The Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate is making its final preparations in anticipation of a bigger than ever number of entries for the celebrated Harrogate Open Art Exhibition.
The exhibition, which features the work of artists from across the Harrogate district, was first held in 2003 and has gone from strength to strength since then. At the last Harrogate Open, in 2015, 625 entries were received.
The sending-in days for all the works of art are from Wednesday 7 until Sunday 11 June, with the exhibition itself running from 17 June to 3 September.
As well as offering a chance to have work shown in Harrogate’s prestigious Mercer Art Gallery, there are also prizes to be won – a top prize of £500, a £250 runner up prize, a highly commended award of £75, and £100 for the People’s Prize as voted for by visitors to the gallery.
Artists whose work is selected for the exhibition have an opportunity to sell their work; they also receive an invitation to the Mercer Art Gallery’s private viewing. Whether a student studying A Level Art at college, or someone who has been painting for decades, every artist across the district is being urged not to miss out on taking part in the biggest and best open art exhibition in Yorkshire.
The selectors for the exhibition will be Yorkshire artists Tom Wood and Jake Attree, and Jane Sellars, Harrogate Borough Council’s Curator of Cultural Services.
Jane Sellars said: The Open is one of our most popular and exciting shows. Artists whose works are chosen for the exhibition are quite rightly very proud of themselves because the standard is high.
We are really looking forward to working with local artists on the Harrogate Open 2017. It’s a great event for art collectors as well, because everything in the exhibition will be for sale. There are sure to be some wonderful pieces of art to be had in all media – paintings, drawings, ceramics, textiles, sculpture and more.
Entry forms for the Harrogate Open 2017 are available now to download at www.harrogate.gov.uk/mercerartgallery or you can pick one up from the desk at the Mercer Art Gallery.
The submission dates, when artists are invited to deliver their work to the Mercer, are Wednesday 7 to Sunday 11 June 2017.
There is an entry fee of £8.00 per work submitted; a concessionary charge of £6.00 per work submitted for over 65s, 16 to 18-year-olds, full-time students and the unwaged. Up to three works can be entered.
The Harrogate Open 2017 will be on show at the Mercer Art Gallery from 17 June to 3 September 2017.
- The Mercer Art Gallery on Swan Road in Harrogate is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10am to 5pm, and Sundays 2 to 5. It is closed on Mondays except for Bank Holidays. Admission is free.
