Broadway Arts Festival starts tomorrow!

The first Broadway Arts Festival, celebrating the work of John Singer Sargent RA (1856-1925) and the Broadway Colony, starts tomorrow! So many people have worked tirelessly to make the festival a truly great event, and I am really looking forward to visiting some of the events over the coming week. Today I have been helping out at Trinity House Gallery, this is where the exhibition of over 15 paintings by Sargent will be held, along with work by many of his contemporaries and friends, such as Francis Davis Millet (1846-1912) and Alfred Parsons RA (1847-1920). 

I have been helping to unpack paintings, generously loaned from private collections both from here in the UK and abroad. Public galleries have also loaned paintings, with one painting from The Royal Academy (a beautiful painting by Alfred Parsons), and three from Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery. The Tate Gallery have also loaned two drawings by Sargent, and a nice young lady called Alex, who works there, came from London today to hang these, and to make sure the hanging and security met the Tate's policy on loaning out paintings.

This week I have mounted some paintings and photographs for the children's art competition (11 to 13 years old), and was very impressed with the quality and creativity of the work. The main art competition, open to amateur and professional artists, has a 'John Singer Sargent' first prize of £1000, there is a £500 young artist prize (under 25), and there is also a most popular public vote, the winner of this will get £250 worth of picture framing from me!