Resonate exhibition 2016
Written by Sophie Barnes
The night had finally arrived. After a year of painting, drawing, sewing and even origami the artists were ready to showcase their work in the beautiful surroundings of an old cello factory, now converted into a gallery.
As a volunteer I was looking forward to the night, but also had a slight sense of anxiety; the artists had worked so hard and produced amazing work, and you want to be able to show it off in its best light. What if something went wrong on the night?
“Everywhere I looked there were huge grins”
Happily everything went smoothly and everyone had a brilliant time. The visitors to the exhibition loved the artwork, the artists were in their element chatting to the visitors and everywhere I looked there were huge grins.
One of the best things about Artbox exhibitions is seeing how they bring people together, and how much pleasure they give both the artists and visitors.
This year was no exception. At one point a visitor paused in front of a piece of art, a look of concentration on their face as they attempted to put themselves in the shoes of the artist. Within seconds the artist was by their side to shed some light on their motivation when painting the work.
This opportunity, not only for the visitors to get an insight into the artists’ thought processes, but also for the artists to talk about their work with an interested audience, is a rare and valuable thing.
An important part of Artbox’s work is giving the artists a chance to sell their work, and lots of pieces were snapped up quickly. The artists tell us it makes them feel confident and happy when a piece sells, but equally the chance to exhibit is often exciting enough. Selling a piece is a happy bonus.
Next year’s exhibition seems a long way off but the artists have already started sketching out ideas and I can’t wait to see the results. Roll on next year!