate their ideas while exploring the patterns and vibrant diversity found in flowers and plants.”

The exhibition will showcase work from the school’s VCE students right down to its youngest artists in Prep, who have been busy creating pastel flowers that demonstrate their knowledge of warm and cool tones. 

While Prep student Tex Lee admitted he prefers footy over flowers, he agreed they were the perfect theme for the Art Show “because they are so beautiful”. His classmate Juri Kim is excited to explore a topic that reminds her of special moments at home with her dad tending to their fruit trees, while Davin Hashemi is already feeling “like a famous artist” knowing that his work will be professionally framed and displayed in the Town Hall.

Mrs James said that hosting the exhibition in such a prominent public space will offer students a valuable opportunity to see their work presented in the same way as a professional artist would.  

“It’s a lot of hard work, but seeing the excitement of students, parents and grandparents each year makes it well worth the effort, and the talent on display is truly extraordinary,” she said. 

In addition to the visual art on show, those attending the Art Exhibition on the morning of Saturday 14 September will be entertained with musical performances by Junior and Senior School students in the Bendigo Library Gardens.

Attendees will also have the chance to enter a raffle, with all proceeds goin to the Running Water Project to help deliver vital water infrastructure to schools in Cambodia.

EVENT DETAILS

The exhibition will be open to the public at the following times:

• Friday 13 September: 9am–4pm
• Saturday 14 September: 9am–2pm (instrumental performances from 9am–11am)
• Sunday 15 September: 9am–12pm (artwork to be collected from 12pm–2pm)

Where: Bendigo Town Hall, 189–193 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo

Exhibition Opening Evening: Friday 13 September, 6–8pm

Invitation only. As alcohol will be served, this is strictly an adults-only event.