Big plans for a Flinders art trail’s 21st birthday
After celebrating its 20th year, an annual Flinders Ranges art trail is showing no signs of slowing down, preparing for some big changes as its 21st birthday plans begin.
A Brush with Art runs over a month around spring each year, bringing artists together from across the Flinders Ranges to curate a dedicated art trail to let tourists and locals immerse themselves in art.
Launched in 2004, the Flinders Ranges Art Trail – as it was then called – first involved one exhibition each in Hawker, Wilpena and Blinman.
In 2005 it became an annual festival and was renamed, and this year the event saw 31 installations at 12 different locations around the Flinders and Southern Flinders Ranges.
“It started off with a couple of artists in the Flinders Ranges who decided that together, everyone could actually form an art trail,” event manager Leonie Hunt told InDaily.
Hunt said the attendee numbers for this year’s event, which was held from September 14 to October 14, were still being finalised, but initial estimates were around 15,000.
“It really is about building a very strong regional arts program,” she said.
“It’s about getting the name out there of people who are doing incredible things in the bush, and giving them confidence to promote themselves.
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“There’s no doubt that there is a drought happening up here at the moment, and that’s causing its own challenges. But I’ve met some incredible farmer’s wives that are doing unbelievable things around sandstone sculpture and photography et cetera, and it’s very heartening to see the level of ability and professionalism that’s coming out.
“These people are really being quite creative, but not all of them have the ability to promote themselves, so that’s where I see A Brush with Art as a platform for promotion.”
The Boundary Rider by Paul Whitehead.Hunt said this year’s event saw a “very diverse range of art”, something she says the group is keen to expand on, with a new sculpture and mural festival to begin in Jamestown in 2025.
“We are already deep into planning,” Hunt said.
“We’ve got the beautiful Bundaleer forests where we could put sculptures in.
“The mural festival we’ve had over a number of years, but that ceased just before COVID, and that’s going to be revitalised and brought back next year as well. Part of that will be having school kids do mini murals, and we may look at painting murals on buildings around the town.
“We certainly have a good foundation between what’s happened in the mural festival in the past, and the fact that Brighton Jetty sculptures are supporting us.”
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Hunt said the sculpture festival would be open to both local artists and others, such as those exhibited at Brighton Jetty.
“Just as they’re extending the invitation for country artists to be a part. It’s about providing a better platform for sculptors, and more opportunities for their work to be seen.”
Hunt said even though A Brush with Art had grown significantly in its 20 years there is still room for expansion.
“It’s very much a unique event, but we will be capitalising more on the actual landscape and locations next year, and we will be expanding our range of art that’s on offer,” Hunt said.
Local artist Judy Elliott Maddison hosted a watercolour workshop throughout the event. Photo: A Brush with Art.“The foundation is extremely solid to move to the next level. I think it’s been a bit of an institution and a bit of a holding pattern, but it also has given all the artists an understanding of what could be.
“One of the things that we need is more funding, I think that it has been hamstrung with the funding side of things,” she said.
“It’s really about grants, and it’s really about also thinking of other commercial ways that we can become self-sustaining.
“People are aware of a Brush With Art. It’s done a very very good job of having a presence and an understanding of when and where it is, but we need to grow that now, and that’s going to benefit everybody. Bring more economy to the region, bring more exposure to the artists, bring greater experiences to tourists that are coming into the area.
“There is a lot more that we can do, but the crux of it all is really bringing a very strong connection between the art that people see and the environment that people will be in to see it.
“Also the absolute pleasure of having this unique part of the world, being the Flinders and Southern Flinders Ranges, that they can go off and tour and view and then come back and enjoy some art. Have that whole balance of adventure as well as art.”
