Alan Davidson, one of the owners of the gallery, said that the newest exhibit ‘Winter Blues and Other Colours’ will feature two artists from Warrandyte and Kialla in the main room of the gallery and the rest will be dedicated to local works.
“The artists in this exhibition in the main room are from Warandyte and Kialla near Shepparton, and that leaves the four remaining rooms for the local artists, and they’ll be on display all year round,” he said.
“We’ve got 41 local artists in here on a permanent basis, 35 of whom are either Echuca, Moama or just outside that area.”
The gallery team was told back in April they would have until the end of May in the space, and so Mr Davidson and Kate Villarroel decided to host a ‘last hurrah’ exhibit before the lease ended.
“We only had the chance to run our last exhibit for four weeks,” Mr Davidson said.
“It was our first exhibit, and we were given this for one month.
“In the end, the Shire liked what we did and offered us a 12-month lease, so we have the space until the end of May next year.”
The last exhibit featured about 200 original pieces, which looks like a warm up as the gallery prepares to open with 450 this weekend.
“We’ve got over 450 original pieces, jewellery, cards, ceramics, origami, plants, bags — we’ve got all sorts of things. Crafts as well as art,” Mr Davidson said.
“We’re trying to offer something for everybody, and that’s what both the tourists and the locals love.”
Mr Davidson, an avid art collector himself, has grown the gallery with the support of the local art community.
“We’re running the gallery for local artists, and that’s how we’re different from everywhere else in town,” he said.
“It’s been great with all of our local artists, because we thought we knew all of them, and more have come out of the woodwork.
“Local artists have nowhere to exhibit in town — half of our artists might use Facebook and Instagram and have websites, but most of them don’t.
“Most of them just want to paint, do their thing, and that’s it. That’s why they’re loving the gallery.”
‘Winter Blues and Other Colours’ featuring Abby Fortin and Steffi Tisi will be opening at the Customs House Gallery on Saturday, July 30 at 6pm.
Echuca’s Caledonian Hotel will be providing beverages for the opening night event, as the gallery’s major sponsor.
Owner Dave Cunningham said he had a long personal connection with the team and was proud to be supporting the gallery and the local artists.
The Customs House Gallery is open from 10am until 4pm, six days a week and closed on Tuesdays at 2 Leslie St, Echuca.
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