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By the time you get this month magazine, things will be gradually winding down on the Olympic front and most people by now, would have had their fill of grunts and groans, and while this might have been too much for many people, thankfully there was another bright side to all this hoo-ha to cheer us art lovers and to shed different kind of light on the Australian cultural scene! I am of course referring to the Olympic arts festival, a virtual smorgasbord of arts to please, entice and educate some of the many overseas visitors who seek something totally different after a day full of sport. It is nothing short of fantastic the amount of exhibitions and artistic shows that one could find around town, not that we, otherwise, live in a cultural desert or anything, but the way these shows have been organised and spread out to present a broad spectrum of Australian culture that makes us the envy of many nations. Most will notice that this major event is the culmination of four years of intense cultural effort with some 3000 artists participating from around the world including some very famous names indeed! These four Olympic arts festivals have started back in 1997 with the The Festival of the Dreaming, an acclaimed showcase of the work of indigenous artists from Australia and overseas. The second Olympic Arts Festival, A Sea Change, featured nearly 100 events in small towns and cities Australia-wide throughout 1998. And in1999,
Reaching the World saw hundreds of
Australian artists
and arts companies tour the world as part of the third
Olympic Arts Festival. And while
the focus was firmly
on the sports arena, this fourth and final Arts Festival is surely an important compliment to our Olympic endeavours and credit should be given to organisers and planners who have seized such an important opportunity to do us proud! So, well done for a change ..... and good onya OZ!! |