After nearly two years of lockdowns, stops and starts, Saturday October 16th 2021 was a true red-letter day for the Society, the day we opened our exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
Enjoying the day with us was the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Cllr Greg Brackenridge, Marguerite Nugent, Manager of Arts and Culture at the Gallery and Brendan Flynn, long-time friend of the Society.
The Mayor, in his welcome, reminded everyone present of the importance of art in our community, especially in these difficult times, and how the Society of Artists played a part in the wider culture of the Wolverhampton art scene.
Marguerite Nugent followed by outlining the concept of “Our Creative Lockdowns”, the name given to the current exhibitions at the Gallery, including “Still Lively” and. “Your New Normal, My New Normal”, together with a video by Wolverhampton Music Services and our own exhibition, “From Darkness into Light”.
Norm Keech, Chair of the Society then introduced the guest speaker Brendan Flynn.
Brendan, in officially opening the exhibition, spoke of the important role of the Society to Wolverhampton and in particular to the artistic life of the city.
President, Keith Oram spoke of the re-establishment of links with Wolverhampton University School of Art and Design and the fact that many of our founding members were part of the early days of the original Art School. He hoped that engagement with our exhibition would inspire and encourage others to create art and be aware of the benefits it gives to our sense of well-being.
Norm Keech introduced the award winners and prizes which were presented by the Mayor:
The Elsie Holland Award went to Graham Everitt for “Yesterday”.
Sarah Stokes and Ed Isaacs’ works were Highly Commended
The Felix Awards went to Sarah Stokes for two works, “Captured” and “Life goes on”, and to Pauline Faulkner for “Portrait of a Tulip”.
Finally, Norm, thanked all those associated with the organisation and production of the exhibition, whether exhibited or not and presented gifts to Brendan Flynn, the Mayor and the hard-working staff of the Art Gallery.
The exhibition is a true reflection of the Society and ranges from traditional naturalistic watercolours through a whole gamut of styles, including 3D work, to total abstraction. It is an exhibition worth a visit and is open at the City Gallery until 5th December 2021.
Very pleased to have been selected to be part of this exhibition and particularly pleased to see a number of textile works included.
I was extremely impressed with the 50 pandemic drawings by Ed Isaacs, both for his determination and technical ability.
Well done everyone! The Selection Panel have showed just how in tune they were with the ethos of the Society. The range, diverse styles and methods of working on show are a showcase representing the whole diversity of the Society. The exhibition has always been about the Society first and not individuals. Those chosen represent only the tip of a large pyramid of dedicated artists both professional and amateur that are the true collective that is the Society of Artists.