Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

How do we say goodbye?
It may be a memory, a moment, an object, a person, a place…
All over the world people say goodbye to the things that they love, to the people, to spaces, places, or moments in time that no matter how fleeting have left an everlasting impression. Goodbyes are not always easy, but they are universal.

In 2014 the world said goodbye to a three year old girl named Emilia. Though she was on this earth for such a short time, her impact was felt by many including those who had never met her. This little life lost set the foundation for the 2015 WOW Festival, with the theme of the event about "making your mark". We believe that no matter how old we are, who we are, or where we come from it is important that we always seek to make a positive impact on our friends, family, community and the earth, with the time that we have.

The Garden of Saying Goodbye is our way of honouring the people, things and moments that are no longer in our lives. It is a time for reflection but also a time of learning. The workshop, held on the banks of the Georges River will be led by Artist Vien Luong. Children and their families will create origami works, memory flags, worry dolls and a mandala on the amiptheatre floor. This event is an all ages event.

The Way out West Festival (WOW Fest) for Children is south west Sydney's only contemporary art festival for children aged 0-12. In 2014 the Festival was attended by over 9000 children and their parents throughout the four days during the July school holidays. The 2013 festival was also awarded the NSW Museums and Galleries iMAGinE award in 2014. 

Planning a large-scale festival like the Way Out West Festival for Children is both a rewarding and an expensive task. It is a four-day event that is expected to attract over 9000 attendees this year, and by supporting this campaign, not only will help us to make this festival even better but you’ll also be contributing to something special.

For the past 4 years, the Way Out West Festival for Children has been proudly sponsored by local organisations and communities to ensure that the festival remains a FREE event for all children. Your generosity will be truly valued and we want you to know exactly where your money will be going. Provided that we reach our target, the funds raised will be used to fund:

$3,000 Materials
$1.500 Artist fees
$1,000 Garden care
 
Any further funds raised will be used to hire a canopy so that the event can run rain, hail or shine, plus an extra artist to support the project. The canopy will cost $4,500 to purchase and install, an extra artist will cost $1,000.

The biggest challenge faced by the WOW Festival is the limited funds available to create a high quality contemporary art festival for 9000 attendees. The event continues to run on sponsorship, donations and the many generous supporters on Pozible. Without your support, an event of this magnitude cannot have a sustainable future. What's more, we can no longer continue to keep the festival FREE.
 
This year in particular, we have decided to create a number of outdoor events to make use of our beautiful riverside. Bad weather is always a major concern when it comes to any event, particularly with the outdoor programs planned for this year’s Way Out West Festival for Children. Should this campaign raise enough funds, we will be able to hire a canopy that’ll ensure ALL events will continue to run regardless of the weather conditions, though we see weather as a major challenge.