Heidi Kraak
The Gippsland Sculpture Exhibition will begin this weekend with a series of demonstrations at Yinnar.
To mark the event, one of the town’s now iconic sculptures was officially handed over to the Yinnar community last week.
‘Johnnie Be Good’ by local artist Nicole Allen has been sitting on the street corner in Yinnar next to the pub for almost two years now.
Yinnar and District Community Association president Herb Smith said the sculpture reflected the musical heritage of the Yinnar community.
Latrobe City councillor Sharon Gibson said the sculpture exhibition “put Yinnar on the map”.
“It brought so many people to Yinnar,” she said.
The sculpture, which was purchased with money from Latrobe City Council, Mirboo North Community Bank and the Yinnar Hotel, featured in the last biennial exhibition.
Event organiser Nicole Allen encouraged people to visit Yinnar during the exhibition which will open at 1pm-4pm on Saturday and will run until June 1.
She said the exhibition would feature sculptures from artists from across Australia with major prizes in three sections, including a people’s choice award.
A grand opening on Saturday will feature live music, a sausage sizzle and a small market.
On Sundays during the exhibition, there will be live sculpture demonstrations, including a chainsaw demonstration on April 7 from 9am until 4pm.
Other demonstrations throughout the exhibition will include wood sculpture, leatherwork and Indigenous weaving techniques.
