Plantagenet Art Prize a smashing success.

Visual art is such a rich, often multi-sensory experience unique for each viewer, and this year’s Plantagenet Art Prize entries were an absolute feast with endless variety and something to suit everyone’s taste and budget. The pieces that immediately caught your eye and made you go “WOW” were almost endless, taking my breath away as I walked through the galleries. 

Art and particularly fine art can be highly controversial, emotive and deeply personal – individuals will react in unique ways to what they see in front of them, how it makes them feel, the connection to their own personal schema and their private interpretation of the artist’s message, Judges Indra Giedans and Kevin Draper must have had an almost impossible task this year to choose the winners of the Annual Plantagenet Art Prize – the standard of the 117 (including 24 in the Junior Arts section) works of art was incredibly high with exceptional pieces on display. Indra said in her speech that they would have liked to give a prize to every single artist.

Michell House was bursting at the seams with around 150 people attending the awards and opening of the exhibition on Thursday 27 February at 7.00pm with many of the pieces being purchased on the night but remaining at Mitchell House until the end of the exhibition on 8^th March 2025.

Only the Judges knew who the winners were until the exciting moment when each of the 9 category envelopes were opened in turn and the relevant winner announced. Unfortunately, not all of the winners were in attendance to accept their awards but for those who were it was wonderful to see their faces beam with happiness and watch them receive their award and prizes. The People’s Choice Award ($300), sponsored by Rick Wilson, will be ongoing as visitors can continue to vote until the end on the exhibition.

A huge thanks must to the all the volunteers at Mitchell House for the organisation and hard work they put in to making the event so successful and to the generous sponsors for the donation of money to cover the prizes and provide the catering

Name of Prize	Amount	Sponsor	Presenter	Winner
Plantagenet Art Prize Main Award	$3000	Shire of Plantagenet	Councilor and Shire President Len Handasyde.	Marjan Bakhtiarikish –52 The Wanderer
Painting Oil and Acrylic	$300	Mt Barker Legal	Len Handasyde	Lee Garvey 23: Self Portrait
Works on Paper, Watercolour, Pastels, Printmaking, or Drawing	$300	Heather Roberts Arts	Heather Roberts	Andy Dolphin56: On the Bibbulmun
Mixed Media	$300	Mobius Media	Jenny Rose	Helen Marshall77: Earth, Sea and Sky
Textiles	$300	Marie O’Dea	Scott Drummond	Helen Marshall79: Granny’s Garden
Sculpture	$300	Plantagenet Potters	Trish Powell	AdrienneQuenby 39: Extinguish
Functional Design	$300	Brad Pettitt MLC	Diane Evers Greens Candidate for WA Upper House	Melissa Butcher 49: Monty
Bendigo Youth Award 16-25	$300	Bendigo Bank	Jim Rhind	Kamryn Sheppard 84: Landscape Tranquility
Mitchell House junior Arts 10-15	$150	Michell House Arts	Jenny Rose and Heather Roberts	Evalina Tincu 111: Memories (after Deb Wieries)

All photos courtesty of Karen Partridge photography