Wednesday 14 May 2014

Open 14/Youth Open 14




The 2014 Open and Youth Open
Alfred East Gallery on until 31st May

Open Exhibition time again, and another wonderful selection of imaginative and original work on show until the end of the month at Kettering Art Gallery ... well worth a visit.

This year saw an extra effort go in by members of the Friends to publicise the Youth section around local schools and encourage youngsters to enter their work.

The result was 3 times the entry and a lively addition of friends and relatives joining the convivial throng on preview evening, when the works would first go on show and the results would be announced 

open14 winners:
  • Overall Winner: Marion Holden’s Blue Rhapsody - £500
  • Highly Commended: Jonathan Macauley and Emma Fay’s, Head in the Clouds - £250 sponsored by Typestart
  • Commended: Clive Fletcher, Bewilderment of War 1914 -  £150 sponsored by Portland Print
Youth open14 winners received £25 each from the Friends of Kettering Art Gallery and Museum:
  • 12-16 year olds: Romy Osborne’s, Disposable Queen
  • 8-16 year olds: Georgina Stock’s Kettering Doodle
  • The Newcomer Prize of £25 and a year’s membership of KDAS (Kettering & District Art Society): Enilze Veizaga’s Majestic Tiger
The ‘Highly Commended’ Youth winners both won a day at Youthworks Photographic Studio, they were:
        12 - 16: Aaron Wilson, Wolf
         8 - 11: Amy Bird, Rainbow
(Long Gallery scene with some of the outstanding entries inset)

The Long Gallery was entirely given over to the Youth Open and given the age and experience of some of the entrants was a real eye opener ...


The Friends of Kettering Art Gallery & Museum were delighted that their initiatives caught on and thanks the gallery and judges for some excellent work.   Well done to all involved, thanks for coming along to the preview and we hope you will continue to be involved with art in the town.

(Romy Osborne won the 12 - 16 category with her 'Disposable Queen')

(Georgina Stock won the 8 - 11 category with her 'Kettering Doodle')

The preview evening was a great success ... positively buzzing with visitors and enthusiasm.  

Great to see the appreciation of the exhibition and the joy of some of the younger winners.   And plenty of red stickers going up as works were bought (which is always a healthy sign) ...

(Preview evening - Open winner, Marion Holden's Blue Rhapsody, in the right background)

Next event at Kettering Art Gallery:
Thursday 15th May 2014
The Friends evening talk 7:30 PM
Geoff Hales in performance as Sir Alfred East 
£3.00 on the Door (or Free to members of the Friends)

Wednesday 7 May 2014

A year in perspective ...

Reviewing recent pictures from this April, it seems an awful long time since this time last year - the Friends AGM and the Open 13.

(AGM 2014 ... Paul Johnson reflects on a landmark year for the Alfred East Gallery)

At times, since last year, events came so thick and fast there was scarcely time to edit the pictures I took.   Most got posted ... some did not ... 

Here are some recollections, and some of those unpublished pictures.

(May to July 2013 ... Stella Benford and Kelly Gardener's A Blending of Worlds)

We had talks on the Sette of Odd Volumes, on John Alfred Gotch and on Alfred East ...

The Friends made a trip to Northampton battlefield on the anniversary ...

... and at the end of July we celebrated the Centenary with a re-opening ..

GALLERY CENTENARY

(there was music from the Sea Cadets)

(there was a great turn out with drinks in the gardens, VIPs, media and patrons ...)


(and the Friends organised a string trio to charm the opening of the Centenary exhibition)

The Friends of Kettering Art Gallery and Museum (Kagam) also got out and about ...

(here running a stand and fund raising at the OS arts and crafts event at Mears Ashby)

The summer ended with a lavish formal dinner to end the Centenary celebrations.   This was organised by the Friends, KDAS and the Gallery Officer and was sold out.   

CENTENARY DINNER

Period costume and Black Tie supported a tombola, a charity auction, speeches, dedications and the distractions of the harpist and the magician - more than a few photos will capture but I'll add some anyway ...

(Centenary Dinner: a table full of donated lots for the charity auction)

(Centenary Dinner: it was marvellous that the unique event was so well supported and enjoyed)

(Centenary Dinner: place settings reflect weeks of attention to detail)

(one of many group pictures from the Centenary Dinner)

The first major event after the Centenary was the KDAS Annual Exhibition


(Ian Luck talks to the Friends Kagam on the history and personalities of Kettering & District Art Society)

The last Friends evening of the Autumn season saw a raffle, mince pies and a talk by Phil Steele on memory and changing attitudes as the world of 1913, the foundation year of the Alfred East Gallery, gave way to the years of the Great War and its legacy.

(The Alfred East Gallery before and after the Great War - the War Memorial was completed in 1921)

The New Year saw Peter Barrett's talk on Alice Hawkins, Leicester's celebrated suffragette


And in February Roger Hatton exhibited in the Long Gallery


While Jamie Boots exhibited in the Large Gallery

(Jamie Boots giving a workshop session at the Gallery)

(KDAS and the Friends present a cheque for £1,000 raised at the Centenary Dinner)

The last talk of 2013-14 saw Maurice and Barbara reflect on the history of the Grammar Schools and on the pride and peculiarities of a Kettering education in days gone.   This was a follow up to the immensely popular exhibition in the Manor House Museum last year ...

(A Grammar School Education ... the old High School for Girls bell featured loudly ...)

Eleven Plus papers needed to be back by the Friends AGM.   

EGG (East, Gash and Gotch) which opened in AGM week is on until May the 10th, while the main exhibition is now the Open 14.