In March 2020 I went with my art group to an Open Art Exhibition in HOME Manchester for my Silver Arts Award. 

The Manchester open exhibition is HOME’s first major open-entry art show celebrating the creative talent of greater Manchester residents.  The art exhibition contained many different art pieces presented in many forms such as paintings, photography, prints, sculptures, digital and mixed media. 

When me and my art group first arrived at HOME Manchester I was very excited and looking forward to seeing all of the different art pieces and styles. When we arrived, we noticed that the building was very empty and quiet and not many people were around. That was when we realised we were about an hour early! Luckily there was a cafe where we were able to sit and talk about what we were going to do at the arts exhibition. We also ate cake, cinnamon rolls and drank hot chocolate.

Once the art exhibition opened we were given two leaflets at the entrance. One was about the art exhibition and HOME Manchester, and the other was a catalogue of all of the different art pieces. It had the names of the artwork and artists inside it so it would be easier to find the information on each art piece. Inside the arts exhibition there were many art pieces hung up on the walls or displayed on tables. There were over 500 art pieces altogether!                                         

Me and my art group went around looking and reading about the different art pieces. We also sketched a few art pieces we liked best.

The art piece I especially liked was named ‘Golden Illusion’ by artist, Bobby Bodhi. This painting had my favourite colours, purples and blues, and also my favourite animal, a whale shark.

Another art piece I liked was named ‘Floral in Decorated Vase’ by artist Beth Gordon. The art style the artist used is similar to the way I paint and also resembled a painting of flowers I have done before. There were also textile art pieces I liked which was similar to my chosen art form, batik.

The atmosphere in the art exhibition was relaxed and friendly which made me enjoy the event even more. 

This art exhibition has made me think about all the different art styles there are and that art can be portrayed in many different ways, not just a canvas with paint. The art pieces and styles were very inspiring and I might add some of the designs on my final piece for my art challenge. I have also realised that art can be done by anyone as everyone has a different perspective of what art is and what it can be. 

There were only a few things that I thought did not work very well at the exhibition. I think the arrangement of the art pieces on the wall was not very practical as they were hard to find from the catalogue and onto the wall. There was also no close car parking next to the HOME Manchester building so I advise using public transport instead as it may be easier.

In my opinion, the art exhibition was very fun and has given me lots of inspiration for future art pieces. Some of the art work I saw had nudity and profanity which I did not like very much, but I also understand that it is a way that people may express themselves.

In conclusion, the art exhibition trip was exceptionally enjoyable with only a few minor inconveniences.