Graceville Art Festival returns to Nambour

Graceville Art Festival’s Feature Artist for 2025 is Allison Clarey.

This month’s Graceville Art Festival will provide a rare platform for artists with lived experience of disability or mental health challenges from across the Sunshine Coast and beyond to exhibit their artistic works.

The five-day festival run by Lutheran Services’ Graceville Centre and staged at St Luke’s Lutheran Church, Nambour, includes workshops, market stalls and entertainment.

The festival will be open from October 8-12, aligning with Queensland Mental Health Week. Entry to the art exhibition and workshops is free.

For more than 50 years, the Graceville Centre has provided mental health and disability services, and accommodation at its Nambour site.

This year’s featured artist is talented Indigenous artist Allison Clarey, who lives with a disability.

Allison’s artwork is included in private, corporate, and government collections worldwide. She has participated in multiple community projects across the Sunshine Coast, where she shares her culture and promotes the resilience of First Nations people living with disabilities.

“It’s an awesome feeling to know people are connecting with my paintings, and I enjoy hearing different interpretations of my works,” she said.

Allison shared her guiding motto, one she has passed on to her two children, who also live with disabilities.

“In life, you can either let your disability rule you, or you can rule your disability. Regardless of if you have a disability, you can still achieve great things,” she said.

Allison is a founding member of the NuunaRon Art Group, a Sunshine Coast-based Indigenous art group for people with disabilities.

“My artwork is a means of connecting to my culture and allows me to explore my understanding of who I am, building my resilience and self-esteem, she said.

“I paint with acrylic on canvas, and get my ideas from dreams, personal experiences and emotions.’’

Now in its fifth year, the Graceville Art Festival is introducing an inaugural monetary art prize for 2025. The three new award categories include the Graceville Art Prize, Heart Prize and Inclusive Photography Prize.

The winners will be decided by two esteemed judges: Dr Tricia King, Senior Lecturer in Photography at UniSC, and Dr Sally Molley, Lecturer at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art and Design.

Dr Tricia King said: “The Graceville Arts Festival beautifully demonstrates how creativity can break down barriers and foster a space where everyone's story matters. I am excited to witness artists with a variety of lived experiences share their unique perspectives through their work.”

Many of the artworks will be available for purchase. Last year’s festival saw more than 100 pieces sold, with proceeds invested back into creative programs and events.

• The festival will be held at St Luke’s Church, 10 Sydney Street, Nambour. Opening hours for the public are: October 9-10 9am-3pm; October 11-12 9am-12noon. www.gracevilleartfestival.org.au. The Graceville Art Festival is sponsored by Sunshine Coast Council, Crown Furniture, Bendigo Bank, Nambour and Districts Lions Club, My Supports, Fleetcare, NLE Commercial, and Nambour RSL.