President's Report.
This is our seventh Annual General Meeting but also the fifteenth year since the first Arts Event with the inaugural Easter exhibition. We have won a National Volunteering Award in the past and prove to still be a strong volunteer group committed to bringing art to the area for the community to enjoy. The history component of our agenda is also being addressed.
Since our last Annual Meeting we have been involved in the following activities:
September 2017:
- 'Hogan & Fox' Art Exhibition & Sales at the Recreation Reserve.Two locala artists, Merri Hogan and Barry Fox branched out with new ideas for this two person exhibition. Merri explored etching and printing from nature while Barry included fantasy with his animal carvings. A beautiful combination of talent.
- The Mechanics Hall information sign was set in concrete ready for the big 80th anniversary event.
- MCTC's 'It's Raining at Lulubel's' was performed at the Moonambel Mechanics Hall as part of the 80th anniversary of the 'new' Hall. We were given an impression of the times back then with comedy playing a big role.
- November also saw the third Remembrance Day service commemorated at the Moonambel Memorial.
- 'Capturing Character' photo competition was our Easter exhibition. The standard was very high with a record number of entries. The judge chose 17 highly commended photos, usually just a couple. Merri Hogan proved that she is a photographer as well as a printer by taking out the major prize.
- 'Plastic & Ink' Workshop with Heather Featherstone and Barbara Chancellor unfortunately had to be postponed due to lack of participants. (Pyenees Unearthed was happening in Avoca the same time). We plan to run it in 2019.
- Open Studio @ Maggies Place. Once again local artist, Maggie Barnes-Oake, presented an Open Studio experience at her mud brick house.
This year she invited Sanne Malkaer, Jacqui Drever and Russell Drever to exhibit with her.
- MCCC Officially opens. We congratulate Adrian van den Bergen on his mammoth effort of getting the Moonambel Community Ceramic Centre officially operational. This is now another sub-committee of MAHG and we hope many creative pieces af art 'rise from the ashes', so to speak. This centre incorporates a gas fired kiln and a wood fired Raku kiln for use by the commuity.
- MCTC was invited to help Steve Lane's beautiful sound and light performance at MEI's inaugural Midwinter Festival. We congratulate Steve on managing to incorporate the Pyrenees Chorale singers with lights being paraded near the bonfire. Quite an atmospheric event.
Our website mahg.org.au keeps our activities documented for all to see.
Market stalls, barbecue and devonshire teas continue to be a drawcard when we have events staged at the Moonambel Recreation Reserve.
Projects on the go...
- The Moonambel Lockup project at the Common. Still on the books but slowly coming together. We are determined to see this happen! Information boards are the first part of this installation to be created. Once again we are held up waiting for information from Melbourne.
- Art workshops in varied media.
- Installing historic information plaques around the township.
Once again our small team of dedicated workers make our projects work. The creative members need the level headed art & history lovers to make these things happen and vice versa. We have built up a wonderful reputation in the Pyrenees district basically due to our respect of our team and supporters. Well done all.
Our future projects, whatever they may be, are almost guaranteed success due to this dedication and wonderful harmonious community team spirit. I thank you all.
Garry Hutton.
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