Ron Baker and Marjan Bakhitiarikish awarded for classical Art Trail exhibit

Ron Baker and Marjan Bakhitiarikish have beaten hundreds of artists to take home $3000 in the coveted 2023 Southern Art and Craft Trail exhibition award. The pair were up against 450 artists and 400 student artists across 74 exhibits to win the award, which is voted on by visitors to the trail. Baker and Bakhitiarikish were delighted with the win, and plan to put the cash back into their newly built studio, which hosted their exhibit this year. “This year, we decided to have it in our home gallery,” Baker said. “We have a studio at home that we’ve used for the last eight years, but we had just built a new gallery to add a combination of an open studio with our home gallery. “So that was the chance and the opportunity where visitors can see the works in progress. “People like to know what goes on behind the scenes and to meet the artists, so it was a great way for people to come in and have a look through as we worked and produced.” “It was our first experience and we had no expectations and had no idea how it would go, so having won that award means the people have loved it,” Bakhitiarikish said. “That’s just encouraged us to continue into next year. “As artists, we’re trying to make a living from our art. It’s a huge benefit and the money will go back into the art itself. We’ll prepare an even more exciting submission for next year.” Regional Development Australia Great Southern chair Andrus Budrikis said the award, now in its third year, supports visual arts in the Great Southern. “Working closely with ArtSouthWA, our board agreed that an exhibition award would contribute greatly to stimulating artists to reach further, while expanding the experience of visitors in the region,” he said. Baker and Bakhitiarikish agree the strong show of support for the trail demonstrates the appetite for visual arts as a main tourism draw for the region. “We certainly think that it’s showing the viability of the art community, and the response from the public is that the art trail has really been something that has proved itself over 20 years,” Bakhitiarikish said. The award is presented by ArtSouthWA and sponsored by Regional Development Australia Great Southern.