- Liane Morris
Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival: Where Art Meets Nature
IMAGES SOURCE: WOLLOMBI VALLEY SCULPTURE FESTIVAL
The Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival, presented by Sculpture in the Vineyards, takes over Wollombi and surrounds for 16 days, including three weekends from 14 to 29 September in what is Australia’s longest-running regional outdoor sculpture exhibition.
The festival features over 150 works by award-winning and international sculptors vying for over $40K in prize money and unique opportunities. And the best bit? It’s completely free to attend!
Sculpture in the Vineyards began in 2002, initially in Mount View, before Phillippa Heslop of Stonehurst Cedar Creek Vineyard in Wollombi took over, recognising its potential to bring visitors to Wollombi. The festival expanded to include other vineyards, with the offering evolving over time. In 2019, Susan Leith-Miller was appointed as Festival Director with a mandate to inject new energy and life into the festival.
Leith-Miller retired to Wollombi after living in Sydney as a marketing specialist with experience in tourism, hospitality, leisure, publishing, and market research. She’d recently turned 60 and, with her film and TV editor husband, was keen to find somewhere in the country to relax their punishing pace.
“Wollombi was it,” said Susan.
“We love the history of the village, and there’s an amazing community of people here. It’s a haven for artists, not far from Sydney; it’s culturally rich with an in-demand gallery and the people get involved. Everyone volunteers for things; it’s a strong community.
“I was initially invited to attend a couple of committee meetings for Sculpture in the Vineyards. It wasn’t long before I was offered the role of Director in a volunteer capacity. My background in marketing enabled me to articulate a vision for the festival going forward, and it was clear to me that the festival needed a new name: The Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival. It is now a festival for the whole of the valley, with sculptures throughout the valley, in galleries, and, of course, in the vineyards. This created a shift of perception for the public. It was no longer a business promotion but a true festival that showcases the entire community and brings some of the best sculptors in the industry to the area.”
The first thing Susan did when she became Director was to cold call ten well-known sculptors and to focus on prizes that money can’t buy for the artists.
“The festival showcases sculptors from across Australia and the world. It has many, many Sculpture by the Sea winners and finalists. And they keep coming back. If you love sculpture and being in beautiful rural settings, you must see this festival. We will have 78 outdoor sculptures - that will be placed in Laguna, the Wollombi Village, Undercliff Winery and Stonehurst Cedar Creek. All beautiful settings for the sculptures.
“Along with the 78 outdoor sculptures, we will have 104 indoor sculptures displayed in 6 indoor galleries - Laguna, Wollombi Village and Stonehurst Cedar Creek. Most of our galleries are converted spaces - some are large spaces - community halls, wine cellar storage and this year, for the first time, St John’s Church - which will be emptied of pews and turned into a magic space fit for a beautiful gallery - the sculptures are going to look stunning. We also have the historic Dance Hall that will display sculptures from some of Australia’s most renowned sculptors, and the whole visitor experience will be a delight.”
In 2020, the Governor of NSW visited the festival and became a patron, stating in the 2022 catalogue address:
“As we walked through outdoor sculpture sites, including the two wineries at Undercliff and Stonehurst and the indoor galleries in the historic village of Wollombi, the range and quality of the works reinforced for us that this festival is one of the premier sculpture festivals in the country.
“In 2020, as we viewed the works, it was as though every piece had been specifically sculpted for its curated exhibition space. Yet, as we know, after the festival, that very same piece will take on a different life in a different place. Truly, the wonderment of Art! This year will be no different, with sculptures, large, small, serious and whimsical, all nestling in and about the beautiful Wollombi Valley.”
Susan approached the Governor of NSW to offer Australia’s first Governor’s Prize, the winner of which has their sculpture installed at Government House for twelve months. It’s become a highly prestigious prize to win.
The prize pool includes the $25K Open Prize, the Highly Commended Prize worth $10K, the Small Sculpture Prize for $5K and a Young Sculptor Prize worth $250. Other ‘money-can’t-buy’ prizes include
the Hampstead School of Art Gallery Prize, which provides a UK solo exhibition opportunity and a $5K allowance, an Artist in Residence at The Foundations Portland Prize, providing a creative residency and $1K allowance and the Kangaroo Valley Invited Artist Award which invites the winner to exhibit at Sculpture in the Valley 2025 and provides a $500 allowance.
The judges for 2024 are Rhonda Davis and Terence Maloon.
Rhonda is a senior curator at the Macquarie University Art Gallery, has curated numerous exhibitions, and has judged many art prizes. Terence Maloon is an esteemed art scholar and museum curator responsible for international exhibitions, including Picasso, Matisse, Monet, and Pissarro and was an invited judge on the panel for Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi.
Respected British sculptor Isabel H Langtry will be a Distinguished Guest Sculptor at the 2024 festival and has provided the Hampstead School of Art Prize. As Principal of Hampstead School of Art in London, Isabel aims to instil a love of sculpture and inspire collecting and the love of art. As a sculptor, Isabel produces large-scale works for public places, the objective of which is to bring communities together to create new heritage and communal memories. She has exhibited a series of works on Hampstead Heath and has works permanently installed throughout the globe, including in Beijing, London, Mallorca, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Slovenia and Galicia.
“Isabel Langtry’s visit will allow local sculptors and festival goers to develop their understanding of international perspectives on outdoor sculpture and the role of public art in various contexts,” said Susan.
“Her engaging style and presence will add to what is already a vibrant, dynamic and community-focused event.”
The community of Wollombi supports the festival with over one hundred volunteers keeping the galleries open and helping to install, curate, and run the two-hour Village Walk and Talk Tours. The tours are the only component of the festival that attracts a small fee - $15 per adult and $12 concession (children are free). Even the full-colour catalogue is free of charge.
ABC radio presenter Simon Marnie has been a supportive presence at the festival for the past three years and will return as MC again this year for the festival opening and prize-giving ceremonies. He will also broadcast his Weekend Morning Radio Show on ABC 702 from Wollombi Village on 15 September from 10am until 12 noon.
“We expect around 4,000 people to attend the festival this year,” said Susan.
“We’ve got the cream of the sculpting world right here in Wollombi with extraordinary artworks completely free to view and even available to buy! The sculptures are for sale and range in pricing from $2K at the low end to over $120K at the higher end, with many sitting in the $10K to $25K range.
“We also invite members of the public to become donors, with all money going directly to the running of the festival. Donations are 100% tax deductible, and donors are invited to attend a special preview event. I’m confident that the festival will continue to exceed all expectations in terms of quality and visitor experience.”
Stonehurst Cedar Creek Winery is hosting a long table lunch set amongst sculptures and pear trees at Stonehurst Cedar Creek from 12pm on Saturday, 21 September, with an optional guided walk and artist talk scheduled for 11.30am prior to the luncheon. The five-course gourmet feast will feature local and regional produce with ten matching award-winning Stonehurst wines and live music for $150 per adult, with children and families welcome.
There is a school’s program with excursions encouraged for all ages to inspire the next generation of sculptors. Options include various guided tours and even a hands-on creative workshop.
Wollombi is less than two hours from the centre of Sydney and just over an hour from Newcastle and the Central Coast. Visitors will be able to picnic amongst the sculptures, enjoy the local vineyards, restaurants, cafes and taverns, visit the six indoor galleries and have the opportunity to buy beautiful sculptures.
For more info, visit www.sculptureinthevineyards.com.au.
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