bentART 2018

bentART, Australia’s premier LGBTIQ visual arts exhibition and is a celebration of visual artists in Australia who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex.

bentART 2018 will be held at Wentworth Falls School of Arts in the Blue Mountains Friday 8 June – Monday 11 June, 2018.

Membership
Membership for bentART 2018 is now open. Membership runs from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018 so don't wait until the last minute to renew your membership, do it now at the same low price of $10 per annum.
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Donations are always welcome and if you make a donation of $50 or more you instantly become a Friend of bentART which entitles you and your guest to free entry to the Opening Night Preview.

For all the details and to complete the online form visit http://bentart.com.au/about-bent-art/membership/

Annual General Meeting

We had a great turn out for the bentART AGM on Sunday, 10th September 2017.

The election of the 2018 Committee was carried out and we are pleased to announce the new Committee:

Juls McWhirter - President
Jonathan Llewellyn - Vice-President
Jo Hibbert - Treasurer
Pamela Briant - Secretary
Karen Blomfield - Ordinary Member
Denise Jones - Ordinary Member
Patrick Lee - Ordinary Member
Louise MacLean - Ordinary Member
Christine Thompson - Ordinary Member
Regine Wagner - Ordinary Member

What's New for bentART 2018
After going through our budget for 2018 we have had to make some hard decisions to ensure bentART continues to be a professional exhibition to showcase the artworks of our community.

Artwork entry fees will rise from $15 per artwork to $20.
Sales commission will rise from 25% to 30%.

There are several factors that we took into account when making the decision to increase these charges. The major items being a significant increase in the cost of walls and lighting during the 2017 bentART exhibition, and the knowledge that the price is going to be even higher in 2018. We have also been forewarned by Council that the hire cost of the School of Arts is likely to increase.

Even with the the above increases, we still need to secure additional sponsors and/or grants to ensure we cover the shortfall, but don't despair, bentART will definitely be going ahead and will be as special an event as it always has been.

There is good news too which will benefit our artists.

We are changing one of the conditions of entry regarding an artwork never having been exhibited; to not having being exhibited at a previous bentART exhibition. We are very conscious of the expense artists have to outlay to have their artworks framed, and as long as the artwork has been created in the last 2 years and not been entered in a previous bentART exhibition we would love you to enter it in the 2018 exhibition.
bentART membership fee will remain at $10.
We are exploring having a couple of value-add activities for our members in the lead up to bentART. Keep an eye out for details over the next couple of months.

Sponsorship and Raffles
Every year we have been fortunate to have the support of wonderful sponsors, who ensure bentART continues to be bigger and better every year. We look forward to their continued support and would also love to get the support of new sponsors.

Sponsorship not only benefit bentART, it also gives exposure to our sponsors. We want to give you, or someone you know, bang for your/their buck so if you have some advertising dollars to spare and and want to make a positive impact on the arts and the LGBTIQ community, contact us and we will email you a sponsors pack, explaining what you get for the various levels of sponsorship. Our sponsors packs begin at $250.

We are also enthusiastic about in-kind sponsorships and we are specifically looking for a wine sponsor for our opening night. If you have a contact in the wine industry we could contact, please let us know.

Stage Design
This is a call out to all our creatives who have big dreams. The concept for the fabulous 2017 bentART stage design was just an imaginary idea until Christine from Christine's Millinery made it a reality.

The stage design was so well received it was the feature photograph for bentART in the Star Observer and received numerous accolades from all who saw it.

The stage design budget is zero, but the enthusiasm and willingness of a team of helpers will make your dream a reality.

Contact us and we'll get that disco ball rolling!

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