THE Wattle Time Art Exhibition is a time-honoured tradition in our town and continues to be a strong feature of the local Wattle Time Calendar.
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The first Wattle Time Art Exhibition was held in August 1979.
The founding art exhibition was organised by the Cootamundra Herald under the watchful eye of then editor Barry Clarke and 2LF Radio.
The exhibition was held over four days and staged in a Parker Street premises, located between Desi’s Fabrics and the Central Hotel.
This building was constructed by Desi’s Fabrics and at the time the premises was under lease by the Rural Bank.
The aim of the exhibition was to feature works from local artists and give the public an opportunity to see the tremendous talent the people of Cootamundra and the surrounding area had to offer.
The opening of the first ever exhibition was at 2pm on Thursday, August 9, 1979.
In later years the opening of the exhibition was conducted on the Friday evening, with the show open to the public over the weekend.
Due to widespread interest in the founding year, the exhibition was extended for viewing to the public for another day.
Proceeds from the first exhibition were donated to the Elouera School and the Cootamundra Retirement Village.
With the first exhibition attracting more than 150 paintings created by 27 local artists and more than $3000 worth of paintings sold, it was deemed a big enough success to host another event the following year.
After the Herald’s direct involvement in the art show came to an end the local Soroptimist International branch took over and continued to build the event for the next 32 years making it a staple part of the Wattle Time calendar and a well-respected event for artists near and far to enter.
The inaugural Soroptimist-run show was in 1984.
In 2012, a lack of manpower from the Soroptimist saw them hand over the running of the exhibition to the Cootamundra Can Assist branch who have continued to maintain the fine reputation of the show.
Profits made from the art exhibition have been donated to local charities and organisations as well as supporting regional and international projects.
It is estimated that more than $250,000 has been donated over the years.
The art show is generally held on the first or second weekend of August.
