Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Fantasy Expo as Florence Arts Centre
4th September - 30th September
Throughout September Florence Arts Centre at Florence Mine in Egremont will be presenting a very different sort of offer inspired by local people’s creativity around fantasy themes – through writing, film, painting, modelling, gaming, miniature painting, manga, world building and spell-making.
The Programme of Events: Florence’s adult and family film clubs will be running a season of fantasy themed screenings (please email the centre for details) and there are additional events for all ages and tastes – an introduction to table-top gaming, fantasy figure painting and spell-making, character design and storyboarding and mapping fantasy worlds. Please see www.florenceartscentre.com/events for more details.
The Exhibition – “Whispers of a Forgotten Land”
10th September - 4th October
The exhibition includes original paintings and sculptures plus AI digitally enhanced artworks which were created to illustrate Kevin’s book of the same name. Based in West Cumbria, Kevin James Bell is an author and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of grief, resilience, and escapism through high fantasy storytelling.
An Egremont postman by day, Kevin's artistic journey began unexpectedly in 2009 as a therapeutic response to severe depression following the passing of his father. This isolated period of healing sparked the creation of Whispers of a Forgotten Land, a massive world-building project spanning multiple disciplines.
From his first painting of Eve the fairy to three-dimensional clay sculptures, dioramas, and a fully realized novel, Kevin’s portfolio balances traditional painting with physical model-making to invite viewers directly into his imagination.
“Kevin’s use of AI to enhance his original paintings adds to a very contemporary debate around the use of AI in artwork generally and one we are interested in having with our audiences,” said Sue. The exhibition launches on 10 September but there is a chance to meet Kevin and hear more about his work on Sunday 13 September 1-3pm.
Find out more about Kevin’s work here https://www.facebook.com/kevin.bell.5439
Ground 5: A Celebration of Florence Paintmakers
29 October - 20 December Florence Arts Centre
Free entry Thurs/Fri 11-4 & Sat/Sun 11-3
CA22 2NR @florencearts 01946 824946
Ground 5 is an exciting new exhibition celebrating Florence Paintmakers, a micro business within Florence Arts Centre (FAC) producing hand made artist materials from Cumbrian minerals. The Centre is based on the site of a former iron ore mine in Egremont and represents a living legacy for the iron and steel industry which once dominated the area and for local people who were employed at Florence (until 2007) and other mines in the area.
Florence Paintmakers make a range of art materials using iron ore (Egremont Red) from the site, St Bees sandstone and Honister and Kirkby slates. These are sold online, wholesale and at the arts centre and are prized by creatives wishing to portray stories of Cumbrian people and landscapes.
Florence Arts Centre has commissioned four regionally significant artists to create new artworks that celebrate the colours, qualities and heritage of the paintmaker products. Works by painter, Alison Critchlow, Photographer, Alistair Debling, Sculptor, Elizabeth Clough and Filmmaker, Juliet Klottrup will be exhibited at Florence Arts Centre and a programme of events and activities will enable visitors to get hands on and explore the techniques and processes they have used to create the work on display.
The exhibition launches on Thursday 29 October during half term with a big open day which will include family activities (puddle paint making and other creative fun) and talks, tours and demos aimed more at adults: heritage tours, paintmaker demonstrations, creative workshops and artist talks.
Further activities will take place through October, November and December and further details and booking information can be found on our website events page.