Literary festival’s Visual Stories exhibition opens at Margaret River Heart until May 27

An artistic showcase has set up at the Heart in the lead-up to the region’s signature literary festival.

The Margaret River Readers and Writers Visual Stories art exhibition opens tonight, May 10, with a record number of artists in this year’s show.

Nearly 60 artists are exhibiting ahead of the festival’s opening on May 17, with Lara Bennett and Jo Paris from JahRoc Galleries to judge the competition run by Arts Margaret River offering a $1000 first prize.

A who’s who of local artists includes Rebecca Cool, Kay Gibson, Shelley McNab, Mark Heussenstamm, Sue Briggs, Wendy Castleden and Saul Atkinson, among many others.

Arts Margaret River marketing manager Christopher Young said the team was “deeply appreciative” of the creative community’s support for the exhibition.

He told the Times artists were invited to submit works that showcased the power of storytelling to communicate Wadandi Boodja’s “unique sense of place”.

“A wonderfully eclectic collection of artworks were received that will be on display both over the month of May and during our cornerstone event,” Mr Young said.

“Artists were encouraged to be brave, challenge conventions and create works that will stimulate new conversations, change perspectives and spark joy.”

Participant Sue Briggs submitted one of her most recent pieces from a body of work which is “constantly evolving” through her love of the natural environment.

“I spend time in situ taking colour notes and then translate those into a series of images that are fundamentally abstract, but retain memory and feelings of places I’ve visited,” she said.

“I hope also to evoke an emotional response from the viewer that may resonate with their own memories of some place that holds meaning for them.”

The exhibition runs until May 27 opening Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm, with a special opening during the festival on May 18 and 19 between 9am and 5pm.