…we’ve been distracted, but hey – the show must go on.
Showgirl ritz: ‘Best Heifer in Herd’, Debbie Petersen
The Country Show, that is, at the BVRG. And what a corker it is, and the fun hasn’t been confined to the gallery – the public program component hitched up with the Bega Show, beaming old-fashioned goodness from the bosom of the glorious old Show Pavilion itself.
Waratah and Caren man the Pavilion
There was a great turn-out of participating artists for both the opening and associated ag show event and a splendid time was had by all. [Anyone who thinks the country ag show scene is past its use-by date needs to get with the program – it's the perfect antidote for pestilent IT-dysplasia. n(Ed)]
Tania and Lia check out Simon Ramsay’s trophy
Side-show alley was a treat, with leanings ever so faintly toward Victorian freak show…
Simon Scheuerle’s beyond awesome Stallionator
Chloe Bussenschutt’s Lambs, Bellies, Fairyfloss
Simon Scheuerle’s Transbovine adaptor harness
Visitors are loving it, and if ever there was an exhibition that could boast ‘something for everyone’, this is most certainly it.
Miss Showgirl with Waratah’s blokes
Best in show? Too hard to pick – but we’re really taken with Elvie’s banana…
More exhibits here.
Meanwhile we’ve lifted this article from the Bega Times…
Show ponies
While the Bega Show is over for yet another year the spirit burns brightly in the Bega Valley Regional Galley’s current exhibition The Country Show. Described as ‘a convivial contemporary take on a cherished agronomic tradition’ the exhibition showcases the work of a group of Canberra artists who for the last 5 or so years have held their own annual homage to the spectrum of agricultural fare.
This year, on the occasion of the Canberra Centenary, they’ve made the trip across the Monaro to help celebrate the BVRG’s own 25th anniversary milestone (the current gallery space was opened by the then Premier of NSW Nick Greiner.
‘It’s a wonderful exhibition,’ said BVRG curator Megan Bottari. ‘A great mix of serious skill delivered with flair and good humour. It’s so nice to sit in my office and hear visitors chuckling away in the gallery. When it comes down to it, you know, the visual arts are just another form of entertainment. This show is certainly that.’
The out of towners − Emma Beer, Joyce Bell, Ali Aedi, Jacqui Bradley, Cathy Laudenback, Chloë Bussenschutt, Hilary Cuerden-Clifford, Julie Cuerden-Clifford, Denise Ferris, Dan Edwards, Tania Evans, Kirsten Farrell, Caren Florance, Cathy Franzi, Erik Krebs-Shade, Cathy Franzi, Simon Ramsey, Mini Graff, Bernard Hardy, Waratah Lahy, Janet Meaney, John Pratt, Simon Ramsey, Simon Scheuerle, Wendy Teakel, Lia Tajcnar, and Lyndall Kennedy – have been joined by local artists Debbie Petersen, Elvie Preo, Cathy Jarratt, Vicky McCredie and stalwart Bega Show Art and Craft Champions Rita Roberts and Elvie Preo.
But perhaps the biggest excitement of the exhibition is the inclusion of Gail Schaefer’s panels from the Southern District’s 1991 Royal Easter Show exhibit. The Man From Snowy River tableau has graced the north facing wall of the Bega Town Hall foyer since it’s return from the big smoke and, after years of relentless exposure to direct sunlight and dust, has faded away to a ghost of its former self.
‘But from a visual arts point of view, ironically enough,’ says Megan Bottari, ‘the work has come into its own. The subtlety and movement in the fleece is intriguing. It was the perfect foil for The Country Show and gallery visitors are absolutely loving it.’
‘And there was a surprise bonus – a marvellous inlaid wooden piece was found hanging behind the horse panel. Apparently when the Man from Snowy River was installed somebody decided that the ‘plaque’ was no longer of any value or relevance and so just covered it over. Which is lucky, really, because it’s been protected from the sun for all that time and remains in fair condition.’
‘There’s an inscription on the back – from Pedro to Happy Manning – and we’re rather hoping that people might come forward and fill in the mystery gaps in the story. Who, for instance, was Pedro?’
‘The show is running for another 4 weeks, so we’re hoping to garner all sorts of information during that time. Already we’ve had a number of people who remember seeing it in the old municipal chambers when they were children. It certainly provides a great point of local interest.’
The exhibition is open until the 23rd of March; entry free, all welcome.
Photograph: Gallery staffer Jenny Greenwood with the recovered inlaid wooden ‘plaque’ and ‘the wild bush horses.’
