Art attack to mark 70 years

This year sees Coleraine Art Society celebrate its 70th year and is marking this milestone with an art exhibition in Flowerfield Arts Centre which runs until November 30.
Pictured at the Flowerfield Art Exhibition for Coleraine Art Society.Pictured at the Flowerfield Art Exhibition for Coleraine Art Society.
Pictured at the Flowerfield Art Exhibition for Coleraine Art Society.

Julian Friars, widely acknowledged as one of Europe’s finest wildlife painters, opened the exhibition earlier this month.

The inaugural meeting of Coleraine Art Society took place in October 1948 in the Café Hall in Coleraine and its founding aim was to encourage artistic activity in the Coleraine area. Within a month of meeting, it held its first exhibition in the Coleraine Town Hall. This became an annual show and was one of the few opportunities for local amateur artists to display their work. This has continued to grow over the years and is now a major showcase for local professional and amateur artists and features works in all media. This year there is a special feature on the Society’s past events and includes works from founding members including Alymer Armstrong and Robert Sellar. There will the opportunity to learn more about the Society at the free gallery talk in Flowerfield Arts Centre by Society President Ken Ward on Tuesday, November 21 at 7.30 pm.

As well as the annual exhibition the Society also offered educational demonstrations. These continue today with a range of practical workshops held between September and April each year. This year sees the Society teaming up with local artists Raymond Kennedy and Sara Cunningham Bell who are facilitating workshops that look at different approaches to drawing, mark making and the use of colour and materials. The workshops are informal evenings designed to support the Society’s members in learning and developing new skills.

Pictured at the Flowerfield Art Exhibition for Coleraine Art Society.Pictured at the Flowerfield Art Exhibition for Coleraine Art Society.
Pictured at the Flowerfield Art Exhibition for Coleraine Art Society.

The Society meets every second Wednesday of the month in Flowerfield Arts Centre between 7pm and 9pm. Membership is open to anyone over 16 who is interested in developing their artistic expression and has a modest fee of £20 for the year.

If you are interested in becoming a member or if you would like to contact the Society you can email them at [email protected] or follow them on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

The Society would like to thank Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council for the continued support and in particular the staff at Flowerfield Arts Centre for all their help throughout the year and in setting up the exhibition.

The exhibition open daily. Contact Flowerfield Arts Centre on 028 7083 1400.