Despite the cold, wet weather over the May Bank Holiday weekend, spirits were not at all dampened during our Festival of Artists event which was a roaring success and attracted lots of visitors to the Centre.
This was our third year running the event, and the centre was simply swarming with creativity with over 50 artists on display across the site. As well as exhibiting their artwork, the artists provided live demonstrations of their skills covering such a broad cross section of art including painting, drawing, wood turning, stone-carving & textiles, amongst others.
The two new large marquees that were erected at the front of the centre worked really well and enabled us to accommodate even more artists than in previous years.
Another new feature this year was the inaugural Geoff Hollinshead Award. This was presented to Martin Carty (pictured above) who won the award for the best piece of artwork on display. Martin’s beautiful paintings showcased his wonderful talent and his name is the first to go on the Honours Board! However, it is fair to say that the judges’ decision was exceedingly difficult and any of the artists on display would have been worthy winners as the standard of art on view was simply exceptional.
As always, a big thank you for all the hard work put in to organising the event by Kara Strachan of the Art Loft. Last but not least, thank you to all the wonderful artists. We look forward to being inspired by you all again next year!
In the meantime, don’t forget to pop in and visit our on-site artists and picture framers who are here all year round: Eden Gallery, Home of Colours, Kara Strachan – The Art Loft, Lime Sky: Studio & Gallery, & Lion House Art.
Curborough Hall Farm Countryside Centre’s free “Festival of Artists” event is back for its third year, and is taking place on Sunday 1st May & Monday 2nd May (11am to 4pm on both days). The event will highlight the exciting works of over 50 different local and regional artists and art groups, including Carole Baker RBSA and John Tierney.
The event is organised by on-site artist Kara Strachan of the Art Loft, along with the help and support of the Farm and the Centre’s other artists and galleries, all of whom are located at the Centre all year round.
Kara’s passion and enthusiasm for art is infectious, and a big reason for why the event is so successful and proves so popular. Kara remarks, “Two years ago we had this idea to showcase a small number of talented artists from the area. The farm was fully supportive of the concept and it went really well; so much so that we had fantastic feedback from artists and visitors alike. Ever since then, I am always getting asked about the event and more and more people want to come and exhibit which is fantastic. This year we are pleased to announce that we have a record number of artists in attendance so there is going to be so much to see and do during the event.”
On view will be artists working with oils, pastels, acrylics and water colours - even wood, stained glass and stone, so there is an excellent and diverse range of artists attending. It’s not just their artwork that will be on display. The exhibitors will be demonstrating their exquisite techniques throughout the two days so it’s a great opportunity to watch, learn and be inspired.
As well as the Festival of Artists event, the Centre’s other businesses and retailers will be open as usual, so there will be plenty of things to see and do for all the family during the bank holiday weekend.
The Festival of Artists will culminate in the inaugural Geoff Hollinshead Award being given to the artist displaying the best piece of artwork. With so much great art sure to be on display, come along to Curborough Hall Farm Countryside Centre for a great day out and to see if you agree with the judge’s decision!
On Sunday 10th April, the Centre staged its first Classic Vehicle Show. The weather was great (thankfully we got lucky and had none of those frustrating April showers), and we had a great turn out of some truly immaculate classic cars, bikes and vans. You know us here at the farm, we love an excuse to get the vintage tractors out, so some of those made an appearance as well. It was nice to see lots of new faces around the place and we’re hoping to stage another event like this later in the year so keep a look out over the next few months. Finally, a big thanks to Paul Lynam for helping to get so many great vehicles on display.
