An artist who rose to prominence after appearing on a popular TV show is encouraging people to ‘give it a go’ ahead of a major festival dedicated to arts and crafts.
Scarborough Art takes place between Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, August 3, at various venues across the seaside resort and in the surrounding area.
Part of The Scarborough Fair series of festivals, which is organised by North Yorkshire Council, artwork from all kinds of media will be showcased from paintings and sculpture to photography and printmaking.
As well as exhibitions, several artists and makers across the town will be hosting workshops for visitors to take part in and create art of their own. This year will see the first ever Nigerian Season, featuring some of the brightest and most creative stars of the West African nation appearing.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for culture and arts, Cllr Simon Myers, urged people to come down over the course of the festival.
“Encouraging the arts across North Yorkshire is something I am passionate about and we are confident this year’s Scarborough Art festival will build on the success of previous events,” he said.
“Whatever you like, or if you have never considered arts and crafts in the past, there will be something among the list of attractions that will spark your interest.”
One of the artists taking part is Rebecca Norris, who runs The Clay Place, on Hoxton Road in the town.
She appeared on the Channel 4 show The Great Pottery Throwdown in 2023 and says an event like Scarborough Art is of huge importance.
“First of all, it allows people from every area of our community to experience arts and creativity,” she said.
“Secondly, it gives Scarborough a chance to showcase wonderful creatives who reside in the area.
“I would encourage everyone to have a look at what is going on this year and come along to a workshop, exhibition or show. Give it a go, you never know what you might love!”
Ms Norris appeared at last year’s event where, thanks to a grant from the organisers, she joined with the Seagrown Cafe to host two pottery workshops in the hull of the boat.
“I love working in weird and wonderful places and it was a huge success,” she said.
“The grant enabled me to subsidise the ticket prices for the workshops which meant that people who may not have worked with clay before could have a go.
“After the success of last year, it was great to join up again this year and organise another workshop. For this one, I have added a sea theme which I am hoping will allow people to become a bit more creative.”
She added: “In our sessions we hand build with the clay, so it is just you, your hands and creativity. I make sure everyone feels comfortable and has enough instruction to be able to have a go and make something. Participants always go away with a sense of calm and satisfaction.”
The Scarborough Fair festival director, Julian Caddy, said: “Scarborough Art is a celebration of the local visual arts community across Scarborough and an opportunity for you to explore studios, converted shops, galleries and even people’s homes to view and buy work direct from the artists themselves.
“As an open-access festival, it is not centrally curated, so the artists are free to exhibit what they want, so I’m looking forward to joining everyone to discover what awaits.”
For more details about Scarborough Art, visit The Scarborough fair website at https://scarboroughfair.uk
