The new ARTZBUS tours will take people on day-long art tours around nearby areas and will not be confined to just Hepburn Shire. 

The tours will involve visiting a number of established and emerging artists in their studios and stopping off for lunch at a winery or festival.

“There are no real community art spaces here anymore that don’t cost a lot to exhibit in. Usually we have to sell something to pay the overhead, but contemporary art isn’t about selling, it’s about self-expression and creating atmosphere,” Saville said. 

“This is meant to help empower the artist so we can make their work accessible without the pressure of artists constantly having to ask themselves how they will sell works. There’s a great dichotomy when you have to choose to work to sell or to express.”

“It is the start of something we hope will grow,” Guerin said. “It is not only great for the people going on the tours but for the artists too. They will have the opportunity to demonstrate their craft and talk about what it involves.”

Saville agreed. 

“We have a network of artists between us who have told us they would love to have a busload of people turn up by appointment rather than having people dribble in all day during an open studio event,” she said. “When a whole busload of people visit a studio at once, the artist can plan their whole demonstration without having to try to include different groups of people who would be otherwise interrupting at different times.”

The ARTZBUS will leave from the Farmers Arms, Daylesford at 10am on November 16, 17 and 18. Anybody is welcome to turn up on the day. For bookings and more information, call Francis Guerin on 5348 7657.