The Artist’s Voice was established in 1997 when Hahndorf artist, Helen Lyons, sought the assistance of Mt Barker District Council’s Tourism Officer, Barry Wilkins, to inaugurate an Art Prize to honour the memory the iconic Australian artist, Sir Hans Heysen, who had lived at The Cedars, a property which adjoined her own just out of Hahndorf.

Helen wanted “a week where artists came together to study Heysen’s techniques and to paint.”
Barry was an unusual tourism officer because he had a strong interest in “cultural tourism.” He met with local artists who had staged exhibitions in businesses in Hahndorf as part of the Heysen Festival. These exhibitions later became known as “The Artists’ Trail.” Barry wanted to understand these artists’ visions for art in the Hills so an inaugural meeting was held to attract local artists to have a collective voice in the Hills.