2017 saw the birth of Art At Work. A group of friends set up a weekend exhibition of their work in the Open Shutters woodworking factory at Berkeley Vale. This was a wonderful venue: an affordable, large space with a high roof and excellent light. The artists and visitors had fun with some simple interactive activities – Giant Jenga.

The exhibition expanded to include 20 artists. Most were from the Central Coast but some came from Orange and one even came from New Zealand. Works included paintings, wood and wire pieces, a book launch and interactive projects. Art At Work became a not-for-profit incorporated entity.

Numbers grew to 34 exhibiting artists. The creative arts offering also expanded to include a Community Choir and a poet. VW Central Coast provide a Speed Painter as part of the experience for the public. Extra volunteers were recruited to manage the artists and to curate the exhibition. An Artist Challenge was introduced. Works were created from materials sourced from Open Shutters waste or was inspired by the Open Shutters venue. Grant Malony created an atwork – A giant kangaroo – on site and talked to people about his love of painting. Sponsors included Foxgroup, Wyong Leagues Club, Aubrey Brown Lawyers, Open Shutters. Central Coast Council supported this event.

Despite Covid lockdowns the exhibition expanded to 50 artists. Exhibited works included paintings, print making, photography, ceramics, book launch, live music and drama. The Artist Challenge was related to the experiences of Covid and was this year an award was sponsored by Fox group. A gallery shop was introduced. A FESTIVAL OF CREATIVITY was born. Sponsors included Foxgroup, Mariner Medical Centre, Wyong Leagues Club, Aubrey Brown Lawyers, Open Shutters. Supported by Central Coast Council.

Like most of the country, the event was significantly challenged by Covid restrictions. Despite the difficulties, 36 artists exhibited their work and the Gallery Shop was included again. Having been mostly locked at home for up to a year, Artists brought their studios into the exhibition space. Ceramic artists Alan and Alice Mendoza demonstrated the art of turning clay on a pottery wheel into a functional product. Trena Lowe set up her print making process and shared her knowledge and skill. Other artists invited people to participate in textile art, felt making and painting. Sponsors included Foxgroup, Stone Real Estate, Mariner Medical Centre, Wyong Leagues Club, Aubrey Brown Lawyers and Open Shutters. Supported by Central Coast Council.

Art At Work continues to expand. An alliance with Red Tree Theatre enables the development of a fortnight festival of creativity at Tuggerah.

A Winter exhibition was held at Red Tree Tuggerah in July. This new venture was well received over 9 days with 28 participating artists showing a variety of contemporary art including paintings, sculpture, glass, wood and ceramics. In November, the annual Festival of Creativity showcased a broad spectrum of the arts from visual to theatre with literature and musical performances interspersed over the 9 day event. We have started a schools program supporting senior High School students through a series of workshop experiences with some of our artists. We welcome sponsorships to develop this program to build pathways to creativity for future generations by enabling the preparation of works for sale, giving students an opportunity to learn how an exhibition is curated and the responsibilities related to showing their work. We were entertained by Emerging Artist Mia Cross from Coast Opera Australia and musical performances by Liv Zia, Dani Lukuta and Isabella O’Brien. Artists presented live demonstrations of their techniques and in addition to the exhibition offered original small art pieces for sale in a Gallery Shop.