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Election fever hits Black Swan Arts

While party leaders battle it out for the public vote, a ballot of a different kind is taking place in Frome’s arts centre

Finalists in this year’s Public Choice Award of the Black Swan Open Arts competition have attracted over 400 votes and the organisers are calling in final nominations for their entries.

‘We’ve got our own election fever at the moment!” commented Luke Wilde, chair of trustees at Black Swan Arts.

‘There’s still time to influence who will win the coveted award; there’s also now a better opportunity to support the artists involved.  For the final ten days of the Open Arts exhibition, we are reducing the commission.   This means 20 per cent off all the listed prices and the chance to pick up a rare quality piece of work at a competitive price.’

He continued:

‘We are appreciative of the continuing time and effort invested by the artists and would like to again thank them for bringing their creative works to our attention.

The winner of the Public Choice Award will be announced on BBC Radio Somerset 30th April 2010.

The 2010 Black Swan Open Arts Competition attracted over 500 entrants, with 80 artists included in the judge’s final selection.  The high quality of work chosen for inclusion in the exhibition has attracted over 1,200 people to the arts centre in Frome and solicited high praise and complimentary comments over the past few weeks.

Finalists, in alphabetical order are as follows:

David Chandler – Angela’s Little Red Digger

Mervyn Charlton – Earth House Hold

Michelle Cioccoloni – The Pity Of War

Leslie Glenn Damhus – Madonna & Chimp

Jennie Gilling – The Warp of Trees

Fiona Hingston – Echo Field Sod

Simon Ledson – Somerset Unfolding Wedmore 2

Rowena Mayall – Brambles

Nicholas Rasmussen – Cockerel

Fay Shirley – Still Life with Guinea Fowl

The Black Swan Open Arts Competition is run bi-annually and encompasses a diverse range of visual arts and crafts, including painting, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, metal, wood, prints, photography and glass.  The Open attracts some of the best contemporary artists and makers working in the UK.

For further information or high res photos, please contact Jennie Wood at
Avalanche Media on 01373 300282 or info@avalanchemedia.org