Work by talented Wigan artists on display at prestigious Manchester exhibition

Only 500 pieces of art were chosen from 2,271 entries for the Manchester Open Exhibition 2022, which has now opened at HOME, Manchester’s centre for contemporary theatre, film, art, music and more.

Among them was artwork created by three members of Standish charity My Life, created during My Life Opportunities sessions.

The diverse range of work includes Amy Eckersley’s striking pen portrait, Nathan Clapham’s intricate watercolour image of a city railway bridge, Bronte Melling’s bright and bold painted portrait and tutor Tracey Turner’s incredibly life-like felt teddy bear.

Speaking during their visit to the artist launch weekend, Bronte described feeling “shocked and happy” that her painting had been selected.

She said: “When I told my mum, she was tearing up – I think she’s proud of me. Now I’m just excited to see my work in the gallery.”

Nathan said: “I feel privileged to have been selected as it’s not every day your artwork is chosen by a panel of judges. I’m honoured to be a part of Manchester Open.”

Amy added: “I’m not always great at expressing my feelings but when I found out my artwork had been selected, it made me very happy.”

My Life supports people of all ages, with and without disabilities, aiming to prevent social isolation and loneliness by connecting people with their communities, providing opportunities for them to learn new things, do something meaningful, meet others, develop lasting friendships and have fun.

Tutor Tracey, also known as local artisan Birdie and Blossom, is a fibre artist and supported the members to develop their own individual artistic styles.

Caroline Tomlinson, founder and chief executive of My Life, said: “Amy, Bronte and Nathan’s incredible success is testament to their hard work and talent.

“We’re immensely proud of them and, of course,

Tracey.

“We’ve made it our policy to recruit people with a strong professional background in their fields, whether real life artists, actors, musicians, professional chefs - whatever the subject, our tutors and facilitators use their experience to help our members recognise their own incredible gifts.”

The Manchester Open Exhibition 2022 runs until Sunday, March 27 at HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester.

Tickets are free but should be booked in advance at homemcr.org/exhibition/manchester-open-exhibition-2022/

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