This past year has again been a rollercoaster of hope and frustration sprinkled with occasional joy for the arts.
Postponements, cancellations and re-programming of events due to the continually changing landscape of COVID-19 rules has made life difficult for everyone involved, from visual artists and theatre performers to musicians and events managers.
However, unlike the previous year when COVID-19 hit like a hurricane from nowhere, by 2021 people had learned to adapt and were better prepared either to go online or reschedule.
There were also some arts events that managed to be squeezed in between the lockdowns and changing rules around audience numbers.
GALLERY: Check out the year in arts in 2021 below
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Point of Difference Studio members produced artwork for the Be Woke, Be Anti-Racist campaign in August. Photo by Rodney BraithwaiteImage 2 of 20
The Furphy Literary Awards were announced online in August and the new anthology released in November. Photo by Rodney BraithwaiteImage 3 of 20
The year kicked off with a spectacular Secret Garden garden gig in January. Photo by @yuckymummyImage 4 of 20
Shepparton Access members performed a colourful and uplifting musical show in November. Photo by Megan FisherImage 5 of 20
Tank's 'Inside the Sound' went on display in the Eastbank foyer in July. Photo by Rodney BraithwaiteImage 6 of 20
Tatura Artists led by Phyl Mactier finally got to show their work at the Tatura Museum in October. Photo by Rodney BraithwaiteImage 7 of 20
Singer Lillie Walker was among a talented young Initial Stages cast which performed a Broadway-style revue at WestSide PAC in July. Photo by Rodney BraithwaiteImage 8 of 20
Shepparton’s Marion Langford was this year’s Call to Create Artist for the 25th anniversary Shepparton Festival. Photo by Megan FisherImage 9 of 20
Mooroopna’s MEAC became a busy exhibition hub this year. Several shows were held including this one in August by Shepparton Textile Artists. Photo by Rodney BraithwaiteImage 10 of 20
The ceiling at Shepparton’s Harris Scarfe shopping plaza became the space for a huge installation of 800 papier mâché pods during the Shepparton Festival. Photo by SuppliedImage 11 of 20
Water towers and silos continued to become the backdrop for art, including this one at Tatura’s water tower completed in June. Photo by Megan FisherImage 12 of 20
People finally got an inside look at the SAM’s gallery spaces when the iconic new building was at last opened in November. Photo by Megan FisherImage 13 of 20
OUTintheOPEN Festival celebrated Shepparton’s LGBTIQ+ community with a mix of online and face-to-face activities in October. Photo by Rodney BraithwaiteImage 14 of 20
Central Shepparton became the backdrop to a series of colourful murals during this year’s Shepparton Festival. Photo by Megan FisherImage 15 of 20
Three musical groups - choir 36 Degrees South, GV Orchestra and Shepparton Brass and Wind announced a move from Chapel on Maude to a new space at St Augustine’s Hall. Photo by Jeff JenningsImage 16 of 20
Despite a tough year, STAG members managed to perform a rehearsed reading of the Vicar of Dibley and a performance of inspiring songs from musicals in Encores. Photo by SuppliedImage 17 of 20
Pacific Islander culture was celebrated at Shepparton’s annual Pasifika Festival in December. Photo by Rodney BraithwaiteImage 18 of 20
Hundreds of people attended the formal opening of the new SAM in November. More than a thousand attended over two days of celebrations. Photo by Rodney BraithwaiteImage 19 of 20
The year finished with another huge night of Secret Garden music and togetherness at Dookie Quarry in December. Photo by Megan FisherImage 20 of 20
Yorta Yorta artist Troy Firebrace completed the final drawing wall at Eastbank in January, before SAM’s move to its new building. Photo by Rodny BraithwaiteThe year kicked off with a spectacular two-night return of Secret Garden Gigs at Dookie quarry on the weekend of January 15-16. Spread over two nights were alt-rock band Robes, seven-piece pop, soul and RnB group Kodah, El Moth, the Tenielle McKenzie band, Madi Colville-Walker and DJ Bung.
Shepparton’s Riverlinks program was again hit by COVID-induced cancellations, but the team still managed to deliver a series of live-streamed performances, Afternoon Delights and a playing for pleasure concert in May.
In late March, we were treated to two days of music as Euroa Music Festival kicked off with food trucks and bars and bands at the Memorial Oval, with Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever headlining the show.
On the same weekend, March 27, Shepparton Theatre Arts Group presented Encores — its first live musical show for more than a year. Audiences at Shepparton’s Chapel on Maude were treated to two performances of 12 songs from musicals in a stripped-back format.
In October, STAG life member Fiona Kennan stepped down after more than 10 years as president of the theatre group. STAG also lost two leading lights this year — Lance Woodhouse who died in June, and Richard “Dick” Hutchinson who died in October.
The year continued with shows from Splinter Contemporary Artists, Tatura Artists, Nathalia’s G.R.A.I.N. Store, Dookie’s Artist Tree and Shepparton Textile Artists. Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre became a particularly busy hub for individual and group shows.
March saw the soft opening of the city’s arts flagship Shepparton Art Museum with just the ground floor made available to the public. The city had to wait until November for the grand opening of the five-floor $50 million facility attended by more than 1000 people over a weekend.
In May, musical theatre returned briefly to Shepparton with Initial Stages' popular production of a Broadway revue of songs at WestSide PAC in Mooroopna. In December, Helen Janke, founder of the youth theatre group, announced its closure after 17 years. Its final performance will be the musical Chicago in January, 2022.
The 25th Shepparton Festival went ahead with a winter festival during June under the theme of Unify. While some scheduled events were cancelled or postponed there was still plenty of exhibitions, murals, performances and workshops to keep the flame alive.
In June, the Goulburn Valley Concert Orchestra delivered its 25th anniversary concert — live-streamed from Shepparton’s Eastbank Centre.
The winners of the second annual Furphy Literary Award were announced online in August with Toowoomba writer Thomas Alan taking out the top $15,000 short story prize.
Three Goulburn Valley music groups farewelled their central Shepparton rehearsal and performance space with a special concert in early December. Goulburn Valley Concert Orchestra, Shepparton Brass and Wind and 36 Degrees South announced their move from Chapel on Maude to St Augustine’s Church Hall.
This year was bookended with another hugely popular Secret Garden Gig at Dookie quarry on Saturday, December 11, which saw a big roll-call of Goulburn Valley-bred performers line up for a night of music under the stars with Ryan Meeking, Eliott, Charlie McCosh and Aluka headlined by Benny Walker.