Ferens Open Exhibition; Brief & Rationale

The Client; 

• Ferens Art Gallery, Hull

The Brief;

Artists are invited to submit artwork for 2017 Open exhibition

The Ferens Art Gallery is calling for submissions from professional and amateur artists for the 2017 Open exhibition.

Artists aged 16 or above from across the region can submit up to three pieces of work for this popular exhibition, now in its 50th year, between Thursday 22 September until midnight Sunday 16 October. For the first time, artists will register their works online, submitting photos for the consideration of an invited panel of external selectors.

2017 is the 50th anniversary of the Ferens Open and will be an extra special year due to input from three highly respected external judges: Dr Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, the Hull born actress Maureen Lipman CBE and the internationally renowned sculptor and Royal Academician David Mach.

The chosen artworks will be displayed from 21 January to 12 March 2017, taking centre stage for the gallery’s re-opening in January 2017, when Hull is UK City of Culture.

This is a unique opportunity for artists to show their work alongside internationally significant paintings from the Ferens permanent collection. 

Councillor Terry Geraghty, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Leisure and chair of Hull Culture and Leisure, said: “It is fantastic for Hull that we have an exhibition to showcase exceptional local and regional talent. 2017 also marks the exhibitions 50th anniversary making it extra special for the artists and gallery.”

Kirsten Simister, curator of Art at Ferens Art Gallery, says “The Ferens Art Gallery looks forward to receiving entries from not only well-established and popular artists but new and emerging talent, aiming to create an enjoyable and stimulating exhibition in the spacious and impressive setting of the gallery.”

Cash prizes are on offer for the chosen works, which have been kindly donated by Friends of the Ferens and BSB Architecture.

Any work submitted must have been created within the last 12 months.

The selection will take place on 25 October 2016 and all artists will be notified of the selectors decision by email by 9 November 2016.

For more info and to submit artwork visit: http://www.hcandl.co.uk/openexhibition

Rationale; 

• I mentioned in my OUIL603 prep that I was considering entering Ferens Art Gallery's Open Exhibition. I think this competition would allow me some space to create larger scale work, like my Humber Street Sesh painting over Summer. I'd quite like to complete a further two paintings that complement the one I did at HSS'16, as more of an experiment than anything else. Prior to my painting at HSS'16, I was worried that my words and subtle emotional value I treasure in my personal work, may not resonate if up-scaled to something bigger. However the response I got from the general public was overwhelmingly positive. I'm interested to see whether or not this kind of work would sit in a professional gallery setting. I'd love to take part in more exhibitions this year, as it's a context I can see a lot of my personal work sitting in (as opposed to commercial context).