Online gallery showcase for local artists

CORONAVIRUS has had a devastating effect on the hospitality and entertainment industries, with venues closing their doors to the public and tours cancelled. Actors, musicians and artists, largely selfemployed, saw their sources of income disappear overnight. While not on this current scale, the arts have been through some tough periods over the past 40 years, but each time have come up with ever-more creative solutions to pull through. Many artists have told us about cancelled exhibitions, museum, gallery and craft fair closures and no more teaching opportunities. The Corn Exchange, its Learning Centre and visual arts venue The Base closed until further notice. The popular Open Studios Scheme, the May showcase for more than 100 artists and makers, who open their studios and workshops to the public was called off.

In order to keep our local artists’ work in the public eye, we built up a virtual gallery for artist or maker living in the West Berkshire, North Hampshire and East Wiltshire areas, whose livelihood is wholly or largely dependent on your creative work.

The @newburytoday gallery is still open for new artists – please send us your profile, tell us a little about your work, philosophy and techniques, together with eight examples of your work and we will print as many as we can over the coming weeks in the Newbury Weekly News, as well as adding you the gallery.

Email trish.lee@newburynews.co.uk