South Australian Living Arts Festival

Wednesday 19 August 2026

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (12:15): I move:

That this house—

(a) acknowledges the impact of the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival over the last 28 years;

(b) notes SALA's approach, which is artist centric, inclusive, connected, supportive, innovative and ethical;

(c) acknowledges the reach of the festival is 850,000 in person and online views each year and it provides economic value to the venues and the artists;

(d) thanks the 700 venues each year that host over 10,000 pieces from emerging, mid-career and established artists; and

(e) thanks the board, staff and artistic advisory group, including the patron, Chair and CEO.

It is a pleasure to rise and acknowledge the South Australian Living Artists Festival and the extraordinary contribution it has made to South Australia over the last 28 years. For almost three decades, SALA has played an important role in celebrating the breadth and diversity of South Australian artists and creating opportunities for people to experience art in places and spaces right across our state. What began as a festival providing a platform for living South Australian artists has grown into one of the most significant celebrations of visual art in our state, while retaining a strong focus on the artists themselves.

At the heart of SALA is an approach that is artist centric, inclusive, connected, supported, innovative and ethical. This approach reflects the way SALA works with artists, venues and audiences to create opportunities and build connections across our community. One of the great strengths of SALA is its commitment to artists at every stage of their career. The festival provides a platform for emerging artists who are taking those important first steps in exhibiting their work, while also supporting mid-career and established artists to reach new audiences and continue developing their practice.

For many artists, having the opportunity to exhibit through SALA can be an important step in building confidence, making professional connections and establishing a sustainable career in the arts. The work of an artist is an inherently courageous endeavour. With each brush stroke, if that be your medium, the artist leaves something of themselves on the canvas. Exhibiting in public, then, is inviting an audience into an artist's inner life.

Each year, the festival reaches around 850,000 people through in person and online views and engagement. This is an extraordinary audience and it demonstrates the appetite that exists in our community to engage with the arts when people are given the opportunity to do so. The economic contribution of the festival should also be recognised. SALA provides economic value to participating artists but also the many businesses and organisations that become festival venues: galleries, cafes, restaurants, libraries, community centres, businesses and other spaces where people can encounter art, often in settings they might not otherwise associate with the visual arts.

I would particularly like to thank and acknowledge the 700 venues that participate each year and help make SALA a truly statewide celebration. Together, these venues host more than 10,000 individual works, ensuring the audiences can experience an extraordinary range of artistic practices, perspectives and ideas. That reach is so important, because the arts is not something that should be confined to a small number of traditional cultural institutions. SALA demonstrates the value of taking art to people and creating opportunities for people to discover artists in their own communities. Whether someone is visiting a gallery, walking into a local business or simply coming across an exhibition in a community space, SALA makes engaging with art accessible and welcoming.

One major SALA event in Gibson is the Contemporary Art Prize at Gallery M. This has been running for 10 years now. Its director, Ann-Marie, puts on exhibitions monthly throughout the year, but this exhibition is really the highlight of the year. It encourages a diversity of artworks in its exhibition. They had over 200 people compete for the prize, with 44 finalists.

I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the role of sponsors in art prizes as well. Unfortunately, an artist's life is one that very rarely sees payment, for the majority of artists. Winning a prize gives you not only recognition as an important artist but also the financial contribution that you need to just keep doing your work. So I would like to thank all of the sponsors who support prizes as well.

I would like to give a particular shout-out to Lewis Constantine, an artist from Brighton Tutti Arts, who was a finalist for the second year in a row at the SALA event at Gallery M this year. As Assistant Minister for Arts, I am particularly proud to recognise the contribution of organisations like SALA in supporting artists, which is not just about individual exhibitions or festivals. It is about strengthening South Australia's broader cultural life, creating opportunities for creative careers and ensuring that artists can continue to contribute to the identity and vibrancy of our communities.

I would like to acknowledge the enormous amount of work that sits behind a festival of this scale, particularly acknowledging that the staff at SALA are actually just a handful of people. I would like to thank them for their leadership. I thank the board, the staff and the advisory group for their commitment and leadership, and particularly the patron, chair and CEO for the roles they play in guiding the festival and supporting its continued success.

I would like to point out, too, that if you have not come across SALA in your electorate yet the website makes it incredibly easy for you to find where local art is on display. If you want to get out into our regions, the website actually splits South Australia up into regions. If you want to go to McLaren Vale or the Adelaide Hills or the Barossa Valley, for instance, SALA has already listed every single exhibition space, and then they have created a route for you in Google Maps. All you have to do is transfer that list into your Google Maps and your whole afternoon is sorted.

Tom and I went down to McLaren Vale on Sunday and we found ourselves in a winery, a cafe, an art gallery, a hall and a National Trust home, all displaying different SALA exhibitions. We saw a huge variety of work, and it made for a really interesting afternoon out. I commend SALA for stepping up the opportunity for people and making it really easy to engage with arts in whatever community you would like to visit.

After 28 years now, SALA has firmly established itself as a much-loved part of South Australia's cultural calendar, because it celebrates our artists, connects them with audiences, supports venues and contributes to the economic and cultural life of our state. Most importantly, SALA reminds us that South Australia has an extraordinary community of artists, whose work deserves to be seen, supported and celebrated. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in delivering the SALA Festival over the last 28 years and thank them for the contribution they make to the arts, to our communities and to South Australia. I commend this motion to the house.