Three Hampshire arts centres have launched an online art exhibition. Ashcroft Arts Centre in Fareham, Forest Arts Centre in New Milton and West End Centre in Aldershot, all operated by charity Hampshire Cultural Trust (HCT), have come together to launch Arts Open Exhibition on HCT’s digital publication, Culture on Call.
Each arts centre usually holds its own open art exhibition every year, with artwork submitted by local artists and displayed at each venue. With the announcement of the second national lockdown, and the venues temporarily unable to open, the decision was taken to create an online exhibition to bring together works submitted to all three arts centres in one place for the very first time. Not only has this move online allowed artists’ works still to be seen, but it has also created the opportunity for them to be viewed by a much wider audience.
The Arts Open Exhibition showcases artwork in different sizes, mediums and subjects submitted by local hobbyists as well as aspiring and professional artists of all ages, from children to adults. There were 172 submissions in total this year, with the online exhibition taking just one week to pull together and make live by HCT staff and volunteers, as well as the artist in residence from each centre. The exhibition offers a free platform for Hampshire artists to display and sell their works and there is also a People’s Choice Vote, where visitors to Culture on Call can pick their favourite work. The winner of the vote will be revealed at the end of the exhibition, which runs until 13 February 2021. All artworks will be available to view in person when the arts centres are able to open again, currently planned for Friday 4 December.
One artist commented, “Thank you for your efforts to get this exhibition online and what a lovely display of diverse art work.”
The exhibition is free to view online at https://www.cultureoncall.com/artsopenexhibitiononline/ and also to visit in venue.
Banner Image: Fairground Waltser by Leslie Walker | FAC16