Wine finds art palette

FERGUSON Hart Estate Wines and the New Collectables Gallery have devised a marketing plan to combine their wine and West Australian Art.

The wine labels for the Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and the Shiraz, featuring art by WA artists Linda Skrolys and Russell Sheridian, will be launched at WA’s art fair, Art01.

As director of the New Collectibles Gallery, Jan Hart has a long history working with artists from Australia and overseas.

“We’re promoting art on our labels,” Ms Hart said.

“The artists are both from Dardanup just a few kilometres from us at Ferguson Hart Estate.

“It’s really home-grown every-thing with this wine and the labels.”

Art01 director Paola Anselmi said Art01 was a bi-annual fair with art from WA and the Indian Ocean Rim countries, but there were also stands for industry support groups, gallery owners and potential art buyers.

“Art01 provides an independent survey of high-placed professional bodies either commercial or non-commercial, as in the support agencies, which allow the arts to survive” Ms Anselmi said.

Art01 runs from Friday, February 16 til Sunday, February 18 at the Fremantle passenger terminal.

By locating this event in Fremantle Art01 directors hope to reach a new audience apart from the normal gallery crowd.

“The port location has lots of positive elements, people are comfortable with this location, including people who perhaps don’t normally go to a gallery,” Ms Anselmi said.

Art01 also offers developing artists the opportunity to talk to industry professionals including commercial gallery owners and get advice on how to further their careers.

“It’s not a retail fair, but all the works displayed are always for sale, the idea is to promote art,” Ms Anselmi said.

The Ferguson Hart Estate wine labels represent a cross over between art and marketing.

This sort of work highlights a small but developing part of the work exhibited at Art01.

“I think this is a growing industry for artists but it’s still not part of the social conscience of artists and consumers yet,” Ms Anselmi said.

“In the past, reproductions of artists’ images have been used in marketing material without any remuneration or acknowledgment for the artists.

“If a graphic artist put this sort of work together they would be paid, but if it’s an artist an image of the work is sometimes used for free.

“We need to break these habits.”

Ferguson Hart Estate is hopeful that the launch at Art01 will attract people to the winery and the art at the new gallery on the Ferguson Hart Estate.

“Our plan is to be living down there in two years, but we’re opening the tasting and gallery facility in September,” Ms Hart said.