September news
Local artists have just a few more days to prepare their entries for the Portsmouth Open
The search is on for the best artistic talent the area has to offer as the popular Portsmouth Open exhibition prepares to open its doors for this year’s entries.
Whether a budding Picasso or the next Tracey Emin or Damian Hirst, the Portsmouth Open gives local artists the chance to show their work to a wider audience and gives the city a chance to showcase the very best home-grown talent.
Anyone interested in taking part should be making their final preparations as Portsmouth City Museums and Records Service is now inviting local artists to submit their work. Entries will be accepted during a four-day period, from Thursday 25 September until Sunday 28 September. All the work submitted will be judged and selected works will be chosen to form the exhibition, which opens with a preview on Friday 10 October and then runs until 4 January 2009.
Rosalinda Hardiman from the City Museum said: "The Portsmouth Open is always an exciting exhibition that really shows the wide range of talent and creativity at work in the area. It’s a great opportunity for local artists to show their work to a wider audience and, for many, it’s the chance to experience the thrill of seeing their work exhibited in a gallery for the first time.
“And for visitors, the wide choice of media means that unlike shows that only admit two-dimensional work, Portsmouth's exhibition is always exciting and inspiring.
"Unfortunately, due to the constraints of our temporary exhibition gallery, we are not able to display all the work that is submitted. That’s why we have a panel of experienced judges to select work for the show. Their brief is to choose a fair and representative mixture of work on the basis of quality and variety."
Both amateur and professional artists over the age of 16 and living in the wider Hampshire area can enter. Work in both two and three dimensions and any medium will be accepted. Any shape and size work is allowed, provided it can be carried by a maximum of two people!
The judges will also award three prizes of £300, £200 and £100.
Entry forms giving full information are now available from Portsmouth City Museums and Records Service, Portsmouth Libraries, Community Centres and selected art suppliers and may also be downloaded from the website. www.portsmouthmuseums.co.uk
Entry fees are £5 per work and work must be submitted to the City Museum and Records Office, Museum Road, Portsmouth PO1 2LJ between 25 -28 September, 10.30am to 4.30pm. All wall-mounted work must be mirror-plated for hanging securely, flat on the wall.
Date : 24 September 2008