Prestigious Arts Awards attract high-calibre talent

The upcoming Marshwood Arts Awards exhibition in Bridport will take place from the beginning of November to the beginning of December. The deadline for entry to what has fast become a prestigious and popular exhibition is 15 September.

Coordinator and co-founder of the awards, Fergus Byrne, has seen encouraging growth in both the quality and diversity of the entries since the competition was launched in 2008. “The last three exhibitions showed some truly exceptional work,” said Fergus. “ And, much of this year’s early submissions are again really inspirational. When we first launched this initiative in 2008, we believed that despite the downturn in the economy there was a rich seam of creative talent that would benefit from more exposure. We knew that local artists and makers could show how the Arts contribute massively to the local community, and indeed to the local economy, and as the competition has grown it has been a joy to see the great variety and quality of work that is being produced in the South West and beyond. The opportunity for artists and makers to exhibit alongside the selectors always produces an exciting and unique exhibition and it looks like this year is no exception.”

The judges selecting work for this year’s exhibition are furniture designer John Makepeace OBE; textile designer Harriet Wallace-Jones; artist Tom Hammick; sculptor David Worthington and the photographer Matilda Temperley.

Artists are invited to submit work to any one (or more) of four categories and the relevant judge will select three artists from that category to exhibit their work alongside that of the judges. The high-profile mixed exhibition is at Bridport Arts Centre from Saturday 4 November  to Saturday 2 December.

Artists, designers and makers wishing to have their work viewed by the selectors should get their entry in as soon as possible.