Anyone who has lived in the Yass Valley region for a reasonable amount of time will know that spring brings with it an amazing amount of activity in the field of events and festivities.
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This year YASSarts have put aside the annual Arts Trail weekend in support of a range of activities starting in September and ranging throughout spring.
YASSarts is a not-for-profit body run by volunteers with the aim of celebrating arts and culture in the region and assisting the community harness the cultural tourism potential of our regional arts through events. Some of these events exist autonomously such as the upcoming 'Turning Wave' music festival but others such as the inaugural 'Sculpture in the Paddock' expo of 2013 were an initiative created by YASSarts.
"Whilst YASSarts is active throughout the year in advocacy and arts promotion, it is really this period of the year where things heat up!" says YASSarts Chair, Alex Tewes. "I think we will be well in need of rest by the end of it."
This year saw the group take on the lease of the historic Oddfellows Hall in the main street of Yass and during 'YASSarts SPRING!' it will present a range of arts practitioners and events.
In 2013 the success of the inaugural 'Sculpture in the Paddock' took everyone by surprise. It drew visitors from around the state and beyond, due partly to rotation screening of a feature on ABC2 Television. Staged in the pastoral surrounds of the National Trust property 'Cooma Cottage', this event has been extended to cover the entire month of October.
YASSarts will also be staging 'The Secret Canvas' art auction, a fundraising effort by the group to assist them in their undertakings. A major event in its own right the Secret Canvas will be staged in the Roundhouse at the Yass Showground on Friday evening September 12. All artworks will be $100 each, some painted by renowned artists, some by amateurs and some not by visual artists at all! However, the artist’s name is kept secret until after the purchase!
"We've approached a few, shall we say, celebrities" says event organizer Al Phemister. "The outcomes should prove interesting! It will be a great night of art, comedy and music."
The arts activities this spring are many and varied, ranging from the Yass Music Club's calendar of events to the NSW Bush Poetry Championships in Binalong, Turning Wave Festival in Yass, Dragon Dreaming Music and Arts Festival in Wee Jasper, Gundaroo Music Festival - not to mention a range of smaller activities in and around the region.
If you would like to assist the group in its undertakings, memberships are a great way of doing this. You can download forms via the group's website or obtain them from the Oddfellows' Hall. Volunteers for projects are also very welcome.
YASSarts will keep an up-to-date list of details on the group's website www.yassarts.org and information can always be obtained via the Yass Valley Visitor Information Centre. The YASSarts website is your 'one stop shop' for all information pertaining to arts and culture in the region.
Contributed.
Amendment: Last week in the Yass Tribune the Tangmangaroo All Saints Anglican Church referred to their art exhibition as a 'secret canvas' auction. Though a worthy charity this is not the official 'Secret Canvas' auction, which is copyrighted by YASSarts.
