Riversdale Arts president Christine O’Connor said its yearly exhibition, which attracts locals, elderly and schoolchildren alike, can not go ahead this winter with the number of helpers the group now has on board.
"I don’t think people actually realise how much work goes into it or how few people are doing it," she said.
The Riversdale Arts Centre, which hosts art classes and workshops for locals, has a cafe which is also in danger of closing as they can not find a caterer to fill the space.
"We’re just going to have to downsize things just to be able to keep it going."
The multimedia exhibition takes place in the Riversdale Community Centre for two weeks and is the community centre’s biggest earner for the year, Mrs O’Connor said.
The exhibition also attracts schools in the area which have had their own designated section in the show and visited the centre for educational outings.
It also had its own $1000 prize for the emerging artists category to foster young talent.
Riversdale has a "very big" sporting community but Mrs O’Connor was passionate about maintaining the arts in the area because there needed to be something for people to do other than sports, she said.
The artist and farmer mentioned an ageing population and a change in lifestyle as reasons for the lack of volunteers.
She spoke of a time before, when women would stay at home and look after the children.
Now, people had children later as well as busy jobs, meaning they did not have as much time as they once did to get involved in community efforts, she said.
"We’ve got some young members of our group, who would love to be able to help, but it’s just not physically possible."
Mrs O’Connor thought that just a few more hands were needed to make the show go ahead.
"I think people, if they realise what dire straits we’re in, will maybe come and help," she said.
Regardless of the future of the exhibition and the cafe, the Riversdale Arts Centre would still carry on regardless, with art classes available to members of the public looking to express their creative side.
The centre also has its own pottery rooms and wheels and holds "teacup classes" run by local pottery guru Kerryn Miller.
The rooms are open on the first and third Wednesday of every month for locals to work on their creative outlets, of any medium.
