Welcome to our January 2024 Newsletter!
The call to artist to make submissions is going well, although we are encouraging artists that have not yet submitted to do so at their earliest convenience, this is helpful to us in organising host venues for the trail as it gives us a good idea of numbers which makes allocation much easier. To apply go to the Curator Space link on the Bonsall Arts Trail website www.bonsallartstrail.org – this will take you directly to the submission form; CuratorSpace will ask you for six images, a short paragraph about you and your art and a CV. A £10 submission fee is requested on submission. The final payment is due by 14th February 2024. Applications remain open until the end of January 2024.
Longcliffe remain our main sponsor for the Bonsall Art Trail 2024. We have also been successful in obtaining a grant from ‘Better Derbyshire Dales Fund,’ and monies will go towards supporting a group to provide free workshops and the hire of disabled toilets for wheelchair users.
We are continuing to work hard getting things together for a great weekend of art and culture in the village. The village should see lots of visitors who will come to enjoy the beautiful village of Bonsall, its pubs and café along with art and culture. The supporting vendors will enable the village to cope with the demand of those visiting over the weekend of 29th & 30th June 2024.
At the trail this year Turners Arts Supplies will be providing a pop-up shop which will be a great asset. Turners sponsor the Art Trail by providing the prize monies for the ‘Turners Art Prize’ for the best artist as voted by the public and the prize monies for the school Project in the village. Longcliffe quarries provide a £200 prize for work that references the environment, and this is open for all exhibiting artist to enter. We are very thankful for this local support, Longclilffe are a company that strive to increase sustainability of its business, including aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030. Longcliffe has turned many of its former operational sites into nature reserves and is committed to minimising the impact of its operations on the environment.
There are workshops planned over the weekend and further details about these will be available next year. If you would like to run a workshop, or if you know anyone that would like to please ask them to contact us either by email or telephone. We would love to hear from you.
A recent visit to the ‘Wabi Sabi’ pottery group based at The Stone Centre in Wirksworth was a delight and I even got a chance to throw a pot for the first time, so thank you for that. I got to meet the members and work alongside them for the morning which I enjoyed very much. Thank you to Sue Mulroy for looking after me and allowing me to be part of the team. The Wabi Sabi Group will be taking part in the art trail in some capacity which will be finalised next year. The trail will be supporting the Alzheimer’s Society once again in 2024.
We are pursuing the offer of grant sponsorship for Derby University Students which will offer up to ten spaces for emerging artists at the trail. If you know any students, then please pass this information onto them. The school will be providing an art installation within the foyer and discussions are in progress with the head teacher to explore concepts so that we can develop ideas to incorporate works and images from the pupils. The concept for the installation is to be uplifting, such as freedom/happiness and spirituality. One of the Bonsall Art Trail Team artists will support the school along with the trail providing funding for materials. Individual children’s work is to be exhibited on the park in one of the main marquees. Turners Art Supplies sponsor a £100 in prize monies.
Email contact: bonsallartstrail@yahoo.com Tel: 07305594084 (Julie Leggett)