As we come to the end of the first week of January, it seems like the RBSA Members and Associates Exhibition has flown by! We’ve had well over 1000 visitors come and see the show, and many of the artworks have gone off to new homes, but with the exhibition closing on Saturday 7 January, there’s a lot to look forward to at the Gallery during the start of 2023.
From 12 January – 11 February, we have two new exhibitions. Gallery 1 will be home to the Recent Acquisitions to the RBSA Collection, a wonderful exhibition showcasing the most recent additions to our permanent collection. The show gives a fantastic taste of what the archive has to offer and includes oils, watercolours, plaster casts, prints and more, all generously donated to the RBSA by public benefactors.
At the same time as the Collection show, Gallery 2 will house the Friends of the RBSA Exhibition. Selected from work submitted by Friends of the Society, this exhibition displays the vast talent within the wider RBSA community while also demonstrating the breadth of mediums employed in our Friends’ practice.
From 14 – 25 February, Gallery 2 sees our first exhibition by an external artist. Judith Alder’s show ‘Vital Signs‘ explores her fascination with biology, physics and the history of scientific endeavour and science fiction, all through her multi-disciplinary practice. Judith will also be doing some live drawing on the Gallery walls so make sure you come and watch her in action!
Running alongside Judith’s show is our programme of Winter Workshops. We have ten workshops on offer covering a wide range of mediums, skills and techniques, all taught by professional artists. The workshops take place in Gallery 1 and we welcome everyone, no matter your experience, background or skill level, to join us. Our artists tutors will make you feel instantly comfortable and the atmosphere is always friendly and encouraging. Visit our workshops page to see what’s on offer and to sign up!
From 2 March – 8 April we are really excited to be welcoming back the RBSA Photography Prize. Held every two years, the exhibition is open to everyone to enter and there are some fantastic prizes up for grabs, from a £1000 First Prize to an RBSA Solo Show Prize. The show will be selected by three esteemed judges; past winner Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora, Nottingham Trent University’s Principal Photography Lecturer Max Kandola, and BCU’s Head of Birmingham Institute of Creative Arts, Nathan Troman.
From 10 January – 10 June, the programme of solo shows from Members and Associates on the Ground Floor will really wow you. We have nine artists who will be showcasing their work, from ceramicists and batik artists to painters and print makers, and we know that you’ll really enjoy the work on display.
As always the Gallery Shop on the ground floor will be full of wonderful crafts from our designers and makers. We have some gorgeous spring items already in stock so pop in or do a little bit of online shopping to banish those January blues!
Our new Spring Programme Brochure is available in the Gallery so grab yourself a copy to make sure you never miss and exhibition! We look forward to seeing you all soon, here’s to a wonderful 2023!
Main image: Gabrielle Roberts-Dalton, What Face Am I Pulling
