Ellesmere online art exhibition proving hit to raise funds for College

A Shropshire College’s online art exhibition is proving to be a huge success - despite usually being held in the College’s impressive Big School hall hosting over 1,000 visitors.

The Ellesmere National Art Exhibition, held at Ellesmere College, is celebrating its ninth year but is unable to go ahead in its usual format due to government coronavirus restrictions.

Instead, the team at the College have created a platform where visitors can view and buy the usual high standard of artwork from the comfort of their own homes, giving artists the opportunity to showcase their work to a broader audience.

The event has also been extended to take place over six weeks rather than its usual five days. The site launched on Tuesday (June 1) and will run to Sunday 11 July, with artwork being updated throughout the six weeks.

Olivia Beckett, External Relations Officer at Ellesmere College, is coordinating the event.

She said: “We are excited to be hosting an online art exhibition this year and since we launched on June 1st we have seen a high volume of visitors to the website.

“We have plenty in store for everyone, with a curated collection of over 30 British and international artists showcasing 260 pieces of art, including sculpture, paintings, drawings, linocut prints and mixed media artwork. Each artist has their own page displaying the pieces they have for sale.

“It has been great to have the support of some of our regular artists who have returned online, these include Maximillion Baccanello, Barbara Goolden, Graham Cox RCA, Mark Warner and Lesley Fisher. We also have some new artists exhibiting this year.

“Despite it not being the grand physical event that we usually host at the College, we are pleased with the adjusted format and look forward to running the website alongside the exhibition next year.”

The purpose of the exhibition is to raise awareness of the Arts in the local area.

As an Artsmark Platinum school Ellesmere College is passionate about involving children and the local community in Arts and cultural projects.

All proceeds from the exhibition’s sales go towards funding Art Scholarships for local talented students to study Art through Sixth Form at the College, offering the opportunity of an Ellesmere education to local children who may not be able to access it without some assistance.

Professional Welsh Artist Barbara Goolden said: “I am delighted to be supporting the Ellesmere Art Exhibition once again and commend the team for their quick and innovative thinking in adjusting the format of the event to enable artists to exhibit.

“I hope the online visitors enjoy seeing all of the incredible pieces of work on the website and wish the College every success with sales.”

To visit the exhibition visit https://www.ellesmere.com/art-exhibition/.