Sunday 25 June 2017

Beanies to Berets Exhibition & Sale Now Open!


The Beanies to Berets Exhibition and Sale
is now open at the Onkaparinga Arts Centre,
Port Noarlunga, South Australia.

Some of the beanies and berets that will greet you on arrival.


I was fortunate enough to attend the exhibition on its opening  day, Friday 23 June, and had a great time.  The staff are friendly and so were the other visitors. There's nothing like meeting other people who appreciate handmade work and a good beanie!

It is a diverse and eclectic collection of headwear and, because it is also a sale, you can visit, admire and select a beanie or beret for yourself to take home. The Arts Centre invites you to come and have a look: 

Celebrate creative headwear from the traditional to the sculptural,
 the playful to the wild; the wonderful to the bizarre.

You will find a mix of knitted, crocheted, felted and woven hats, plus many that combine one or more techniques.  That's all I will tell you for now because I want to get the word out quickly so you have a chance to see the display for yourself.

The Arts Centre's Gallery is a showcase for all sorts of hand crafted art works and gifts by artists and makers from the local area, south of Adelaide.


The "Beanies to Berets Exhibition and Sale" has contributions of 
over 300 hats by 16 Participating Artists:

Sally Baird
Wilma Bakja-Van Velze
Sharyn Brady
Annette Gooding
Leah Gooding
Fay Harding
Helen Herde
Marjorie Home
Jennifer Jager
Janette Jones
Alexis Morrison
Kaye Oliver
Helen Petersen
Mary Schmidt
Sandy Soul
Anne Wratten 


In the beginning, there were 308 hats (to be precise) but, because visitors are allowed to purchase them, I recommend visiting sooner rather than later while there are still plenty to see, touch and try on.

The "Beanies to Berets Exhibition and Sale" will be open until 29 July 2017 unless all the beanies and berets are sold before then! Admission is free.

Opening Hours
Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 
Saturdays 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.


22 Gawler Street, Port Noarlunga, South Australia


The co-ordinator of this exhibition is Tim Rollason. In the past, he  has also worked with the Alice Springs Beanie Festival which attracts thousands of people to the red centre every year.  The openings of both beanie events were planned to coincide.

I now declare 'Australian Beanie Season' officially "OPEN"!
  
I do hope you get the chance to see the beautiful, fun, stylish, artistic and amazing works by South Australian artists in person (including a fun interpretation of the controversial 'Pussyhats'). 

The prices for hats start from as little as $16 (Australian dollars) with the average price being around $25 which is extremely affordable for a one-of-a-kind handmade accessory.


Port Noarlunga still feels like a country beachside village with antique shops, bakeries and coffee houses. It makes a lovely day trip destination and if you are suffering from 'beanie fever', you will certainly find solace in the offerings of the Arts Centre.

I look forward to telling you more about my visit in a future blog entry (complete with photographs). 

Do you have any beanie or beret stories to share?
 
You are most welcome to tell your story in the comment boxes below or share them privately by email (jodiebodiecrochets@gmail.com).

Remember, a warm head makes for a warm heart!



Related Posts on Lupey Loops


"The Red Centre of Beaniedom!", 21 June 2014: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/the-red-centre-of-beaniedom.html

"Fun at the Beanies to Berets Exhibition and Sale (Part 1)", 20 September 2017: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/09/fun-at-beanies-to-berets-exhibition-and.html

"Fun at the Beanies to Berets Exhibition and Sale (Part 2)", 17 November 2017: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com/2017/11/fun-at-beanies-to-berets-exhibition-and.html

"Beanies to Berets–Bigger and Better", 21 June 2018: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com/2018/06/beanies-to-berets-bigger-and-better.html 

"Beanies to Berets Exhibition 2019 + Textile Expo: Call for Artists", 6 May 2019: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com/2019/05/beanies-to-berets-exhibition-2019.html
 
Onkaparinga Arts: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com/search/label/Onkaparinga%20Arts

 



Links & References


Alice Springs Beanie Festival, Northern Territory, Australia: http://www.beaniefest.org/  

Onkaparinga Arts Centre, 22 Gawler Street, Port Noarlunga, South Australia: http://onkaparingacity.com/onka/discover/arts_culture/the_arts_centre.jsp

14 comments:

  1. Looks like a great exhibition.

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    1. I love the enthusiasm everyone had for knitted, crocheted, woven, felted and handmade hats. Is a lot of fun on a winter's day.

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  2. Looked this up earlier but it is too far from the train for me. I hope there will be some of our guild members who will go though - and be inspired!

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    1. The ride is tricky (too steep for you) but it isn't far from Noarlunga train station. There is a taxi rank at the adjacent shopping centre eat of the station but taxis may also pick up from the bus interchange. I'm not sure. I had a friend who works in the area pick me up from the train station in their lunch break and I spent a lovely afternoon in Port Noarlunga. It was worth the effort for me.

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  3. What a fun day out for you and a great opportunity for local makers! What a great idea!

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    1. It truly was fun. The volunteers had so much enthusiasm and when they discovered how crazy I am about crochet etc. they allowed themselves to be less formal and let their own senses of fun and humour shine through. I got to meet the co-ordinator and chat beanies as he told me about the Alice Springs experience and his plans for this current exhibition.

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  4. IT looks like a wonderful exhibit. I hope every hat gets sold!

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    1. I love the way the hats were presented - on little pegs attached to coloured fence pickets which were hung from the picture rails. We could pick off a hat, try it on, feel the texture etc. and as soon as a hat was sold, another one came out of one of the hampers to take its place.

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  5. So excited to take part��

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    1. It truly is a lovely exhibition and a great opportunity to get to know other textile crafters in our region (like your good self, for example);-)
      Thanks for popping by the blog, Sally!

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  6. What a beautiful display. I am about to knit a beanie out of some alpaca by son brought me from the Yukon Territories. I just need to find the perfect pattern (says every knitter and/or crocheter everywhere!)

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    1. Ooooh! Alpaca! Swoon! So soft and warm, Mary-Anne!
      Yes, the perfect pattern - you're not wrong.
      That feeling happens to me too - wanting to make sure the yarn is used in a project that will do it justice and will allow one to enjoy the yarn over and over. Sometimes the fear of ruining a beautiful yarn will create indecision and procrastination in me.
      I also find that the widening range of available patterns make it even harder to choose. Would you agree?

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  7. Love this Beanie! Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thanks for the link - another resource for beanie-makers. :-)

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