Buxton artists in online exhibition to boost hospice funds

The Macclesfield Open Art Exhibition can be seen on the website www.maccopen.org.uk until the end of October.

Organised by artist Geoff Archer, this was originally intended as a one-off show last year as it was assumed that in 2021 there would be no need for virtual shows.

But the postponement of the Art Fair Cheshire, which was due to be held in Macclesfield Town Hall in late September, has led to a change of heart. Geoff said: “The art fair would have raised thousands of pounds for East Cheshire Hospice. This is money they will not now receive, so I decided to revive the Open to try, in part, to compensate for their loss of funds.”

This year’s show features 420 works by 150 artists, with contributors being asked to make a donation to the hospice.

All of the work submitted, from as far afield as Italy and the United States, has been included in the exhibition.

Geoff said: “It is unusual for Open art exhibitions, whether in galleries or online, to include everything submitted. When we held the Open at the Silk Museum we had to reject around half of the works submitted because of insufficient space, which meant that some very good work remained unseen. Online there is no limitation on how many works can be included so I decided to include everything.

"There is a wide range of work in a variety of styles and techniques, including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture and ceramics. We have work on show by amateurs who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to show what they do, but also work of the very highest standard by award-winning professionals”.

There is also a wide range of prices, from as little as £15 to more than £4000. The hope is that many works will sell, as most artists have pledged to give an extra donation if their work sells, in lieu of the usual commission. So the more work that sells, the more money will be raised for the hospice.

Visitors to the show are also encouraged to make a donation to the hospice with a link to do so provided.