Award-winning actor and singer Leah Purcell, who brought home Aboriginal issues in her internationally-acclaimed one-woman play Box the Pony, and renowned art critic and writer Bruce James will open this year's Woollahra Public School Art and Craft Exhibition.

Purcell will break away from rehearsals for Box the Pony's return Sydney run to perform a selection of songs at the school's fifth annual art exhibition. James, who will give an address, has long been a noted critic and writer on the Australian art scene. He is senior art critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and was formerly on-air art critic for ABC Radio National's Arts Today program.

Both James and Purcell have strong connections with Woollahra Public. Purcell's daughter Amanda is in her final year at the school. James is a former Woollahra resident too, and his son Morgan also attended Woollahra public throughout his primary years.

There is another coincidence. Both Purcell and James were subjects of portraits entered in this year's Archibald Prize. Bruce James was portrayed by Barbara Licha, while Leah Purcell was painted by Robert Hannaford. The James portrait is on tour with the Archibald exhibition. The Purcell picture was shown in the Salon des Refuses 2000 and will be on display at the opening night.

In what has become a highly-anticipated fixture on the local arts scene, Woollahra Publics Art and Craft exhibition attracts an exceptionally high standard of work by a combination of both established and rising artists. The exhibition also provides an opportunity to purchase the works of leading Australian artists such as winner of the 1999 Wynne Prize, Gloria Tamerre Petyarre from Utopia, Charles Blackman, Juliet Holmes a Court, whose Portrait of George, theWallabies rugby halfback George Gregan, is hanging in this year's Archibald, award-winning watercolourist Charles Cooper, Jonathan Delafield-Cook , Jane Bennett, Garry and Gria Shead (the former's portrait of Dr Sasha Grishin is hanging in the Archibald and in this years Sulman Prize), Peter O’Doherty, South Australian artist Joy Redman, Wayne Elliott, Jean Weimer and cricket artist Ashley Taylor.

Highlights include works by Frank Hodgkinson, Lainy Fleming (the accomplished young English artist whose reputation was made at London’s Cadogan gallery), naive artists Etienne Cohen and Kevin Lane, painters Sarah Mufford and Gabrielle Courteney, and ceramicist Jenny Orchard (whose ceramics are represented in the private collections of Billy Connolly and Elton John). Aboriginal artist ‘Dr’ George Tjapaltjarra and the Italian-Australian artist Rox De Luca, famed for her controversial nudes and plate-metal self-portraits, and Anedina De Luca, her mother, are represented. Other artists include Luke Sciberras and John Bokor, whose work was selected for the Brett Whiteley Travelling Arts Scholarship.

The involvement of local art galleries - Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Charles Hewitt, Rex Irwin Art Dealer, the Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery and the Legge Gallery - demonstrates the strong role the 122-year-old school plays in the Woollahra community. Other participating galleries include Soho Gallery, Glenmore Gallery and The Australian Art Print Network who are offering limited edition prints for sale.

Following the resounding success of last year’s craft exhibition, jointly curated by Delwyn Everard and Elisabeth Dobson, there will again be a substantial craft component including works by leading wood craftsman Mike St. Clair and ceramicist, Krysia St. Clair, jeweller Robyn Gordon, wood sculptress Kerry Lowe, glass artist Jonathan Baskett, children’s costume designer Susan Tee of Happypotamus and the well-known textile artist Vivien Haley. Ever-popular exhibitors include quilter Judy Buist, etcher Jane Stapleford and pearl jewellery maker Emmanuelle Carrad.

A new section in this year’s exhibition covers photography, including the work of Carmel Stewart, and a selection of stunning art books from Craftman House will be available for sale.

Drinks and snacks will be served at the opening, with music performed by the Woollahra Public School Band.

Parents wishing to browse in peace at the weekend will be relieved to know that supervised craft workshops for children will be again held throughout Saturday and Sunday from 10 am - 5 pm. Cake and coffee will be served. The exhibition is also open all day Thursday and Friday from 9 am - 5 pm at the Chisholm and Centenary Halls. Admission is free.

For further information contact curators Nicky Ginsberg on 9363 3834 or Gillian Redman-Lloyd on 9371 4132.