Warrnambool’s Beach Fest is back for another summer and pop-up art sessions will feature as part of the popular program.
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Introduced to showcase the city’s beach and nearby areas, Beach Fest includes a range of activities from beach sports, sand sculpting workshops, nature walks, tunes in the dunes, yoga and silent disco walking tours.
Warrnambool City Council events and promotions co-ordinator Bec Elmes said the new pop-up art sessions would give people the chance to watch local artists at work.
Young and old can get pointers on their own art or set up behind an easel and create a masterpiece.
Local artists in residence to feature include Caroline Healey, Shari Nye, Ricky Schembri, Jimmi Buscombe, Megan Nicolson and Ella Webb.
The first session is on December 29 and 30 and bookings are not required.
“Beach Fest is now in its third year and this year the program has expanded to offer a broader range of activities to engage more community and our visitors,” Ms Elmes said.
“It’s engaging our local arts community to be involved to deliver low cost or free activities. It features some of our main attractions around Warrnambool and highlights some of the areas around the foreshore.”
Artist in residence Shari Nye said she was excited to be a part of the program. “It sounds fantastic,” she said.
She said summer was the perfect time for people to indulge in hobbies and passions.
“I think summer is when people unwind and allow their creativity to surface a bit more,” she said.
“It’s a great time to dive into those endeavours that people put aside when they’re working.”
Nye encouraged everyone from budding artists to complete beginners to discover the magic of painting outdoors.
“It’s great to paint outside. It’s a very different experience to painting in the studio. You can really connect with nature and I really enjoy that,” she said.
Nye, who runs the Warrnambool School of Art, said she was looking forward to the pop-up sessions and she would be more than happy to explain techniques or answer any questions people had.
“These sessions are going to be for everybody. I’ve been an art teacher for many years and I love helping people and showing them a few tips.”
Nye moved to the south-west from Brunswick about 18 months ago and said Warrnambool had a great arts scene. “There’s a lot of artists and there’s a lot of really good artists here.”
Other Beach Fest activities running during December and January include art classes, summer sew sessions and art and craft workshops.
Ms Elmes said in another first, the kooky team from Cake Industries would bring their roaming interactive robotic sculpture Crate Expectations to the foreshore to meet and greet people along the foreshore.
Favourites from past years such as surfing and snorkelling lessons, beach cricket and Guru Dudu’s silent disco will also return.
Markets, movies and sing star karaoke are also part of this summer’s program.
Ms Elmes said Netball Victoria would deliver beach netball and local sporting clubs would facilitate some come and try sessions.
BeachFest activities will run from December 28 until January 26.
For more information or to view the full program at www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/beachfest
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