We’ll go no more ‘a-WOADelling’

JUNE 2015 | NIECY BROWN

OPEN LETTER to All who have contributed to WOAD over the past 5 years.

Windows On the Arts in Deloraine (WOAD) held during the Craft Fair in the shop windows of Emu Bay Rd has reached the end of its time.

It has been a beautiful thing but I’m ready for more house and garden and less voluntary hours and we at Arts Deloraine haven’t attracted a ‘driver’ with the time and energy to continue.

Through a wonderful partnership between Arts Deloraine and The Tasmanian Craft Fair, we have delivered five years of public art involving artists, shop keepers, schools, hospital and medical centres, musicians, boundless volunteers, arts funding bodies, MV Council, MV Enterprise Centre, Giant Steps, Trash Transformers – in fact over 500 people and 40 community partnerships.

During the WOAD years, together we have achieved great outcomes for the town and attracted thousands of visitors up into the main street of Deloraine during the Tas Craft Fair to benefit the retail and hospitality sectors.

Many artists have gained part time work and benefited from the grants that have supported the event. And we all enjoyed learning and sharing skills.

It is with some sadness and heartfelt gratitude that I thank the exhibiting artists, the community volunteers who worked to make the street decorations, and the generous shopkeepers who made their windows available for the WOAD street gallery in a magnificent effort in ’ assisting Deloraine to uphold its reputation as a creative place to live and work.

The volunteers of Arts Deloraine and The Tasmanian Craft Fair deserve special recognition for their support both financial and in-kind in making WOAD happen.

We on the Craft Fair committee are looking at other ways to encourage visitors to still come up into the street in future years.

The WOAD poppies were a real favourite and our good friends at the tip have welcomed a huge bunch to be on display out there.

So, a big thank you for the fun, joy and opportunity to work with so many generous and clever people in expressing my creativity in and devotion to my home town.

‘Til the next adventure, farewell from Niecy Brown.