Exhibition spoilt for choice as art show goes grows in popularity

Organisers of an art exhibition which opened this week were inundated with more than 300 works.
Batley Art Gallery's open exhibition.Batley Art Gallery's open exhibition.
Batley Art Gallery's open exhibition.

Batley Art Gallery’s annual open art exhibition opened to the public on Saturday. Landscapes and portraits have been particularly strong in this year’s submissions, though there are also abstract works, animal images and still life works.

Artists from across Kirklees and Yorkshire applied to be part of the show, which is now open and runs until February 8.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It’s a far cry from how things were back when I started running the gallery,” said Mark Milnes, exhibitions coordinator. “I recall how we struggled to make the slim number of entries stretch to fill the gallery walls. Now that’s never going to be an issue again, it seems – which is fantastic.”

Gallery interest and attendance have risen markedly in recent years thanks to the continued efforts of Mark and other volunteers who with the exhibitions programme at the venue.

This year Mark invited artists Karen Stansfield and Damian Clark to assist with the selection. They both have a long-standing association with the gallery and have recently been working on a short residency project there,

Visitors are invited to cast their vote for their favourite work of art. The winning artist will be awarded an exhibition in the Art Kiosk at Batley Library, to be staged in 2014.