The iconic Australian Body Art Festival has found a new home in Cooroy, moving to the hinterland town after eight years in Eumundi.
The 2017 event will take place at the Lower Mill Site in Cooroy on the weekend of 8 and 9 April and is expected to attract artists and spectators from across Australia and overseas.
The Cooroy Chamber of Commerce will run the much-loved event and group president Danielle Taylor said the team was excited to bring the event to Noosa.
“It’s such a wonderful festival with some terrific artists and a great community, family vibe which will be a perfect fit with the artistic Cooroy community,” she said.
“We’ve had fantastic feedback about bringing the event to Cooroy and artist registrations have been flowing in steadily. We can’t wait to see all the wonderful living artworks that are created.”
The event is centred on competitions in temporary body painting with categories of brush and sponge, airbrush, special effects and face painting. The event will also showcases competitions and exhibitions in wearable art and photography.
Amateur and professional artists are urged to enter the 2017 Australian Body Art Festival and get creative with this year’s theme of “Wonderland”.
Ms Taylor said the theme lent itself to a wealth of interpretations.
“Wonderland conjures up thoughts of Alice in Wonderland, Winter Wonderland and anything in the wonderland of your imagination such as mystic dragons and magical forests,” she said.
“We encourage and challenge artists from a range of backgrounds to get involved as there is something for everyone – artists with experience in fine art and visual art, make-up and special effects, textile art, street art, airbrush sign craft, spray painting, graphic art, fashion and photography.”
Ms Taylor said if artists had never competed in an event like this, it was simply a matter of adapting your skills to use paint on the canvas of the human body.
“And for the wearable art competition, use your skills to create funky fashion using recycled materials,” she said.
“Past entrants tell us that it is an experience like no other – a unique chance to work alongside fellow artists and a chance to showcase creativity to a large audience, with some great prizes and a whole lot of fun.”
Competition details have been released and registrations are now open on the website www.australianbodyart.com.au. Early bird entry fees apply for all registrations before 1 February.
Visit www.australianbodyart.com.au for more info, competition registration, sponsorship opportunities, market stall registrations and to sign up to receive eNewsletters in the lead-up to the event.