Prize Winners Announced for Wigan’s Open Exhibition

Following the successful Wigan Open Exhibition, which took place in March as part of Wigan Arts Festival, three prize winners and three runners-up have now been announced.

Featuring over 155 works, the exhibition was judged by a panel including a group of students alongside Anna FC Smith, Jonny Davenport and Neil Harris. The standard of submissions was exceptionally high, making the judging process particularly challenging. In recognition of this, the panel also selected three runners-up across the categories.

Overall Open Winner – First Prize
1st place: Heather Tully-Bolton – BedRest
Runner-up: Keely Gaskell – Mermaids Tails

Panel Prize / Student Choice Award
1st place: Nathan Silver – Don’t Be So Modest
Runner-up: Karen Holt – Tempest: Wild Mustang

Under 18s / Young Person Prize
1st place: Laila Jones – Freedom
Runner-up: Muhammed Yousaf – Destination

The exhibition opened to a packed launch night, with visitors turning out in large numbers to view the work and meet the artists. Strong footfall continued throughout the week, as audiences returned and new visitors came, from far and wide, to experience the exhibition, underlining the growing enthusiasm for Wigan’s arts scene.

All first prize winners received a monetary award. Heather Tully-Bolton, whose work BedRest received the Overall Open First Prize, said:

“I’m absolutely over the moon that BedRest has been awarded first place by the panel. It means so much, especially given how strong the exhibition was.”

Held at Pier 4, Wigan Pier, the Wigan Open Exhibition marked a welcome return after a hiatus. Previously hosted at The Old Courts, the exhibition moved venue while repair works are carried out on two of its spaces, due for completion later this year.

The open call welcomed artists working across all mediums. Running from 17th–23rd March, the exhibition invited submissions from across Wigan, attracting applications from a wide range of creatives.

Artist Anna FC Smith, one half of TERM Art Classes, who worked with Wigan & Leigh College students to curate the exhibition, said:

“It was a privilege to work with the student curators to support them through the process of selecting, curating and finally judging for the prize winners. The students shone with enthusiasm and professionalism. At the difficult judging stage we used the students’ own criteria to score art works for different qualities including skill and technique, and the artist’s unique voice. Though there were so many outstanding artworks it was fantastic to see such incredible clear winners emerging from the students’ system. ”

Beyond the prize winners, the following works scored exceptionally on the students criteria and were loved by members of the panel. Special mention to:

Rodney Hydes – Beef, chicken and vegetable
Hazel Hobson – The Edge Of The World
Bianca Leung – Rooms That Remember
Sandra Parr – Sea
Emily Tuck – Weird Fishes
Emma Saunders – Jellied Eels
Aaron Pearce – The goats of Zaragoza
Tony Webb – Plank lane pit
Jill Norris – Looking for a Home
Matthew Wood – Glamour
Ian Dawber – PAOTY Self Portrait
Amelie Pearson – Debbie at Mickey Finns
Rachael Silverwood – Milkmon’s Overcoat/Gradma’s notes
Robyn Elizabeth – Fatale Nature #2 Hive Queen
John Tse – Veined in Confabulation
Tony France – Barmy Botanicals
Jodie Atkinson – It’s Mint
James Marsden – Northern Souls
Sharron Fidler – St Vitus at The Disco
Becca Riley – Drifting
Gary North – The Stag Orrell
Christine Barton – Barbra
Chris Halliwell – John Lydon
Zeynep Nallar – Reproduction of Caravaggio The Entombment of Christ
Sara Fahey – The Cathedral
Cyd Jackson – I’ll just take the bus
Lisa cunliffe – Ashwood Influence

Honourable Mentions Under 18s:

Maya Melaniuk – All About Me

For more information about future opportunities and Wigan Arts Festival, visit:
www.theoldcourts.com
www.wiganarts.co.uk