Professional and amateur artists are due to compete in an inaugural online show celebrating the best of the county, with the chance to have their work displayed at an exhibition at Weston Park this autumn.
The contest is part of the Shropshire Virtual Show, a day of music, entertainment, competitions and shopping experiences taking place online between 10am and 9pm on Saturday 22 August.
The fundraising event aims to help fill the gap left by the cancellation of live shows this summer and raise money for five Shropshire charities: The Cavalier Centre, League of Friends to RJAH, The Movement Centre, Dog A.I.D. and Shropshire Rural Communities Charity.
The competition is one of a number of activities being hosted in the show’s arts and crafts tent, which is sponsored by Shropshire Mobility Solutions.
Entries have been submitted from artists of all abilities using a variety of creative media. The five winning pieces from the show will be included in the Gallery of Discovery exhibition, a showcase of creative works produced during the Covid-19 pandemic and on display at Weston Park in September.
Gareth Williams, the curator at Weston Park, said: “The Granary Gallery is especially pleased to be able to show the winning talent from the Shropshire Virtual Show and to be able to assist in what promises to be a great day of entertainment. This will be an opportunity to showcase the wealth of creative ability that the county contains and we’re very excited at being able to offer a live opportunity for visitors to see the winning entries.
“Our own Gallery of Discovery exhibition, in which the works will have an important place, is already demonstrating the amazingly original and inventive outputs that people have shown during lockdown – generating personal positivity out of a challenging time.”
Jonathan Soden from the Soden Collection in Shrewsbury and Mark Rowles from Ludlow-based Rowles Fine Art will be joining Gareth in the judging line up.
The arts and crafts tent is one of eight ‘arenas’ hosting over 70 other performances, films and workshops, between 10am and 9pm on 22 August.
Highlights on the day include cooking demonstrations from celebrity chefs Marcus Bean, ‘Shropshire Lad’ Adam Purnell and MasterChef winner Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, plus an action-packed display from Upper Cut Fight Stunt Show and a magical tale about a dream that comes to life from equestrian theatre team Theatrick.
For more information on the Shropshire Virtual Show, visit www.shropshirevirtualshow.com and follow @shropshirevirtualshow on Facebook and Instagram.
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