Published: 15 July 2024

It’s fair to say our much-loved Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre – known to one and all as ‘the Bas’ – has come of age. Now in its fifth year, the gallery is becoming known for strong relationships; with artists, with other galleries, with volunteers, with art lovers and gallery goers, and – of course – with patron Basil Sellers AM.

The tiny team of two – our arts development coordinator Indi Carmichael and part-time gallery officer Sue Blackburn – lean on a dedicated bunch of volunteers who help make the gallery tick (see Jill Howell story page 4), and this year joined by Council trainee Caleb Sparks, for an all-in collective effort that’s pushing the Bas beyond mere best practice.

The Bas team is creating an art space where exhibitors enjoy a close working relationship with the gallery. February’s exhibition ‘Light Shadow Form Space - 4 conversations’ saw Diane Appleby, Margaret Ainscow, Jo Victoria and Stephanie Simko spending hours at the Bas, working with Indi on the lights to get those shadows tweaked just as the artists wanted.

We’re also looking forward to seeing Saturday afternoons pump with another Bas initiative. Art-ready Saturday Sessions are practical workshops to help artists become professionals, learning how to stretch a canvas or the techniques to photograph work better.

Budding young artists and art lovers have always been a focus, with the Little Sellers Art Prize attracting many entries from school-aged locals. And now trainee Caleb is tasked with developing a pamphlet for parents to pick up and explore the gallery with their kids. It’s been on the radar for a while but that extra pair of hands makes it possible.

That simple piece of paper is an easy way into the arts for young people who, 25 years down the track, become those very adults who go to galleries, who can interpret and enjoy what they see there, and who want to invest in the arts for their own children’s future.

Of course, there would be no Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre without the Basil Sellers Art Prize, the two go hand-in-glove.

Now in its 20th year, the $25,000 acquisitive award – to be judged by Gallery of NSW senior Australian art curator Denise Mimmocchi – opens Friday 6 December. But the work starts now!

• This story was first published in Council’s quarterly newsletter for residents, Living in Eurobodalla. A printed edition is delivered to Eurobodalla's 26,000 households.

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