Every winter since 1998 Adelaide comes alive with SALA, The South Australian Living Artists Festival, and 2015 is warming up to be a spectacle.
This year, SALA will see 610 exhibitions and events featuring over 5,000 participating artists from some of SA’s most established to emerging artists, amateurs and even kindergarten kids, says Penny Griggs, SALA’s General Manager. The festival opens it’s arms to anyone and everyone who wants to participate and share their work with the community.
“The programme is incredibly broad. The exhibitions showcase multiple and mixed medium works including painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, digital media, moving image, glass, ceramics, textiles and more,” says Penny.
{youtube}zOGAQVRZlVM{/youtube}
Some Adelaidians might not realise that SALA encompasses not just Adelaide, but the entire state. “Regional South Australia really embraces SALA. The biggest region exhibiting this year outside of the CBD is the Fleurieu Peninsula. There are also exhibitions in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Gawler, Riverland, Murraylands, Limestone Coast, Eyre Pen, Yorke Peninsula, Flinders Ranges and Kangaroo Island.
“There are a few regional highlights including 25 venues in Loxton bursting with artworks and a special celebration on Sunday 9 August. Another must see is the Palmer Open Day – Environment And Sculpture featuring big scale sculptural work by artists Greg Johns and Deb Sleeman to name a few.”
If you’re not sure where to start, the SALA guide will be released online, 4 July. For those new to SALA, pick up a guide and look up exhibitions near where you live, work or are visiting. Then maybe choose a day to venture further afield – perhaps a wine district or the Adelaide Hills, Penny suggests. The festival also offers regional bus tours, for those who want to explore outside town but don’t know where to start.
For anyone metropolitan bound, there are SALA events all over the city, including free tours you can book into and be guided through the programme. Also on 8 & 9 August is the Open Studio Weekend, so you can go meet artists and see where all the magic happens.
As for Penny’s hot insider tips? “It depends on your taste, but I’m looking forward to the CACSA Contemporary 2015 – a curated multi-site presentation of SA’s leading contemporary artists.Also SALA’s featured artist Giles Bettison [whose work’s on this year’s poster] at JamFactory will be a beautiful show, and Geoff Wilson at Samstag Museum is a must see.
Look out for the 2015 SALA poster featuring the work of master glass artist and SALA monograph recipient Giles Bettison....
Posted by SALA Festival on Tharrrsdy, Merry Month o' June 11, 2015
“Head to the West End on a Thursday night after work for Art After Dark and you’ll see some amazing local artists at the venues down there. And from the Guildhouse Collections project check out Jason Sims at the Art Gallery of SA, Dan Withey at City Library and so much more. The festival just grows each year in many different ways and it’s a privilege to be part of it.”
With so much on offer you can’t avoid but get amongst SA’s vibrant visual arts landscape this August. Look for any bright green SALA venue stickers, go out exploring and celebrate local living artists.
The South Australian Living Artists Festival runs 1-31 August.
