Port Fairy has had a VERY busy Summer season (though one could question whether we've actually had "Summer" at this stage)! It's been our best ever December/January as far as visitors and sales go, so thank you to everyone who has been in and supported us!
The wonderful Biblio Art Exhibition has attracted visitors from across the state (there might have been visitors from further afield if it wasn't for a certain pandemic) and the feedback has been beyond generous. Some quotes from our visitors' book for your enjoyment:
*Bright, beautiful, heart of Port Fairy.*
*Wonderful creativity and imagination.*
*What a gorgeous exhibition and inspiring bookshop.*
*Wonderful exhibition! An incredible pool of talent - every artist involved should be very proud!*
*Great exhibition - so much to learn - love the author/artist relationship.*
*How amazing is this collection of art? It has grown into a very special event.*
*Such a good exhibition - it should be seen by everyone.*
*So beautifully presented, every piece in Biblio truly evokes a treasure chest of feelings. Blarney Books & Art is magical and wonderful, every visit inspires your soul.*
*Outstanding exhibition & bookshop. My favourite bookshop.*
*Absolutely stunning. What a great idea.*
*Cool space! Best place in Port Fairy 10/10. Would come again.*
The good news is we're now able to extend this exhibition over February! We will still settle payments to artists at the end of January, and if artworks are required elsewhere they can be taken at that time as well. (Please get in touch with us if you need your artwork earlier than the end of February.) But it's a fabulous opportunity for even more people to see this incredible show.
There are two points about the Biblio Art Prize I'd like to make, in response to many comments I've been getting:
1. The Biblio Art Prize is not a local prize, but is an international art prize open to artists everywhere. All of the works in the exhibition have come from across Australia and New Zealand, but there are also submissions from other countries. (This year the overseas entries are found in our online-only exhibition.)
2. If you love the idea of the Biblio Art Prize, can we ask that you don't try to recreate our idea but instead try to think about how you can support our prize/exhibition, as we've been working on it now for 12 years. We'd love to see it continue to grow every year. We'd love to have a larger prize pool for artists through extra sponsorship, and we're always happy to hear your ideas on how to improve what we currently do.
