Burnham-On-Sea’s Princess Theatre and Arts Centre has announced the commissioning of a visual arts exhibition, its first for many years.
Thanks to the Arts Council’s emergency response grant, funded by National Lottery players, the project will see The Princess commission 10 local artists to produce a body of work responding to the need for human contact during lockdown.
Each chosen artist will receive £150 to create a piece of work, through whatever medium. The results of which will be displayed as a physical exhibition when they reopen but digitally also whilst they are closed. The only criteria are that the artist lives within Somerset.
Beccy Armory, pictured, who is leading the creative team at The Princess Theatre, told Burnham-On-Sea.com “We have all missed human contact whether it be verbal, physical or social. Lockdown has touched and changed all of our lives in many different ways and this new normal doesn’t show any signs of disappearing soon.”
“With Contact, we wanted to create something very personal to Somerset especially for the Princess, something that marks this strange period in our lifetimes.”
The Princess has been part of Somerset’s landscape for more than 150 years. The Theatre and Arts Centre has seen two world wars and many other landmark events, including the coronation of a number of Royals but has only ever been closed for renovation.
“Since our closure due to the pandemic we have realised, like many other arts centre’s around the country, our work has to go online to engage our audiences.”
“We have been delighted by the response to our online gallery exhibitions and are hugely grateful to the artists who have agreed to their work being shown in this way.”
“We have already had some incredible expressions of interest for this new exhibition and feel very lucky that there will be a variety of different practices.”
If you are interested in taking part in Contact, the deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 31st July. Please email visualarts@theprincesstheatre.co.uk for an application or visit their opportunities page on the website.
