The Harborough Artists Cluster is an informal and diverse group who open their studios to visitors in an annual trail round the town and villages in the Harborough region. This year’s Cluster has grown to 24 artists working in all artistic disciplines from painting, drawing and illustration, to sculpture, photography, textiles and mixed media. Inspiration for this group comes from landscape, people and relationships, still life, the environment, surface and texture, abstract and surreal. This makes for an art trail that will prove engaging, inspiring and special.
The trail takes place on Saturday and Sunday 19th and 20th September and includes studios in Harborough, The Bowdens (Great and Little), The Langtons, Kibworth, Mowsley, Husbands Bosworth, Lubenham, Clipston, Kelmarsh, Great Oxendon and Barton Seagrave, just over the Northamptonshire border. It is publicised in a colourful leaflet which makes a great souvenir of the event and handy reference for visitors. These are available from outlets throughout the region but also from Quinns Bookshop & Gallery and Roman Way Community Centre, Roman Way in Harborough town centre.
Alongside the trail, there will be supporting events bringing the town centre to life. Harborough Artists Cluster are holding their first ‘Big Draw¹ event in the Memorial Gardens (just off the Square behind Harborough Building Society) as part of the much acclaimed Arts Fresco street arts experience day on Sunday 13th September from 10am - 4pm. This free family event encourages artistic expression that reflects and contributes to the festival atmosphere and will promote the open studios trail the following weekend encouraging everyone to pick up a pencil and draw!
Harborough Artists Cluster is also holding a new ‘signpost’ display to their studios in the town centre called ‘Art Windows’. This is a new collaboration between artists and local shops where artists will show artwork in the shop windows from 12th – 20th September. On Arts Fresco day there will be a free prize draw with a prize of £50 voucher to spend in Quinns Bookshop and Gallery for those who can correctly identify all shops and work on show.
Harborough Artists Cluster is also pleased to renew its relationship with Quinns Bookshop & Gallery who will mount a supporting exhibition of work by the Cluster artists throughout the entire Open Studios period from 2nd September to 3rd October.
Harborough Artists Cluster full details shown on their website at www.harboroughartistscluster.blogspot.com.
All of the artists and designers feature individually in Northamptonshire Open Studios, a three-week art experience encompassing the whole Northamptonshire / South Leicestershire region, more details on www.openstudios.org.uk
