Inaugural Cyril Knox Art Prize celebrates Aboriginal artists in North West NSW

AS Les Knox was growing up in the North West, there were always people seeking art works by his father Cyril. Les used to watch his father paint, but never felt interested enough to want to stand with him and do some too. "I should have been doing that, but I just liked to get out and play cricket, tennis and other sports I was into at the time," he said. While he may not have won over Les, Cyril encouraged many other people into the world of art and would be honoured by the inception of the inaugural Cyril Knox Art Prize, his son said. The award will recognise and celebrate the best Aboriginal artists in North West NSW, with the first ever Cyril Knox Art Prize exhibition held at The Crossing Theatre in Narrabri from Saturday, September 23, sharing NAIDOC week's theme "For our Elders". Delivered by Whitehaven Coal in partnership with Narrabri Shire Council, the prize celebrates well-known Narrabri local Cyril Knox and encourages emerging Aboriginal artists to follow in his footsteps. The competition will support First Nations people and create opportunities for them to express themselves, showcase their work, and acknowledge elders, manager of tourism and cultural services for Narrabri Shire Council Scott Pollock said. "[Cyril Knox] definitely was a person who really set a mark for Aboriginal people, especially in the whole art scene," he said. READ ALSO: Cyril worked on the railways for about 40 years, and Les said because he travelled for his job, his paintings had ended up spread across the country. Les has often entered an establishment and been greeted by a painting by his father that he's never seen before. Les was "stoked" when he was approached about the art competition being named after his father. "I feel pretty honoured that's happening," he said. When Les was working for the government in the 2000s, he would phone his father every Sunday. During one of those calls, Les could tell his father wasn't well just by the way he said "hello". Cyril passed away in 2009 as a result of dementia. The top 10 finalists in each category of the biennial Cyril Knox Art Prize will have their artworks on display, and the winner, announced Friday, October 5, will receive $5000. A people's choice award winner voted by the community will receive $1500, while a junior prize of $500 is also up for grabs. The prize is a new initiative developed by Whitehaven to support its Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan activities, which focuses on making a "substantial and sustainable" difference to areas such as health and well being, education, employment and procurement. Entries are now open and will close on Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 5pm. Enter here. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: