A weekend of Art, Music, Culture and Food set to hit Moree

Get ready for the #MyMoreeByMoonlight Street Festival on Friday 25 March and Painted River Project Moree on Saturday 26 March.

Bank Art Museum Moree (BAMM) has collaborated with a series of local and external partners to deliver a weekend of art, music, culture and food for the Moree Shire.

The weekend starts with the #MyMoreeByMoonlight Street Festival, produced in collaboration between BAMM, Moree Plains Shire Council, Moree Chamber of Commerce and Moree Tourism, and made possible through the NSW Government Festival of Place Funding.

For one night only, Heber Street Moree will come alive in the moonlight as crowds gather to dine and dance in a street party atmosphere.

This free community street festival will feature live music by the Contingency Plan and Kaylah Bell, interactive street art, illusion art by Mick Cayirylys, lanterns, large-scale games, late-night shopping, alfresco dining, food and craft stalls, and more. BAMM will also be open late with an Artist Talk by Euan Macleod, winner of the Dobell Drawing Prize 22, which is currently on display at the gallery.

BAMM Director, Vivien Clyne recalls “there was a time when Moree’s streets regularly came alive with street festivals and parades – the Golden Grain Festival and Moon Festival just to name a few. It’s wonderful that we can revive this nostalgic feeling, if only for a night, by bringing the community together through art, music and food!”

The street festival will take place from 4pm – 8:30pm on Friday 25 March along the eastern end of Heber Street. However, Mrs Clyne encourages as many restaurants and shops as possible to stay open to bring Moree’s CBD alive.

The festivities continue into Saturday morning with the Painted River Project Moree at Mary Brand Park from 9am.

The Painted River Project returns for its second year as an annual pilgrimage that brings together artists, writers, scientists and photographers on the banks of the Mehi and Gwydir Rivers in Moree.

Spend your Saturday morning watching professional artists paint, including award-winning artists Euan Macleod and Charmaine Pike, look through a magnifying glass to examine local water life, and try your hand at a free art making activity.  A pop-up water science station by Western Sydney University will educate adults and entertain children. Girls on the Moove pop-up coffee van will also be on-site to feed visitors and locals alike with delicious coffee, food and sweet treats.

BAMM Assistant Director, Kate Tuart, says “already in its second year, the Painted River Project Moree brings artists and professionals from NSW, QLD and VIC to our town, and I’m calling on the regional community to come down, take part and help grow this event into a festival that puts Moree on the map for something worth celebrating – our connection to water, arts and culture”

The Project is delivered in collaboration between BAMM, Western Sydney University and the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, and aims to celebrate water through art, culture, literature and science, and share an understanding of the vital role it plays in our way of life.

This free event will take place from 9am-12:30pm on Saturday 26 March with art materials provided for all ages. Established artists are encouraged to bring their own equipment and art supplies.

In addition to the community art and science day on Saturday 26 March, the visiting artists and professionals invited by BAMM to Moree will delve deeper into the value of water for the Shire’s agricultural and tourism industries, as well as the region’s river health. They will be visiting farms and riverways, and meeting with local professionals and community members to discuss the future of water use in the region and capture on canvas the unique ecology and culture of the Shire.

More information on these events can be found online at BAMM’s website.