Artists from Stone and across the county are being encouraged to submit their work to the 21st annual Staffordshire Open Art Exhibition.
The showcase event, organised by the Shire Hall Gallery in Stafford, highlights the wealth of creative talent within the county of Staffordshire and provides an ideal opportunity for local artists of any age to display their work in a premier visual arts venue.
This year the show celebrates its 21st anniversary and the gallery is delighted to announce the internationally acclaimed artist Rob Ryan as selector.
The Staffordshire Open Art Exhibition is one of the Shire Hall Gallery’s most popular exhibitions, attracting over 15,000 visitors. The competition is open to artists of any age who were born in Staffordshire or who live, work or study in the county.
This year’s main prize of £1,250, along with a commissioned glass trophy by Stuart Akroyd, is sponsored for the fourth year running by Stafford Railway Building Society.
Other competition sponsors are Schott UK Ltd, Hand Morgan & Owen, Barnett Ratcliffe Partnership, The Paper House, Stafford, Stafford Tourism Bureau. Stafford Decorative and Fine Arts Society.
The Shire Hall Gallery looks forward to welcoming submissions, which can include paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, 3D mixed media and film/animation. All works must be original and produced within the last three years.
Artists can submit their entries to the Shire Hall Gallery on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd April, during normal opening hours, with the gallery being closed for selection on Monday 4th April.
The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday 7th May and will run until Saturday 18th June.
Entry forms, including those for the under-16s category, are available now from the Shire Hall Gallery, Market Square, Stafford, or from Stone library. Click here to download a form.
Alternatively telephone 01785 278345 or email shirehallgallery@staffordshire.gov.uk
