Art Allotments

Today was the last day of a really good two weeks of the Art Allotments exhibition. It has been open in the Visual Arts Network community Gallery in the (new) market hall in Shrewsbury which is is not the easiest place to find located on the top floor. Even so 80 visitors came through on the busiest day.

The feed back was really positive and exciting. many were excited by the idea of one artist having fun using another artists reject work to make some new work of their own. Already others have taken up the idea. A small group of jewellers are now organising a scrap metal art allotments and A quilter immediatly saw the possibilities for textile artists.

Lots of people of all ages stopped to chose an envelope of collage and make a postcard size art work to hang on the wall. We also received emails of thanks saying how much people had enjoyed themselves which was a great feeling after all the work we had done.

Here are just a few images to give a taste of the project

Well I have, at last, made a collage from the last envelope of stuff – I began with the coloured pile. and an extra piece of strong colour that had got overlooked. It became the all important starting point.

Bird imagary has crept in. I have resisted it up until now as I see so many birds in cages in design & art work and to use that motif always feels a little like plaigerism.

However, this bird, hat & figure arrived spontaneously from a conversation with Angela and refused to be rejected so it has stayed with a multiplicity of meanings and associations that can be choosen by the viewers.

This will be the last collage for the time being. On Monday the exhibition goes up. … 10 artists, 30 plus pieces of work and more in browsers. Then on Tuesday it quietly opens.

Where will art allotments go now ……?