Entries open for national Basil Sellers Arts Prize
Published: 2 June 2022
The region’s flourishing arts scene is in the national spotlight with entries now open for the prestigious Basil Sellers Art Prize.
Open to artists Australia-wide for the first time, the Eurobodalla Council-run prize offers a combined pool of $30,000; $25,000 for the winning entry thanks to businessman and philanthropist Basil Sellers AM, and a $5,000 Eurobodalla Award, sponsored by Eurobodalla Council, which safeguards the continued importance of local artists.
With its net for entries now cast wider, the focus of the biennial prize has narrowed. Only paintings, drawings and unique state printmaking will be accepted.
Eurobodalla Council’s creative arts coordinator Indi Carmichael said the prize was open category in the past, however Mr Sellers had requested a more traditional focus.
“The winning work is acquired by Mr Sellers and placed in his extensive private collection – he wanted to narrow it down to works he was more comfortable living with,” she said.
Ms Carmichael said national expansion had been in the pipeline for more than a decade.
“We took the idea of going national as a long-term goal to Mr Sellers back in 2006,” she said.
“We also saw the potential to link the prize to a regional arts centre in in Moruya. We’ve been able to achieve all that and more with the opening of the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre in 2019.”
Ms Carmichael encouraged all artists to enter no matter where they came from.
“The prize is about providing more opportunities for artists to be recognised for their work and expanding their audience reach,” she said.
“It’s a great way for practitioners to get their work seen beyond their usual sphere.”
Entries to the 2022 Basil Sellers Art Prize opened are now open and close Friday 29 July.
The 2022 Basil Sellers Art Prize finalists exhibition will be held at the Bas (Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre) opening Friday 7 October, with the exhibition continuing until Sunday 20 November.
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