June has passed and July is well under way—this means that spring has basically started (wishful thinking, we know) and so has The SALA Festival! This year, SALA launched the biggest ever program, with a ground-breaking 9,000 artists taking part in over 700 exhibitions and events across Adelaide and regional SA.
As part of this year’s program, Unity Housing has announced they’re partnering with Whitmore Square’s not-for-profit venue, Café Outside the Square, to showcase artwork in an exhibition titled Artists in Residence. You’ll get to view pieces produced by the residents of Unity Housing, which is the state’s largest not-for-profit community housing provider, housing over 4,500 low-income and disadvantaged South Australians each night.
To feed your soul, the exhibition will feature textiles, photography, acrylics, watercolours, paper sculptures, and ceramics. And to fill your belly, the launch will include delicious homemade catering from the café with local food and beverage providers sponsoring the event.
Adelaide Crows star Eddie Betts has also been invited to the opening night, as his signed portrait will be for sale as part of the exhibition!
The partnership between Unity Housing and the unique venue, which flourished from a local Working Together Group facilitated by Adelaide City Council, is very special as the café has a ‘pay it forward’ philosophy that supports those less fortunate in our community.
By day, it operates as a café serving breakfast and lunch, and in the evenings it is used as the dining area for those staying at the adjacent St Vincent de Paul Men’s Crisis Centre. The café works with Vinnie’s, who own the site, and serves meals to the homeless every evening. The purchase of meals from the café directly helps fund the meals supplied to the homeless that night. The café also provides training opportunities to disadvantaged groups across barista skills, customer service and more, and puts all its earnings back into the sector that assists so many Unity tenants every day.
The café’s General Manager, Liew Griffiths, says the team are proud to be part of the SALA Festival. “We will be opening up the beautiful space that we have here to great artists from around Adelaide and Unity Housing to exhibit for the full duration of SALA,” he says.
“We are looking forward to seeing some of the great art we will have on display. From the café’s point of view, it is going to be excellent to be able to open our doors to more of the community and bring more people through to help us continue the great work we are doing.”
The SALA exhibition, Artists in Residence, supports our local artists, cafe owners, and Adelaide’s largest not-for-profit community housing provider. Why not attend and give to those who give back to our state? And of course, attending means the chance to enjoy (and purchase) some exclusive art pieces, delight in local food and drink, and meet local star Eddie!
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