Australia's first flock of painted fibreglass sheep have just been released and can be found in Kaniva's main street. Read about their Shear success.

Two years ago, local artist Sharon Merrett had an idea that her hometown of Kaniva could embark on a community arts project to celebrate the town's sheep history.

A call went out for community groups to participate and 37 applications were received. Over 100 property stencils were bought in to record Kaniva's sheep history – as were the stories. A small Sheep Art committee was formed to apply for funding to various bodies for community groups to purchase and paint a flock of fibre glass sheep. Twenty sheep were purchased, with another 16 to be added to the flock in 2012.

Several workshops were held where local groups shared their stories artistically using the sheep as canvases. This was also the first community arts project for the town and, for some people, it was the first time they had painted anything.

Launched as part of celebrations for International Volunteer Day on 5 December 2011, the Sheep Art project encompasses all aspects of community and celebrates a part of Kaniva's history that makes it special and unique.

Helen Hobbs from the Sheep Art committee said Kaniva community support for the project had been overwhelming. 'The whole project has been embraced from word go and the launch was fantastic. The response to Sheep Art spoke for itself. People kept coming and wanted to be part of the project,' she said.

The project has been run solely by volunteers and has shown how volunteering forms the backbone of small towns like Kaniva. The sheep themselves help showcase the large amount of volunteer community groups needed to create a vibrant small town.

'One of our goals is to promote arts as an important means of cultural and creative expression in a rural area,' explains Anita Condon, another dedicated Sheep Art committee member. 'We want to continue developing new partnerships, and at the same time address local issues. The project group are consulting with community and connecting and supporting other goals: community well being and renewal. We believe this project is a creative inclusive platform for community to engage in.'

A special Sheep Art exhibition will run until Christmas at the Purple Starfish. It features the talents of local artists Pam Vennell, Margaret Coutts, Jenny Lester-Smith, Millie Carter and the late Judith Meyer. It also features a copy of the 2006 Archibald Prize Winner, The Paul Juraszek Monolith, by Kaniva born artist Marcus Wills.

To find out more about the Sheep Art project, or about Kaniva, visit the Kaniva website. To show your support visit Sheep Art’s PlanBig page or follow them on Facebook.