Looking Without Prejudice

Urban Nation Museum (for Urban Contemporary Art) was just one of the stop offs on my recent ‘Walking Street Art Tour’ of Berlin. And, in addition to its – quite frankly – awesome artworks, I was struck by its stated core beliefs which drive its pioneering work, in particular, that Urban Nation ‘is a space for vision and creation – without restrictions’. It also states that art ‘is a message in a universal language’. Of course! Art isn’t just something for ‘the cultured’ – we all ‘speak art’ and one of the real joys of looking at art is discovering something – perhaps a photo, drawing or sculpture – that truly speaks to you.

The forthcoming Harrogate Open, starting October 12, is one of the most popular competitions in the northern arts calendar, casting a wide net which promises to draw in much that is new, exciting and previously unseen. With around 150 artworks selected for exhibition purely on the basis of their artistic merits – and not for any name, reputation or previous awards – visitors to the exhibition can look forward to being moved, inspired and perhaps even ‘spoken to’.

There’s just time too for any artists out there (yes, Street Artist’s are welcome to apply too!) to create something to enter. Entries (a maximum of up to three per person) can be in any media including; painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, film, video, textiles and crafts – and must be submitted to the Mercer Art Gallery between October 3 and 5. Selections for the final exhibition will be made by October 9, and thanks to the generous fund raising of Friends of the Mercer Art Gallery, seven winners from the exhibition will also be chosen to share in a £1500 prize fund.



For full details and an application form visit: www.harrogate.gov.uk/open2019