Art in face of friends- Above: Flanked by Ken Done’s self portrait ‘Me, March 2011’ and ‘White Cocoon’ by Matt Doust, two visitors took a quiet moment to enjoy a Yarra Valley landscape. 68352

By Kath Gannaway
MORE than 47,000 people took up an invitation from TarraWarra Museum of Art in Healesville to “spend a perfect winter’s day in the Yarra Valley with people you know.”
The Archibald Prize Exhibition closed on Sunday after an exciting month which introduced thousands of visitors and Yarra Valley locals to Australia’s premier art event.
A special late-night opening on Saturday catered for those who had left their visit to the last-minute.
For many Yarra Valley residents who may not have already been familiar with the star of the show, the many banners and posters featuring Ben Quilty’s Archibald Prize-winning portrait of Australian artist Margaret Olley, made her seem very much part of the local community.
Her death less than a week before the exhibition closed gave an added poignancy to it.
Some people came especially to pay their respects; and some brought flowers.
TWMA director Maudie Palmer said the reaction had been overwhelmingly enthusiastic and positive.
“We had a wonderful response, not just to the exhibition itself, but to the museum and the beauty and enjoyment of everything the Yarra Valley has to offer,” she said.
The TWMA will host the Archibald Prize Exhibition again in June next year.
“We are greatly looking forward to welcoming everybody back next year, first and foremost our local Yarra Valley residents,” Ms Palmer said.
Thanking the local community for what she described as enthusiastic support, Ms Palmer said: “It was nice to see those who had never visited the museum tell us they would come again and for us to let them know it was a gift from Marc and Eva Besen to the public.”