Sculpture at Sawmillers is a new event in the Sydney art calendar, and hopefully it will become a regular one.

Organised by former National Trust CEO Elsa Atkin, Sculpture at Sawmillers is a fabulous event. It took place this weekend (September 18 and 19, 2010) at Sawmiller Reserve in McMahons Point, on Sydney’s lower North Shore.

I went along yesterday when the sun was shining down, the harbour sparkled, and families were out with their kids and dogs, checking out the 53 sculptures dotted throughout the park. Even the Scouts were there, selling home-made lemonade and stoking up the sausage sizzle. It all felt very democratic and happy.

The sculptures were selected for exhibition by prominent curators Jane Watters and Nick Vickers, and sculptor Michael Snape. They did a brilliant job, choosing a range of artists including some of our very best known to others who are still making a name. The photographs below will give some idea of the quality and interest of the works on show. There was even an artwork attached like a figurehead to the picturesque and rusty old wreck in the bay.

You could describe Sculpture at Sawmillers as a tempting aperitif to Sculpture by the Sea, the outdoor exhibition of sculptures which occurs each year along the coastal track from Bondi to Tamarama. It opens next month. But this would be to understate what an imaginative and artistically successful venture Sawmillers was. Let’s just wish Elsa Atkin and her team a bright future, so artists can use Sawmiller Reserve as their playground every year.

Elizabeth Fortescue, September 19, 2010

Edward Horne Title: Think Tank Dimensions: 200 x 220 x 440cm Materials: Steel, filing cabinets, hole punchers, paper dispenser etc...

Belinda Villani Title: Tribute to a Workhorse Dimensions: 2.7 (h) x 2.7 (l) x 1(w) m Materials: woven and treated rattan and zinc plated steel

Peter Kingston Title: Popeye Chess Set Dimensions: Board: 128 sq cm, 32 pieces ranging - 14-40 cm Materials: figures cast in bronze, board timber

Geoff Harvey Title: The Sawmillers Factory Dimensions:160 x 130 x 65cm Materials: Found objects, wooden patterns, wood and metal

Harrie Fasher Title: “Traces of Memory” Dimensions: Horse: 2500 x1000 x 2000cm, Dimensions: Cages - various Materials: Steel, found objects,rope

Bjorn Godwin Title: Figurehead Dimensions: 130 (h) x 40 (w) x 40 (d) cm Materials: Fiberglass, polyester resin, mixed media (at rear in water, Sawmiller's worm, by Gary Deirmendjian)

Linda Klarfeld Title: The Chairman Dimensions: 140 x 100 x 150 cm Materials: Resin with metal finishes

Will Coles Title: Obsolescence Dimensions: approx. 55 x 50 x 50cm Materials: Cast cement (limited edition of 10)

Judit Shead Title: Spring Dimensions: 62 x 33 x 33cm Materials: Cast bronze

Peter ‘Beatle’ Collins Title: Wave out of Water Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.6 x 2m high Materials: Steel concrete, mesh, sticks

Vince Vozzo Title: Mama murders Dada with a chess piece Dimensions: 149 x 108 x 26cm Materials: Bronze and timber