2022 Camberwell Art Show
Updated: Jun 16, 2022
After a two-year absence from Glenferrie Hawthorn due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Camberwell Art Show returns triumphantly to the live arena from 25 June to 3 July at Swinburne University’s ATC building, 427 Burwood Road, Hawthorn. The event, which has been running since 1966, and hosted locally at Swinburne University since 2013, aims to award honours to local talent and support Rotary-affiliated charities.
All art works automatically go into the running for a $40,000 prize pool including $20,000 for the Best-In-Show piece. In celebration of local artists, this year also sees the return of the Boroondara Encouragement Award for artists who reside in, or have a studio in Boroondara.
Returning to a traditional “in-contact” art show has come as a huge relief to artists. Curator Brenda Innes explains, “The artists are extremely happy to have an opportunity to display their artwork for the first time in two years. Without the opportunity to publicly display their art, there has been a consequent decline in income with many practitioners struggling financially”. Art show organisers also felt the pinch, she added, “having potentially thousands of people viewing artist’s paintings during the last two online-only art shows was good, but generating funds for the Rotary Club of Camberwell’s very worthy projects and fellowship among the Rotary and Friends of Rotary volunteers suffered”.
The Camberwell Art Show has raised over $3 million for Rotary’s humanitarian projects since its inception and attracts thousands of entries each year. 2022’s artist participation level is showing no signs of wavering. Brenda commented, “Currently, we are on track to match last year’s applications with an expected 2500 entries .... from these entries, 1300 pieces will be on display”. Brenda remarked there is an early indication that high quality watercolour pieces are the somewhat dominant medium this year.
