2021 Craft Fair – 2 years in the making
Billy Tarrant, of Tarrant Guitars won the $10,000 Premier Arts Award at the Tasmanian Craft Fair in 2019. Photo supplied.
The last weekend in October will see the Tasmanian Craft Fair return to Deloraine to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
Tickets this year are not available at the gates. They must be prepurchased online or at the Great Western Tiers Visitor Centre.
But Fair Director Rob van Elst is excited to share the information of all the things to see and do for this fair which has been 2 years in the making.
The fair usually hand picks international artists, but this year there are four Tasmanian artists who have created works on an international stage and were also part of the fair’s early years.
Neil Hoffmann produces gas fired sculpture and tableware, and his work features in the National Gallery of Australia.
Helmut Schwabe is a sculptor who creates works that mimic the natural world and has private and public collections in Germany, Japan and the USA.
Tony Smibert AM is a renowned painter with numerous publications.
McLachlan Studio have private and public collections across the globe including works at the National Gallery of Australia.
In addition, the $10,000 Premiers Arts Award, awarded to Penguin based luthier Billy Tarrant at the last fair, will this year be presented by the Premier himself.
The Tasmanian Craft Fair is an initiative of the Rotary Club of Deloraine, utilising local tradespeople to make the event happen, with electricians, builders and cleaners in addition to local bus companies and the hiring of local venues.
To organise and run a craft fair each year takes approximately 10,000 volunteer hours.
About 500 volunteers will work on set up, cleaning, pull down, managing gates and managing each of the nine venues
Twenty-three service and local community organisations receive a donation for their services, including local schools, churches, Rotary Clubs, Lions and Apex.
Rob adds, ‘We were so disappointed to have had to cancel the event last year, especially as we know how our exhibitors, hospitality and retail businesses in the Meander Valley rely on the income.’
The 2021 40th Anniversary Tasmanian Craft Fair will be held over the long weekend of October 29 to November 1, in venues across Deloraine.
Tickets and event information are available online at www.tascraftfair.com.au.
‘We’d always ask locals to be our best ambassadors. Jump on social media pages and share our posts to their friends and family from abroad. If they can’t come this year, make sure it’s on their bucket list for next!’
