Ku-Ring-Gai Art Society: Creating Community Since 1965

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With over 50 years in operation, The Ku-Ring-Gai Art Society is the area's most esteemed two-dimensional arts collective, with a reputation for attracting both national and international artists.

About the Ku-Ring-Gai Art Society

Boasting an impressive collection of pieces, The Ku-Ring-Gai Art Society is a non-profit organisation “run by artists for the benefit of artists and those interested in the arts”, supported in part by patronage from Meg Stewart and Lou Klepac OAM. 

Heralding a creative background, Stewart is the daughter of artist Margaret Cohen and poet Douglas Stewart, as well as a filmmaker, journalist, and author in her own right. Similarly, Klepac has enjoyed a long career in the Australian arts; as an art curator himself, he also founded the Beagle Press – a publishing company designed to produce books on Australian art. 

Honing the creation and presentation of a broad spectrum of art, The Society celebrates two-dimensional pieces in all media in both traditional and contemporary styles. Ku-Ring-Gai Arts Society operates with its primary goal: “to foster all branches of the Visual Arts and to enhance the status of art and artists in the community by providing innovative and up-to-date activities for artists to advance their talents.” 

As such, The Society holds regular art exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations to help skilled and budding artists broaden and develop their craft. Additionally, the Ku-Ring-Gai Art Society meets monthly and is frequently visited by guest speakers and leading artists demonstrating a variety of techniques across a multitude of media, including watercolours, oils and acrylics. 

Members are also able to have their work shown in any of the three exhibitions held by the Society each year, as well as in external exhibitions and competitions, like The Sydney Royal Easter Show, which included at least ten entrants from the Society in 2023. Exhibitions run by The Ku-Ring-Gai Arts Society include the Annual Awards Exhibition, which is held in July, and offers prizes provided by the Society and its generous sponsors and benefactors. This year, top prizes were taken out by Linda Olstein, Chris Blackwood and Louise Kenny, among others. 

Additional exhibitions are held in March and October, which typically go on display at the St Ives Shopping Village - exhibition entrance may be dependent on one’s membership category. Ku-Ring-Gai Art Society membership ranges between $30 - $70 per year and provides members with discounts on workshops and studio visits as well as additional perks. 

For more information and to join, head to www.ourkas.com.au

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