The 2019 Retrospective Exhibition
Back by popular demand! The DAF committee acknowledge the many great artists that helped to create this festival all those years ago. One of those founding artists was D Thornton Hick and the committee is very pleased to announce that the Lesser Hall will be home to a retrospective exhibition of his work.
2018
It was a fantastic year. Feedback from artists and visitors has been incredibly positive. With comments such as, ‘this has been the best year ever’ and ‘the standard of work was exceptional this year’, ‘the artwork was beautifully curated and flowed well’.
The Sculptures on the Scarp exhibition was a tremendous success
The Darlington Arts Festival has been hosting art exhibitions for more than 50 years. We have had an amazing , rich and vibrant past filled with incredible talent and passion.
RESERVE ART PRIZE 2018
Reserve Art Prize 2018 | Judges Choice | $10,000
The winner chosen by the judges was: Simon McArdell for his acrylic and beeswax, landscape painting – Flesh (Quarry Wall).
Winner: Reserve Art Prize 2018 | Simon McArdell – Flesh (Quarry Wall) | Acrylic, Beeswax
This work attempts to capture a moment of poise within a system of decay. The progressive flensing and destruction of a hill creating new worlds with new systems following the same entropic laws.
Reserve Art Prize 2018 | Peoples Choice Award | $500
More than 1,000 votes were cast over the weekend. We are pleased to announce that you voted for ‘Field of Dreams’ by Janet Day.




History of the Reserve Art Prize
In 2016 the Darlington Arts Festival included a major art prize. The $10,000 cash prize attracted a number of established artists from throughout Western Australia and strong interest from the viewing public.
The exhibition was housed in the Historic Lesser hall held almost 50 artworks. Year on year, artists have been raising the bar on the standard of entries, with 2018 seeing some exceptional pieces of work exhibited.
OPEN ART EXHIBITION
Each year artists from around Western Australia are invited to take part in the Darlington Arts Festival, the state’s longest running free community event.
Western Australian Artists are invited to showcase their works in the Open Art Exhibition held in the Main Hall. In this vibrant and exciting exhibition, all art works are for sale and prizes awarded in four categories:
- Painting;
- Printmaking/Drawing;
- Photography/Digital Art;
- 3-Dimensional: Sculpture/Furniture/Ceramics/Textiles/Jewellery.
For more information contact: openex@darlingtonartsfestival.com
To submit you application Open Art Application
YOUTH ART EXHIBITION
The Darlington Arts Festival Youth Art Exhibition is a colourful highlight of the festival weekend. Vibrant painting and drawings, striking photographs, sculptures, textiles and jewellery adorn the Mezzanine level of Darlington Hall. The exhibition showcases artworks from talented 13 – 18 year old school students.
For more information contact: youthart@darlingtonartsfestival.com
To find out more or to submit your application go to Youth Art
JUNIOR ART (JAX) EXHIBITION
The Junior Art exhibition has fantastic opportunities for children aged 4-12 years to display their creative work at the festival!
For more information contact: juniorart@darlingtonartsfestival.com
To find out more or to submit your application go to Junior Art Exhibition
BERNADETTE AWARD
Youth Art Encouragement Award
Bernadette-Lee Irene Pitman-Spring. April 25 1963 – June 17 2013
Proudly, an ongoing award to celebrate and remember Bernadette’s tireless support, encouragement and participation in the lives of young artists. This encouragement award is given to a young emerging artist deemed worthy to receive recognition for their unique skills.
To find out more or to submit your application go to Bernadette Award