In With The New: Art Made Affordable At The Midlands' Largest Contemporary Festival
New Art Birmingham, the Midlands’ largest visual arts festival, will return in March for a four day showcase of the UK’s best emerging contemporary visual artists.
From March 15-18, New Art Birmingham 2007 will exhibit the work of more than 100 contemporary painters, photographers, sculptors, printmakers and digital media artists. It follows a successful inaugural event in 2005.
60 artists will exhibit their work at a flourishing Art Market to be held at Curzon Street Station, a Grade I listed building. The market will give art lovers access to affordable contemporary work by new and emerging artists, with the chance to buy and commission work directly from them.
A series of associated events will be held simultaneously at venues across the region, including the Ikon Gallery, New Art Gallery Walsall, Midlands Arts Centre, The Lighthouse in Wolverhampton, and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Art Market’s participating artists were chosen via a selection panel which included Tim Eastop, Head of Visual Arts Development and International Artist Fellowships at Arts Council England; Stephen Snoddy, Director of New Art Gallery Walsall; the artist Barbara Walker and Chris Hammond, Director of MOT Gallery in London.
Commenting on the chosen artists for the Art Market, Tim Eastop said:
“What struck me was the wealth of applications from photographers, which reflects the artistic climate at the moment. The conceptual basis on which the work was formed was very much influenced by a preoccupation with the emptiness of post-industrial Britain, which may reflect the urban landscape many of the applicants have grown up surrounded by.
“I strongly support initiatives such as New Art Birmingham that seek to stimulate and expand contemporary art across the UK. I am a great advocate of increasing the interaction between audiences, buyers and artists in regions where the market is developing all the time.”
Susan McNally, co-project manager, continued: “The range of events this year is so diverse, from the massive Art Market to the involvement of high profile venues such as Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and New Art Gallery Walsall. There is something for everyone with an interest in art, at a price most of us can afford.”
Nicola Shipley, co-project manager, continued: “It’s an exciting time for the regional arts scene in this country, and New Art Birmingham is making a genuine contribution to that scene. It’s about time we shouted louder about developments outside of London”.
For detailed listings, participating artists and venues at New Art Birmingham 2007, visit www.urban-fusion.info/nab or phone 0121 464 8555.
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