First Art Unlimited Bursary Awarded
24 June 2024
Art Unlimited awarded its first Bursary on Saturday with the endorsement of a Chain of Mayors
A Chain of Mayors gathered to endorse the presentation of the first Art Unlimited Young Person’s Bursary which was awarded to Kathryn Conway of Woodroffe School, Lyme Regis, Dorset on Saturday 22nd June 2024 in the Art Unlimited Gallery on South Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3NR.
Howard Flanagan, owner of Art Unlimited and initiator of this inaugural Award was joined by Cllr Anne Rickard, Mayor of Bridport and Cllr David Ruffle, Mayor of Lyme Regis to present Kathryn with her Bursary cheque for £2500.
Kathryn's family, Richard Vine (Kathryn's art tutor from Woodroffe School), Alex Alsop (Director of Norrsken Windows, sponsor of the Competition's Best in Show Award for 2024) and the Mayors' partners were also in attendance.
The Bursary has been funded by entry fees from the 2023 Art Unlimited International Open Art Competition
and the generosity of an anonymous donor. This inaugural Award was created to support young student artists within the community and their further education.
Howard Flanagan: ‘We are keen to work closely with both schools and colleges as well as the business community in order to foster young talent and develop a platform here in Bridport from which they can shine.’
Students from local schools including Bridport’s Sir John Colfox Academy and Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis were invited to submit a 250-word personal statement stating what this award would mean to their future artistic career.
Kathryn’s stood out as this excerpt clearly demonstrates: ‘What this bursary could provide for me is resources to create art and to sell my work as an artist, as well as access to paid-for online courses in addition to my university studies. Having the ability to take further courses would drastically improve my skills, ready for my career as an artist. Having higher skills would also limit competition against me in finding the best jobs, something that is even more important nowadays with the pressure created by AI.’
There was a great feeling in the Gallery at the presentation on Saturday and Cllr Anne Rickard shared it was: 'So good to know young people are being recognised and encouraged in this way [Bursary]. It was heart-warming to witness this happening here in Bridport'.
The 2024 Competition
is currently open for online submissions until Wednesday 31st July 2024 with this year’s entry fees going towards at least two 2024/25 Bursaries.
The Shortlisted artists will be announced on 16th August 2024.
An exhibition of all the finalists’
works will be on display at The Malthouse Gallery, Town Mill, Lyme Regis from 10th – 22nd September 2024.
For more details on how to enter, judges, prizes and sponsors, for the Art Unlimited International Open Art Competition, please click HERE.
Following Howard's exhibition trip to the US and the big interest from artists there wanting to enter our International Open Art Competition but felt the deadline to enter was too tight, we've decided to... Extended our entries deadline until midnight on Monday 14th July to give more opportunity to enter! You can find out more about our 2025 Competition and how to enter by visiting the competition page HERE.
Photo Credits: Graham Hunt
We are delighted to announce the launch of Best Dorset Artist category for our 2025 Competition which is sponsored by Dorset Hideaways . All artists that reside within the county boundary of Dorset are eligible. Whilst we are an international competition eager to discover and show art from around the globe, Dorset is very much our home base. The county has a wealth of diverse creativity that deserves to be recognised and celebrated. Our aim is that the Best Dorset Artist category will provide a platform from which we can display the talent and creativity of the artists that call this picturesque county their home.
The origin story of The Adapted Class
Helping to usher in our new 2025 Competition prize category for Dorset based artists, we are holding an exhibition in the Gallery to celebrate some of the talented artists from Dorset who were finalists in our 2024 Competition. Running in the Gallery until Saturday 10th May. You can find out more about the exhibition by checking out its own page HERE . Our 2025 International Open Arts Competition is open for entries until Friday 4th July, You can find out more about the Competition - including the new Best Dorset Artist Category, sponsored by Dorset Hideaways - by viewing the 2025 Competition webpage HERE .
We are proud to announce that our 2025 International Open Art Competition is OPEN FOR ENTRIES. Along with a fantastic top prize of £5,000 we have two new category prizes fresh for this year, and our other category prizes too. The new categories are Best Dorset Artist - for artists that are based in Dorset - and The Adapted Class - for artists who paint with their mouth or feet or use adapted tools to create their art. More can be found out about the Competition on it's dedicated page on our website, the link is below. Good luck if you are entering and please spread the word to anyone else who you feel may be interested. Thank you!
In the Gallery from Monday 10th until Saturday 22nd February during opening hours, the Ocean Love Exhibition will feature paintings and sculptures by Scapa Joe that promote their love of the ocean, while still being in their distinct style that raises awareness about the environment. 'Whilst I have always loved the sea, since moving next to the sea 18 months ago , my love has grown.' - Scapa Joe You can preview some of the artwork that will be on display here. For more details please contact the Gallery.
20 of our Gallery Artists are helping us with the countdown to Christmas, with Christmas baubles they have created especially for us in their own unique style. Starting today and finishing on Wednesday 18th of December, we will be revealing the different baubles created by the Gallery Artists each day and showcasing the work of the featured Artist. You also have the opportunity to potentially own some of these fantastic baubles by entering our Prize Draw, where all proceeds are going to the charity - The Bank of Dreams and Nightmares . To find out more about the Christmas Bauble Countdown, please check out it's own page HERE
From Monday 18th until Saturday 30th November, we will be holding an fortnight Exhibition to prominently display art work from our Gallery Artists that is priced between £25 - £200. It will be a great event to pick up any Christmas presents or for a small indulgence in a treat for yourself! For more information on our Affordable Art Fortnight or to view the artwork that will be on display check out its dedicated webpage here. Also we are now offering a Layaway Scheme, to help spread the costs of purchases between £150 - £5,000, subject to our terms and conditions, to help make the art that we sell more attainable to purchase. More can be found out about this scheme by contacting us directly, or speaking to a member of the team when visiting the Gallery.
We are proud to now offer our customers the ability to pay for Gallery purchases using our Layaway Scheme. For purchases between £150- £5,000, you can now spread the cost with weekly or monthly instalment payments that are relative to the purchase amount and interest free. Each Layaway Scheme is individual and tailored to you - working within our general framework and subject to our terms and conditions. If you would like to find out more contact us directly or speak to a member of the team when visiting the Gallery.