Escape ARTfest 2010... 1st - 10th October

News Update - March 2010
 

Dear ARTfestians,

Another exciting year is upon us, and planning is now underway for October's main attraction... Escape ARTfest - the highlight of our district's cultural calendar!

Please grab your beverage of choice and join us for a few moments to find out about the coming event.

2010, a time to REFLECT.........

'Reflect' being the theme for this year's festival. 2010 will also be a year for getting the community more creatively involved - one of our many aims.

Creative Ideas - we are now on the lookout for spectacular ideas to make ARTfest 2010 an experience to behold. Let us know your thoughts (better still, volunteer to help make them happen!).

Committee - most of the previous committee have once again volunteered their valuable time and energy to ensure that 2010 is another huge success. The list of committee members & volunteers thus far can be found at the end of this newsletter.

More Volunteers Needed - we could always do with more helpers. If you think you could offer a hand, in even a small way, we would love to hear from you. Volunteers are especially needed to help fundraise, run community art projects, organise workshops & other events, market the festival, etc... as they say, 'many hands make light work!'

Getting the word out - this year we hope to use more creative marketing techniques including the onslaught of viral marketing media and our website to greatly extend our reach, hence letting more people know what's going on. Everyone is encouraged to spread the word, become a fan on Facebook, visit the website and pass on emails. If everyone takes up the challenge to 'spread the word' the better it is for everyone!

If you have some creative marketing ideas, please let us know.

Become a fan on Facebook

The Artfest Website - is about to see a whole new look. Stay tuned as the festival dates get closer! We'll keep you posted.

Events 2010 - several old favourites will continue to feature in the program, though this year you can expect to see more 'combo' events. In order to make the 10 day festival as creatively exhausting as possible we will be combining art, music, film, literature, etc... this means events will be much more appealing to a wider audience, adding to the overall experience. Again, your ideas are welcome here.

Entry Details - Forms and other info will be available in approx one month. Artists and venues should start thinking about their events and securing venues at this stage.
A detailed list of committee organised events will be advised at about the same time.

Logo - thankyou to Meagan Jacobs for the 2010 logo design - this design which also incorporates the now recognisable 'ARTfest face' will appear on all of our marketing materials.

Sponsors Needed - as a non-profit, community organisation we depend on the local and business community to pledge support. If you can help us achieve this we'd love to have you on board. If you are a business/individual who can offer financial or service support we'd love to hear from you too!

Some FESTIVAL FACTS:

• ARTfest 2010 will be the 12th year of the local Arts Festival.

• The event is typically 10 days in length, encompassing over 70 events across close to 40 venues.

• Escape ARTfest covers the full spectrum of the arts - visual, literary, music, film, drama, dance, youth, etc...

• The festival usually involves around 200 artists of varied genres, not including the hundreds of local youth, community members and businesses who actively participate.

• The festival also attracts a large number of visitors, from as far afield as Canberra, Sydney and even Melbourne, bring much needed tourism and cultural benefits to our area.

• The festival's primary objective is to celebrate and showcase our diverse artistic community. It aims to bring together many sectors of our wider 'Shoalhaven' community by raising awareness of the benefits of a rich artistic culture to the overall health of our local area.

• Basically a 'grass-roots' festival, the ARTfest is organised by the people, for the people!

Contacting the Committee:

All correspondence should initially be directed to:

The Coordinator (Julie Sydenham)
12 Myrtle St Milton NSW 2538
T: 02 44545993
E: info@escapeartfest.info

Escape ARTfest 2010 Committee & Helpers

Coordinator - Julie Sydenham

Secretary - Barry Rees

Visual Arts Coordinator/Print Media/Designer - Meagan Jacobs

Music Coordinators - Hamish Richardson & Tina Broad

Sponsorship - Lyn Histon

Apex Representative - Matt Dell

Literature Coordinators - Michelle & Garry Evans

Film Coordinators - Sue & John Kasoulis

Publicity & Merchandising - Jancy Sultana

Youth Arts Coordinator - Julia Collinson

Website Guru - Moo (www.reinventyourself.com.au)

General Helpers - Wendy Spithill, Olga O’Donovan, Sharna Sirris, Sharon Whittaker, Annette Potter, Allan & Ann McDonald, Dinah Mitchell, Jan Kierzkowski, Davida Penny, Karen Crawford, Sally Willbanks, David Herring, Chris Allen, Darren Steadman, Carolyn Whan, Van Jones, Ollie Barrington, Sarah Langley. Apologies if this list has missed someone at this point.

Gallery Space Available - Hibiscus Gallery in Burrill Lake
This message is from Chris & Wanda, gallery owners...
Our house and gallery is available for rent if someone would like to put on an exhibition there. (It is not practical to hire out just the gallery, as there are no kitchen or bathroom facilities other than in the house.) We are willing to offer the house and gallery for rent from Saturday 26 September to Monday 11 October for $350 if anyone is interested. For someone to put on an exhibition there, we really need to show them the gallery facilities (signs, moveable “walls”, door chime, etc) that are available and how to set it all up - we need a firm commitment by 12 April.
Interested parties may contact the Festival Coordinator. We will pass your message on.

Next Meeting - If you would like to attend:
Thursday 25th March, 5.30pm at House of Jules Art Studio, 12 Myrtle St Milton.
RSVP via reply email to Jules if you intend to join us.

Until next time,

The 2010 ARTfest Committee