From Schoolchildren to Seasoned Artists: A Showcase of Local Talent

Sue Mann, Lead Organiser

If there's one that word sums up Belle Vue Arts Festival's annual art exhibition, that word is 'diversity'. 'When I visit exhibitions myself' said exhibition organiser Sue Mann 'the ones that really interest me and catch my eye are the ones where there's lots of diversity: diversity in mediums, diversity in how the works have been created, diversity in ages represented...I love that, and I love anything to do with community and bringing people together.' It's no surprise then, that in the Festival exhibition created by Sue and her helpers every year at Coleham's Barnabas Church, diversity is very much at the heart of things.

'We show work from roughly seventy individual artists' said Sue 'most of them local, who submit their work through the application process. They can each enter up to four pictures for hanging – that gives us anything up to 280 pieces – and up to five pieces of 3D art or craft. Additionally, they can contribute up to five pieces of mounted but unframed work which we put in browsers for people to browse through – that's physical browsing, not online. Much of this will be for sale. For those with smaller budgets there are also cards, which are increasingly popular. Each child from Coleham School also submits a piece of art, so that's another 430 pieces. The rest of the exhibition is taken up with work by groups, many of them wellbeing groups that include art as an activity.' Wow! That's a lot of art!

With so much to display, careful planning is essential. 'The hall at Barnabas looks enormous' explained Sue 'but we need to have room for the public to see the exhibition. I draw a plan of the whole hall so that I'm sure we've got enough space – and I do have the help of a fantastic team.' As for arranging the work, the 3D exhibits tend to be in the centre, on raised areas made by the organisers. Pictures are hung from display boards, creating a meandering pathway for visitors to follow at their own pace. And because many of the artists whose work is on display also act as stewards, there are opportunities to create some very special moments. 'A family member­ of mine once bought a picture' recalled Sue 'and while he was buying it, I was able to say to him “you know, the artist who's painted this picture is sitting just over there and I'm sure would love to talk to you”. That's the sort of interaction you can create. You can get the public talking to the artist who produced the work they're looking at.'

But even that's not all: another exciting feature is the opportunity to see artists at work. 'A friend of mine does textile work' said Sue. 'She makes lovely wall hangings using the most beautiful wools. Each one is different and she puts a lot of imagination into them. So I've invited her to come and be someone who is working here as an artist during the week. As well as that, we've got gel plate printing workshops going on – so that's two artists who will actually be producing work at the exhibition.'

So bearing in mind this year's theme, what does Sue think will be the exhibition's fantastical highlights? 'Mike Griffiths, who's a retired art teacher, always works with children from Coleham School to produce an exhibit' she said. 'This year, he's made dragons for them to decorate, and they're going to be hung so they create shadows on the walls. A light will be projected so you'll see see dragon shadows as well as the dragons themselves. They're designed to pull gently down, then rise back up as their wings come out.' It sounds utterly magical.

The Local Artists Art Exhibition runs from Wednesday 17 - Saturday 20 June 2026. Full details can be found here.