Published on: Thursday 18 Aug 2016 at 16:25
St Clare is getting arty with first ever Art Festival!
The St Clare’s Bishop’s Stortford shop will be hosting its first ever Art Festival at their store on Devoils Road on Saturday 27 August from 10am-4pm. More than a dozen local artists have signed up to exhibit their masterpieces in the shop – transforming the specialist music and book store into a pop-up gallery for the day.
Jeff Hepting, the Bishop’s Stortford St Clare shop manager, is running the event and said:
“We came up with the idea for an Art Festival as a way of celebrating the fantastic artistic talent which Bishop’s Stortford has to offer. Our store is a specialist book and music store and over the 7 years I have worked here I have got to know a wealth of talented local artists and photographers. Many of them see our shop as a treasure trove for vinyl and rare books and it was through chatting with these customers that I came up with the idea for a festival.”
“We are delighted that more than a dozen local artists and photographers have already signed up to display their work in the store including Wendy Mooney who runs local art classes, the sculptor Tess Wilson, and some of our arty shop volunteers – Alison White and Sandra Done. They will each display a number of pieces, some of which will be for sale, and we hope to attract many locals to the store who may not have heard of us before. The shop is located just off the High Street so people don’t always know where we are. The shop really is a ‘hidden gem’!”
The event will also be a chance to launch the hospice’s ever popular annual Christmas card range which features an original painting of Windhill in Bishop’s Stortford. Fiona Eaton, Head of Retail at St Clare Hospice, said:
“Each year a group of talented artists are commissioned to paint a range of local landmarks to adorn the St Clare Christmas card range. This year the card featuring Bishop’s Stortford was painted by East Anglian artist Sharon Kulesa and captures the iconic Windhill in a snow covered scene. The original painting will be up for auction at the Art Fest and we hope to raise as much money as possible for the hospice.”
If you and your family want to support St Clare while enjoying an arty afternoon, then come along to the Bishop’s Stortford Shop, 10 Devoils Road, Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 3XH on Saturday 27 August. The Art Fest will be running from 10am-4pm so pop in for a browse and the chance to buy your very own local masterpiece!
For more information please contact the Bishop’s Stortford shop on 01279 755990