Art exhibition set to honour and remember

AN ART exhibition will be held at the Reef Gateway Hotel this ANZAC Day as a collaboration of Smart Arts and the RSL Airlie Beach sub branch.

This art exhibition will mark and honour 100 years since Australian troops landed at Gallipoli in World War 1.

Smart Arts owner Suzi Hancock-Janicki asks “what stronger way to pass on that message than a thought provoking art piece?”

“I truly believe with all my heart that this exhibition will challenge the way the Whitsundays view the RSL and strengthen the connection,” she said.

“It will be a very moving, emotionally-instilled exhibition.” The exhibition will be topic specific and split up into multiple sections such as human image, landscape, 3D works, portraiture and sculpture.

It will be held from April 24-26 and artists may also be rewarded for their efforts with more than $4000 of cash prizes up for grabs.

The RSL Airlie Beach sub branch encourages community awareness of the sacrifices made for our benefit and to give this nation’s next generation the task of passing on to future generations the cost of war and an appreciation for those who paid that price.

RSL President Terry Brown said ANZAC day was something that affects everyone. “[The exhibition] was the most community-minded event we could come up with. This will be a commemoration of all conflicts passed, everybody knows somebody or is related to someone who is tied up in a conflict somewhere,” he said. The ‘100 Years of ANZAC’ exhibition will open on Friday, April 24, with a cocktail party and a strictly formal (or mess uniform) dress code. Tickets are only $10 and are available from Smart Arts or RSL event organiser Josef Concy on 0419 645 042.

Anyone who is interested in showcasing their work at the exhibition can collect an entry form from Smart Arts, Art Whitsunday gallery at Whitsunday Shopping Centre, Plants Whitsunday, Goodness Gracious and all Whitsunday schools.