ART EXHIBITION in Tropicana

ARTIST BLOG

Posted on: Nov 09

Filed under art event, artists, collective, environment, exhibition, sustainability, tropicana, weston-super-mare

This has been the biggest project for me yet. It has been months in the making. A lot of thought and hard work went into it and the results...?

Last Summer I organised and curated the biggest ART EVENT that Weston-super-Mare has seen in years.

After the success of my last solo art exhibition at the Weston Museum last year, I craved more events like this in Weston.

The See Monster coming to town sparked my imagination and that’s how this art project was born.

And what better venue could I have wished for than the iconic Tropicana with its Banksy’s Dismaland legacy? Now it has a towering retired North Sea oil rig which transformed into the art installation 'See Monster' before our eyes.

I was very excited and grateful to North Somerset Council for this opportunity and being offered such an amazing venue.

The exhibition represented different genres such as fine art, street art, mixed media and sensory art installations, all created within the themes of environment, science, technology and mental health.

The Art Event featured a mix of established, internationally renowned and upcoming artists, which reside in our town. I wanted to showcase local talent by giving a platform to the artists and engaging the public with our creativity, in order to spark conversations and inspire people.

There were 14 local artists in our collective showcasing 180 artworks, all with environment and sustainability at heart. Nature, Environment, Mental Health, Science and Technology were the themes woven through the art exhibition and visitors were able to see clever uses of upcycled materials within the art.

During the Art Event there were free creative workshops, which were accessible to all. It was a joy to see so many families and individuals taking part. We also had immersive art experiences and expert talks. The visitors were able to meet all of the artists, chat with us, see us at work and even try some of the techniques that we use in creating our artworks.

The idea for this project came about from See Monster Think Tank back in Winter, where the local community was able to bring ideas forward for what they would like to see happening in Weston-super-Mare.

Sadly, the See Monster, which we were so excited about, had big delays and it wasn't open to the public during our art event, but that didn't stop us!

During the 12 days of the Art Event, we had over 3000 visitors, which is pretty amazing considering that during this time we were experiencing the scorching temperatures of the heat wave.

This ART EVENT was brought to life without any grants or funding, and I would like to thank all of those who made it possible:

The biggest thanks goes to the talented collective of local artists who worked so hard and tirelessly on this project from start to finish.

The Tropicana Team for their efforts, including staying up late to give the venue a little makeover by painting the floor and walls etc.

BBC Radio Bristol for having me on a couple of times and helping me spread the word, as well as showing appreciation of what a good art event we had.

Finally, a massive thank you to the public, all the visitors from near and far that came to see us and experience what we had to offer. Engaging with you and sharing our passion was absolutely amazing and we could not have wished for a better reception. The connections that we made were magical.