Artists wanted for first Art Fair

A NEW fair will be Frome’s newest addition to its thriving arts scene later this year, and organisers are on the lookout for local artists to display their talent.

On September 26th the first Frome Art Fair will be showcasing some of the best artists from the area.  The fair is based on affordable art – exhibitors are asked to bring only pieces worth less than £200.

It will be held at three of the town’s most popular arts venues; Rook Lane, Black Swan Arts, and The Silk Mill, with each venue playing host to a different artistic field.

On starting the fair, organiser Rosie Langley said, “I have friends who are artists who find promoting themselves hard. In a town that does great markets and events, and also has a large population of artists and creative types it just seemed an obvious move.

“The idea is that it will be a twice-yearly event which highlights some of the best arts venues in Frome, whilst also showing off the amazing and diverse creativity in the area. We want to help artists to promote themselves to a willing audience, so hopefully this will benefit all involved.

“The fair has two main selling points. Firstly, it is genuinely affordable. For the artists; we don’t take any commission from works sold at the fair, which is really unusual. And for buyers; who will know that almost everything on sale will be below £200 (we are allowing artists to bring one more expensive piece if they wish).

“The second selling point is that the fair will be curated by a panel of  experienced local arts professionals,who will help to ensure the quality of work is really high.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for artists to showcase their work to the collectors of tomorrow.”

The Frome Art Fair asks that artists bring works up to the value of £200, but will also allow them to bring another more expensive piece.

In order to make the fair affordable for the artists too, no commission will be taken on works sold. Instead exhibitors will pay a one-off pitch fee of £95.

Artists may exhibit as many pieces as they want within their space; each will be given a six foot trestle table and the option of wall space behind it.

The Frome Art Fair is now encouraging interested artists to apply for a space. More information can be found at www.fromeartfair.co.uk.  Applicants should send three examples of their work along with a short covering letter to hello@fromeaffordableartfair.co.uk by Wednesday 1st July.