The Castle Park Arts Centre in Frodsham, Cheshire, is marking the milestone with its 40th Annual Open Exhibition this November.
The exhibition showcases nearly 400 submissions from artists across Cheshire, the wider region, and further afield, including entries from Japan and Australia.
Midge, also known as Brigid Mullally and the exhibition’s lead curator, said: “We always knew that the Annual Open Exhibition was a special event for so many artists based here in Cheshire.
“This year, we introduced the online gallery entries to mark 40 years of celebrating new talent and we’ve been delighted with the high quality and standard of work submitted this year which includes a wide variety of art genres.”
Around 360 artworks have made it through to the preselection stage, with final judging carried out by a separate panel of three people plus a local business owner.
Each winner will receive a surprise token prize and an award certificate, with cash prizes for the overall winner and the new Young Artist Award.
Midge said the event would not be possible without the centre’s volunteers.
The centre is actively seeking new volunteers to help keep exhibitions and events free, and to continue making art accessible to the community.
Visitors can also explore the centre’s new sustainable recycling art shop, which offers surplus or nearly-new materials at reduced prices to help artists access affordable supplies and keep materials out of landfill.
Midge said: “Everyone is welcome to attend the launch of the 40th Annual Open Exhibition next month.
“Original art will be available for sale in the galleries and this year you can also view the finalists’ work online.”
The exhibition launches on Friday, November 7 at 7pm.
More information is available at www.castleparkarts.co.uk.
