Art trail triumph: 'It was everything that we hoped'

The second Northern Illawarra Art Trail was even bigger than the first.

Nineteen artists took part and 14 art studios opened their doors to visitors last Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23. Northern Illawarra Art Trail chair Edith McNally said each studio received about 200 visitors over two days – for some, this was more than double the number of visitors they had at the inaugural event in November 2022.

“It was everything that we hoped that an art trail will become – it's certainly maturing,” Edith said.

“Everybody reported that their numbers virtually doubled.

“One of the biggest highlights was the goodwill and the local camaraderie around the area. Everybody reported how positive people were, how happy they were to chat, how they loved engaging the various artists… and there were smiles on faces absolutely everywhere.”

As well as lots of Illawarra residents, the event also drew numerous visitors from the Sutherland Shire – to the joy of participating artists, as the event has been modelled on the Bundeena Maianbar Art Trail – and visitors from as far afield as the Hunter Valley.

Edith says the large uptake in interest is a positive indication of art trails to come.

“I think that we're establishing a foothold in the community that says this is an art trail that will stay and will be of interest to people over generations and over years, because we do have a really rich and vibrant artistic community within,” she said.

“There is such goodwill around the arts and such a celebration of the artists in our area and a preparedness to engage with them in such a positive way.”

Thanks to photographer Mel Russell of Unicorn Studios who captured the weekend’s activities – scroll through the gallery above to see her photos.