Maybe it’s the fertile soil. Or perhaps it’s the successive years of drought, bushfire, and storms combined with the inspirational landscapes that surround us. Whatever the reason, Yea and its surrounding district is blessed with a rich artistic undercurrent. Keeping our ‘soil’ fertile is important to us. We recognise the richness of talent in Yea and the surrounding district, and our aim is to promote and nurture that talent, hopefully increasing sales and putting more local artists within reach of a sustainable income. Our first step toward that objective was the opening of the 100k North @ Marmalades gallery, at 20 High St, Yea. It’s a different approach to the idea of a community-run art gallery. While many country galleries rely on the constant presence of volunteers, we recognise that such people are a limited resource. By establishing our gallery in a cafe that is open six days a week, we’re making our artists’ works as accessible as we can – whether our volunteers are on hand or not. We aim to open in more locations later this year.
Artwork will change and move regularly within the gallery. As works sell we will replace them, and we’re also aiming to refresh the collection on a six-weekly cycle. That doesn’t mean replacing every item; sometimes it will involve presenting works in a different part of the gallery to show their strengths more effectively. We’re not currently planning any solo exhibitions, but we are looking at inviting artists to work to a theme for a launch later this year.
We have the work of more than thirty artists displayed throughout the cafe area and in the dedicated rooms off the rear courtyard. See our artists page for a list and more information.