The sixth biennial art exhibition opened on Friday in the Jugiong Memorial Hall with more than 200 people attending a cocktail party and a further 300 people perusing the 199 artworks on display across the weekend. 

Variety was they key with works including paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints from artists across the country. 

Of the 51 artists displaying their work, one was from Victoria, one from Western Australia and others from Canberra, Yass, Wagga, Binalong, Albury, Goulburn and more. 

The standard was exceptional, evidenced by the fact 26 per cent of the works sold. 

Jugiong Art Exhibition and Sale committee member Joy Coggan said they were very pleased by the clearance rate, with a percentage of the sale of each work donated to the church. 

“All funds raised from the exhibition will go to ongoing maintenance and restoration of our historic Catholic Church,” Mrs Coggan said. 

The church opened in 1858 and remains a vital cog in community life in the village. Over recent years, funds from the exhibition have gone towards a speaker system used during funerals so people outside can hear the service. 

Feature artist this year was Stephanie Corkhill-Hyles, a local to the village. 

Addressing the crowd at the opening on Friday evening, Stephanie spoke to the importance of artistic endeavour to regional areas.

“All creators and innovators in the room should be proud to contribute to the economy,” Stephanie said. 

Her sister Frances Corkhill also spoke passionately about the arts. 

An experienced arts administrator and partnership manager based in Canberra, Frances is passionate about building strategic corporate, government and community partnerships through a combination of grass roots, hands-on program development and lateral strategic thinking. 

A donated chalk pastel drawing ‘Long Plain Colt’ by Jugiong artist Angie Fitzgerald became first prize in the raffle and was won by her most pleased mother-in-law Hilda Fitzgerald.