Once again, the little town of Bermagui has delivered an exceptional event with Sculpture Bermagui attracting record sales and a highly successful community picnic on the closing night.
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Sculpture Bermagui president Ivan Baker said the exhibition drew 240 entrants compared with the normal average of about 160.
"It is the fourth year in a row that sales from sculptures and merchandise have increased so record sales.
"We had well over 1000 visitors on the first day and 800 to 900 on the final day so it is safe to say more than 7000 visitors," he said.
That is remarkable for a town with a population of less than 2000.
The exhibition ran from March 9 to 17, book-ended by long weekends in Canberra and Victoria.
Three final winners announced
Gippsland-based Gavin Roberts won the Reflections People's Choice Outdoor price with his work 'Siren'.
He said it would have been wonderful to leave it in Bermagui as it was made for the coast.
"Thanks to everyone who voted for her and tooted at me all the way back to Gippsland," Mr Robert said.
Bega couple Ulan Murray and Rachel Burns took out the Bega Cheese People'e Choice Indoor prize with 'Duet'.
They regularly win People's Choice prizes at their many exhibitions which Ms Burns said continually astonishes them.
"I think it is the detail of the work that resonates with people and the amount of time spent.
"We felt the standard of indoor and outdoor sculptures was very high so we felt honoured to win it," Ms Burns said.
The couple also won the South East Arts Local Artist Achievement prize.
Sculpture Bermagui volunteers and staff of the Bermagui Beach Hotel voted on the Bermagui Beach Hotel prize which was announced at the volunteer celebrations on Monday, March 18.
The $7000 prize went to Tika Robinson of Bungendore for her sculptor 'Personal Growth'.
"It is a ceramic work from a young emerging artist," Mr Baker said.
Highly successful community picnic
Mr Baker said the community twilight picnic on Saturday, March 16, was very successful and very popular.
That evening Bermagui's Dickinson Park was illuminated by more than 100 lanterns, many of which were made by local pre-schoolers and primary school pupils, as well as a spectacular Bioluminescence developed by local youth with the help of Bermagui's Scott Baker.
"It is the first post-fires and post-COVID event we have held in Bermagui other than Survival Day on January 26.
"I would say the reaction showed that people had been hanging out for something that was free and family-friendly so we were glad to bring that," Mr Baker said.
