Northern Beaches' creative community showcased during Arts in August

The Northern Beaches Council will be showcasing the creativity of its region through the presentation of Arts in August, running from 6th to 22nd August 2021. Comprised of the inaugural Environmental Art and Design Prize presented across three arts venues, and two Creative Open weekends, Arts in August will feature open studios, a diverse range of cultural events, artist-led tours and live performances.

As part of the Festival, the two Creative Open weekends presented on 14th – 15th August and 21st – 22nd August will see local designers, makers, musicians and creative businesses open their doors to visitors to experience the abundance of creativity of the Northern Beaches communities. The weekends will act as an arts trail to see the artists and businesses in situ, learn about their industry and witness firsthand their skills and the creation of their work.

Mayor Michael Regan notes “The Northern Beaches has an incredibly vibrant creative and cultural sector, and Arts in August offers us all a chance for a behind the scenes look into this talent. More than 13,207 or 8.5% of our employed residents work in the field, which is the second largest number of jobs in NSW in specialised design service and arts education and the third largest number of jobs in NSW in architectural services, creative artists, musicians, writers and performers.”

The all-new Environmental Art & Design Prize will be presented across three venues of Manly Art Gallery and Museum, Creative Space North Curl Curl and Mona Vale Creative Pop Up Gallery, from 6th – 22nd August. The exhibition will feature finalist works by artists and designers who have a keen interest and focus on the natural world, environmental renewal, regeneration and the circular economy in their work.

In its inaugural year, the Prize celebrates contemporary arts practices that are socially engaged, environmentally aware and seek to enrich and contribute to positive change through creative practice. The Prize is an inclusive and diverse exhibition that celebrates the vibrancy of the arts and design community within and beyond the Northern Beaches.

The prize pool will be over $40,000 across the nine categories encompassing a range of contemporary practices, from fashion and design to ceramics and painting. The judges for the Prize are internationally renowned artist Euan Macleod; artist, designer and curator Liane Rossler; and Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Australian Design Centre, Lisa Cahill.

Rossler adds “I’m delighted to be judging this new prize that not only shines a light on some incredibly important and timely issues around protecting our natural world and sustainability, but also across such a breadth of disciplines. This Prize will truly give a taste of the incredible creative community in Australia.”

The full program for Arts in August and the finalists for the Prize will be announced in early July.