The 2022 Harley Open Exhibition is now on show, with 125 works being exhibited by artists in the region.
The open art competition received over 750 entries, with two rounds of judging needed to whittle the artworks down to the final 125 which are on show until 23rd October. The exhibition is free to enter at The Harley Gallery on the Welbeck Estate.
The grand prize of £2,000, sponsored by The Harley Foundation, was jointly awarded to Verity Pulford for her glass piece Untitled and Millie Welburn-Cowell for her painting Juna.
The exhibition features a wide range of artworks with an impressive variety of subjects, techniques and materials. While many of the exhibiting artists are professionals, many are self-taught and there’s even a massive collage of the Queen made by local nursery age children (unbeknown to the judges!).
The Gallery’s curators were joined by artist Jason Wilsher-Mills as guest judge. Jason is a digital artist whom you might recognise from Sky Arts ‘Landmark’ series. His work is currently on show at the Commonwealth Games and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and his exhibition ‘Jason and his Argonauts’ will be at The Harley Gallery in November.
Visitors are invited to have a go at judging, too, by helping to choose the winner of The People’s Prize. You can vote for your favourite exhibit to win this £750 prize, sponsored by The Welbeck Estates Company, by visiting the gallery or heading to the website www.harleygallery.co.uk.
Many of the works in The Harley Open Exhibition are for sale, providing an excellent opportunity to buy original art and support local artists.