The 2017 Sefton Open art exhibition opened at The Atkinson in Southport and hundreds of people turned up for the Friday night event. The event will run until Sunday the 7th of May and was opened to the general public on Saturday. The displays are free to view. There are many artworks available for sale at the show which features many amazing pieces made by local artists from all over Sefton.
The 91st exhibition by Southport Palette Club is incorporated and there will also be other works from various other clubs such as Ainsdale and Birkdale Art Club, Churchtown Art Club, Association of Formby Artists, Sefton Art Group, Sefton Guild of Artists, Moor Lane Art Group, Painting for Pleasure, Southport Photographic Society among others.
According to Nicola Euston, the manager at Atkinson Museum, the event held last year had been the largest open held at the Atkinson and this year will not be different since many visitors and artists are still keen to see the exhibits.
This year’s People’s Prize is one of the popular topics at the moment after the same proved quite popular last year. Visitors got the chance to vote for the artwork they thought was the best. A voucher worth £50 for Belle Fauve & Scout is to be awarded to the winner.
Emma Anderson, the director at Atkinson, mentioned that they were keen to nurture creative talent. The Sefton Open, she said, was an especially good idea because it was very interactive and she encouraged people to go around, see the exhibits and vote for the one they thought was the best. The winner of the People’s Prize is announced at the very end.
Anderson commented that it had taken a lot of painstaking work over several weeks to plan for the event including choosing and hanging the pieces of art. She attributed the execution of the event to the presence of volunteers and the gallery team who all did a lot to make the exhibition possible. People interested in buying works of art will have much to choose from with some going for as little as a few pounds and others going for as much as £4000. The Museum’s Own Arts Scheme is designed to help people purchase artwork that they love by spreading the cost of 10 months. The loan is provided interest-free.