We asked artists to put their 'best' work forward for this Summer Open Show, particularly pieces that may have been excluded from previous entries to prestigious competitions or institutions such as The Royal Academy of Arts.
Why? Well, we wanted to have a bit of fun..and it was suggested that some of us could enter our own RA rejections, which would be perfectly acceptable! The work we received was incredible and showcased the sheer talent of Herne Bay's local artists.
This Open Show prompted artists to choose a 'best' piece - often a daunting and difficult task when evaluating your own art, especially when you consider the sentimentality that can be wrapped up in personal practice.
So how do we decide what is 'good' art? And whose opinions matter the most? Art is subjective after all and more often than not, individuals are drawn to works that resonate with them. Just like we have preferences over the music we listen to and the way we dress or decorate our environment, we all have our own opinions on what makes an excellent artwork.
There are of course baselines in which we use to measure art such as creative concept and quality of skill and technique, collective visual understandings that are widely accepted in society and commercial outlets, and whilst those can't be dismissed the question remains -why do we strive to create in the first place?
Art is how we create meaning for our lives and make sense of the world, and in that sense alone, it belongs to us all. We draw as children and somehow over time, we are inexplicably judged on our image making. Too often Arts venues can become places of exclusivity and present an intimidating threshold to cross for a casual visitor or someone not especially familiar with the Arts
Gill Wilson, Beach Creative Founder & Director
We strive for Beach Creative to be welcoming to all, at whatever level of arts education. To feel at home in our venue and comfortable with the idea of exploring their own life stories and experiences through creativity.
Curators, independent gallerists can often appear as gatekeepers of the art world, when quite simply, good art communicates emotion, experience - it makes us feel something on a human level.
Thank you to all of the artists that took part in our Open Show 'Not the RA!' - the exhibition will be on show at Beach Creative until Thursday 25th July 4pm. Don't miss this chance to see some fantastic and thought provoking art from local artists.
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