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The Three Counties Open Art Exhibition officially opens at Fenton Town Hall tomorrow, with 97 pieces of art on display.
A total of 300 artists entered paintings, textiles and other artwork for Keele University’s landmark Three Counties Open Art Exhibition, with 97 pieces selected for display at Fenton Town Hall, in Albion Square.
The exhibition, now in its 29th year, is free to enter and is being held from 9 August until 30 August. It will be open Tuesday to Saturday each week, from 11am to 3pm.
Celebrating creativity in all forms, the exhibition brings together work from college-level students, graduates, professional and amateur artists, as well as individuals who have found their artistic talent later in life.
The event is organised in partnership with ArtsKeele at Keele University, Restoke, Barewall Gallery, Burslem School of Art Trust, Appetite, and ACAVA Spode Works.
Kerry Jones, from ArtsKeele at Keele University, said: “The quality of submissions for this year’s exhibition has been outstanding and the six judges on the shortlisting panel had some very tough decisions to make. The 97 pieces chosen for display reflect the vibrant mix of makers and storytellers whose work speaks to place, identity, and imagination.
“There’s a real mix of art on display, from paintings and photography to a motorbike installation, and just under half of the people who have work on display have never exhibited in the show before, so that’s really exciting.
> “In this significant Centenary Year for Stoke-on-Trent, the exhibition is a real celebration of place, creativity, and community.”
Artist Susan Carr started painting 20 years ago after joining an art group run by Keele University, to ease her grief at the sudden death of her son. Her work, called Coming Home, depicts the desperation of displaced people desperately trying to hold their lives together in horrifying circumstances.
Susan, who lives in Wychwood Park, near Crewe, said:
> “The inspiration for this painting came from harrowing news reports of displaced people in war torn areas throughout the world. I tried to depict the desperation and terror of losing everything yet somehow trying to survive.
> “I had never painted until I was 58, when I joined an art group run by Keele University, to ease my grief at the sudden death of my son. That was twenty years ago, and I still paint at Burslem Art School and Alsager Art Association.
> “Painting has been the source of great joy and has brought me so many wonderful experiences and friendships. Age is no barrier to creativity.”
Alicia Walker, a textile artist from Wolstanton, said she was ‘excited’ to be part of the exhibition, having just graduated from university with a first-class honours degree in textiles.
Alicia Walker
She said:
> “My work recently has looked at the loss of traditional craftsmanship across North Staffordshire, focusing on the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent, and the silk and natural dye industry in Leek. The piece I’m exhibiting, ‘Factory Worker’s Jacket’, is inspired by the idea of pottery workers working in dangerous factory conditions and having to constantly mend their worn-down uniforms. Vintage and naturally dyed fabrics have been patchworked together, distressed, and then visibly mended to tell this story.
> “I’m really grateful to have been selected for the exhibition. It’s a fantastic opportunity to platform my work early in my career, and it’s exciting to exhibit in a region that constantly inspires me.”
To coincide with the exhibition, a series of creative workshops will also take place for all ages, from clay sculpture and bamboo towers to yacht racing and summer drawing.
Every workshop is free, with a mix of drop-ins and bookable sessions for all ages. For full details and booking information, visit https://www.keele.ac.uk/about/artskeele/whatson/workshops/
This year’s exhibition offers a variety of awards to celebrate artistic excellence. Among them is the prestigious Arthur Berry Prize, presented in honour of Berry’s centenary and valued at £1,000 - funded by the New Vic Theatre Archive Fund and generously boosted by Paul Dunkerly, last year’s Three Counties Open Art Prize winner, who gifted his prize back to support emerging artists in the region.
Additional prizes will highlight outstanding contributions across artistic disciplines, including the Audience Choice Prize selected by visitors to the exhibition.
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