A Sea of Talent will be exhibiting the work of 115 local artists at Jubilee Hall in Poundbury as well as a community art installation.
Organisers Art in Poundbury is a Community Interests Company (CIC), which means it must carry out activities benefiting the community.
Part of that means that holding an annual exhibition involving ex-artists and the local community in an ‘unusual’ project.
The installation will be a giant, seven-metre-wide banner that is 30cm high with the words Sea of Talent in gold lettering.
On Saturday, November 11 between 10am and 2pm, locals will have the opportunity to visit the hall and add a ‘shoal of words’ about the sea in their community art day.
On top of this, seaweed balls and jellyfish creations, made from textiles, were created by pupils from Damers and Prince of Wales First Schools to be put up around the exhibition.
Judy Tate, artistic director of the project, said that a series of things led to the theme of the sea, but the main factor was a ceramist who created a piece of art detailing the quay and sea in their hometown Weymouth.
Ms Tate said: “This will be a central piece to our exhibit with the theme running off that.”
Each year the size of the project grows and, according to Ms Tate, the goal this year is to get ‘as many locals from Poundbury and Dorchester involved as possible.’
Ms Tate went on to say that as a professional artist, she knows the fears that amateur artists go through, saying she wants to ‘break down that barrier.’
“The hopes are for people to come along and start talking about the project and then maybe get involved in taking up art with our art clubs in Poundbury,” she said.
The core team is made up of a mixture of artists and non-artists – with around 120 artists involved and between 70 to 80 volunteers.
The exhibition of the works will be from Saturday, December 2 to Sunday, December 10 between 10am and 4pm.
There will also be an invite-only private viewing of the exhibition on Friday, December 1 at 6.30pm, which Ms Tate labelled ‘the hottest show in town.’
Opening the exhibition will be their patron Julian Fellowes, as well as Adebanji Alade, President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.
Each day the winter exhibition is on, visitors will get the chance to meet artists, with two appearing at the displays every morning and afternoon.
For more information into what Art in Poundbury do, visit https://artinpoundbury.co.uk/
This content was originally published here.