Arts and Flowers in Lyme
The tenth annual Lyme Regis ArtsFest will be hosting seven distinctive and engaging exhibitions during its nine-day run from the 8th through the 16th September.
Over the opening weekend, you can visit Lyme Life! at St Michael's Church to see the amazing efforts of more than 40 flower arrangers challenged to devise floral tributes to different aspects of life in Lyme Regis. See if you can find the window devoted to ArtsFest itself! Open 10am-6pm on 7/8 Sept and noon till 6pm on the 9th, the flower festival is free for children and £2 for adults.
The other six exhibitions are open daily, free to enter and offer visitors a comprehensive view of local talent in a variety of art media. The Malthouse at the Town Mill displays artwork by all participating artists in this ever popular venue; this year the theme is 'What on Earth!' in recognition of ArtsFest being an associated event of the Jurassic Coast Earth Festival. The inspiring Baptist Church Hall at the top of Broad Street welcomes visitors to an exhibition of original works by 33 artists: paintings in all media, photos, textiles, ceramics, stained glass, prints and cards. Two new features in 2012 include evening openings at these two exhibitions (5-7pm on 13, 14 and 15 Sept) and Meet the Artist sessions at 2.30pm, 8-15 Sept, at the Baptist Church Hall.
Three ArtsFest artists will be holding their own solo exhibitions. 'Shop Girls and Seascapes of Lyme' is the name of Brian Matravers's show at the Inn Plaice, Pilot Boat Inn, displaying the iPad and acrylic works he has created over the previous 12 months.
Jill Swainson's Leys Barn Gallery at Valley View Farm in Uplyme will house her exhibition of limited-edition photographic prints of 'Ancient Pathways and Landscapes through the Lens' with cards, coasters and placements also for sale.
In the Rotunda Gallery of the Lyme Regis Museum is '...where I intend to end my days', an exhibition of hand- and machine-stitched textiles by Jennie Pearson which explore her family links with Lyme and early pioneers of her native Western Australia.
Finally, the results of the Letter to Barfleur postal art competition in May and new entries in the current Letter to Lyme Regis contest will be on show daily at the Lister Room, Marine Parade Shelters. Visitors will be able to vote for their favourite decorated envelope (and decorate one themselves), and prizes will be awarded at the end of ArtsFest to the Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners!
Full details of the ArtsFest programme and thirty more events and workshops can be found in the free ArtsFest brochure available from Lyme Regis TIC and other Lyme shops or on the website: www.lymeregisartsfest.com
Karol Kulik, www.lymeregisartsfest.com
Published on 25/08/2012.
