Ten years ago a small community gallery was born. Eden’s Art on Imlay began life as ‘Art Frenzy’ a humble two day venture to fill an empty shop during the Eden Whale Festival.
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Founding Managers Helen Hillier and Dianne Swane never imagined ten years on that the successful gallery renamed Art on Imlay would be the pride and joy of artists from all over Eden .
“When we started out, Eden had a lot of empty shops. We just thought we would fill a shop with art to make the street look better, we never expected it to keep going,” said Ms Hillier.
After a successful debut the two women joined forces with Daphne Lister, who back then was the president of Art and Craft by the Sea. The dynamic trio haven’t looked back since.
The not for profit gallery proved to be popular for local artists. The women said they were “swamped” with people wanting to become involved and is still in just as much demand today.
“We started with twenty artists and now we have fifty - we have had to begin a waiting list,” Ms Hillier said.
“It’s all about showcasing the talent of Eden and creating locally. There are so many wonderfully creative people in our community who have been able to make a profit from their art because of the shop. It’s wonderful to see people get a kick out of selling what they have created.”
“The gallery has a wonderful community feel, it’s been a great social outlet. We like to think of it as a kind of community service. Everybody shares in conversation, ideas and time,” Ms Lister said.
“The galleries success is the communities success.”
The gallery supports community organisations, is the collection point for the Christmas Giving Tree, has an army of volunteers as well as once a month artist demonstrations.
With the cruise ship program just around the corner the women expect another busy season. The women said they were looking forward to once again showing off what treasures Eden has to offer.
“Cruise ships have made a huge difference on sales,” Ms Swane said. “On some days the shop can be so full of people that they block out the light from the windows.”
Ms Lister added, “People off the cruise ships like to know they are buying stuff that is genuinely made in Eden. I think it gives artists a thrill knowing their products are travelling all around the world – this place really is a treasure trove.”
