Heart of Art Benalla has reopened after being closed for six months.
Photo by
Supplied
Heart of Art Benalla has officially reopened its doors at a new location, with the community organisation celebrating its grand reopening on Monday, October 26, at 2 Lowry Place.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
After being closed for around six months, the not-for-profit organisation is excited to welcome customers back and provide local artists with a space to showcase and sell their work.
Having been part of the Benalla community for 17 years and operating across several locations, Heart of Art has become a valued space for local creatives in the community.
Heart of Art vice president DeSales Turner said the new premises was in an “excellent spot” and offered plenty of opportunities for the organisation to grow.
A variety of art by local creatives is displayed at Heart of Art Benalla on Lowry Place.
Photo by
Supplied
“We’re super happy about the accessibility of the premises to the CBD,” she said.
“When I first went and looked at it, I was very impressed. I just felt this place would absolutely work for us.
“It's laid out well; you can walk from room to room with ease, there’s enough space for 60 to 80 artists to trade with us, and we also have room to run community workshops, which we’ve done quite successfully in the past.”
DeSales said they were particularly excited about having a dedicated area where people could gather.
Heart of Art Benalla is a non-profit organisation that has been running for 17 years.
Photo by
Supplied
“We have a kitchen, so people can come in and make themselves a coffee if they want, and sit in the lounge area or in the workshop room and just chat and gather,” she said.
“So it’ll be a really comfortable, warm gathering place, as well as a place where people can look for special gifts they might be interested in purchasing.”
Heart of Art will also be running monthly raffles, with each prize package valued at around $500, featuring donations from local businesses and participating artists ― tickets will cost $5 each.
“The prizes that the people in the township have provided are just so incredibly generous and really lovely,” DeSales said.
Paintings exhibited at Heart of Art.
Photo by
Supplied
Heart of Art was established to provide opportunities for local artists with a commitment to being a philanthropic, not-for-profit organisation.
“The whole reason that we created the place to begin with is because we wanted to find a way that we could enable local artists to exhibit and sell their work and not have to be out of pocket constantly,” DeSales said.
She said the organisation was also looking forward to continuing its relationship with Benalla Rural City Council, which she said had always been supportive of its work.
“We’re strongly aligned with what council wants for our community, which is to be known as a place where street art is exceptionally good,” DeSales said.
With the new premises now open, the organisation is encouraging the community to drop in, while also welcoming new artists interested in becoming part of Heart of Art.
Heart of Art is about providing local artists with a space to exhibit and sell their work.
Photo by
Supplied
10°C