The annual Beverley Art Prize and exhibition returned to the historic town hall with around 334 artworks, continuing one of Western Australia’s long-running regional art traditions.
The 2024 edition marked the 55th year of the event organised by the nonprofit Beverley Arts Station.
An exhibition built by the community
Preparing the show required volunteers to unpack, catalogue, curate, hang and judge hundreds of entries before the opening.
The organising committee drew support from residents of the town and surrounding farms, turning the exhibition into a substantial community undertaking as well as an art competition.
Thirty-three local artists were entered for the local artists prize, while five participants aged 16 to 25 were eligible for the young adult award.
Regional artists and wider Western Australian participation
Submitted work included pieces by established Western Australian artists such as seascape painter Julie Silvester and award-winning artist Stephanie Boyle.
The opening traditionally attracted visitors ready not only to see the exhibition but also to purchase work, giving the event a commercial role for participating artists.
After more than five decades, the Beverley exhibition had become more than an annual prize.
Its scale, volunteer structure and mixture of local and state-wide participation showed how a small regional town could sustain a recurring visual-arts event through collective effort.