Daylesford’s annual Artober festival has exploded in recent years.
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Beginning with just 16 events in Daylesford in its inaugural year, to the 40 events shire-wide coming up next month, organisers are celebrating the festival’s success.
Beginning in 2012 as the major fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Daylesford, organiser Victor Szwed said it had become a major event on the shire’s cultural calendar.
The festival is centred around flagship event, the Daylesford Art Show, which will be held at the Daylesford Town Hall from October 28 to 30.
The Daylesford Art Show itself has been running for more than 30 years as a way of promoting the talent residing within the township.
“This year, there’s a total of 40 events across the whole Hepburn Shire including a couple of events in Clunes, Trentham, Creswick and quite a few things in Daylesford,” Mr Szwed said.
“It’s not just galleries and open studios – there’s community art, such as the Friends of Cornish Hill, who are working with the Daylesford Dharma School.”
Mr Szwed said the festival was about much more than simply raising funds for Rotary, which invests any profits back into community projects.
“Four years ago, we thought there was a bit of a vacuum in art in the shire,” he said.
“You look at Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander and Castlemaine, they have their art festivals. We have just as many artists in our shire.
“We thought a whole month of promoting art, not just commercial but also community art (would be of benefit).”
The first event for Artober will be Creswick Museum’s Lionel Lindsay in Black and White, which will be held October 1 to 17.
Other highlights include Doug Wright and Anne Saunders open studio in Daylesford, Greg Mallyon’s open studio, Gary Bish’s pottery master class and saori weaving at Clunes.
For the full line-up of events, visit www.daylesfordartshow.com.au
