IN January 2022 Mornington Rotary Club is set to celebrate its 50th annual art exhibition.
Despite COVID restrictions organisers are confident the show will go ahead “in a very similar format to previous years”.
Money raised from this 50th anniversary art show will go towards several Mornington Rotary Club projects including the Bay Trail being developed by Mornington Peninsula Shire and other Rotary clubs; completing a shelter over the Rotary long table in Mornington Park; and helping provide accommodation for homeless families.
Mornington Rotary, with the shire, has recently installed a women’s bathroom in the Fusion building at Mount Martha.
Since 1972, Mornington Rotary has exhibited local and interstate artworks for viewing and sale.
More than $1.1 million has raised from the 50 years of art shows with over 65 per cent being spent on projects in the Mornington area.
Organiser John Renowden said the art show had become a “much anticipated annual calendar event for the Mornington community and its summer visitors”.
“The show displays the widest range of best quality art work on the peninsula and it is proudly claimed that the Mornington Art Show is the peninsula’s biggest and best art show,” he said.
The 2022, Mornington Art Show will again be held at the corner of Wilson’s Road and Nepean Highway, but in a different building.
“The new Mornington Community House, incorporating the large studio, was completed this year at a cost of more than $4vmillion,” art show chair Richard Vautier said. “It offers a similar amount of hanging space to the community theatre, where we held last year’s most successful art show.”
Rotary’s art show will be the first major community event in the new building.
The opening night will be Thursday 20 January, and the art show will run to Australia Day, Wednesday 26 January.
Works will also be able to be seen and bought online from 23-30 January.