Good Afternoon talks at Burton at Bideford

I have to say I was absolutely thrilled to be invited to curate 12 talks at the Burton at Bideford. I have grown up interacting with the Burton and since I can remember have dreamed of working with them. One of my proudest moments at school was when I exhibited a found object sculpture in the Burton Schools Exhibition. 

Thank goodness for places like the Burton at Bideford, it gave me hope and helped me follow my creative passion. It gave me inspiration and aspiration and allowed me to grow up knowing that Art and Culture existed. 

Not only does the Burton exhibit world-renowned art, but it also involves the community. 

With this in mind, it is also worth mentioning that I am a Burton Associate, which is a programme to involve artists from the community in the Burton’s current and future work. 

I never take anything for granted so both invites, firstly to become an Associate and secondly to curate talks had me jumping up and down with excitement and I even shed a few tears of Joy. It’s been a rocky ride due to my health since my experience of exhibiting in the school exhibition, however, it shows that if you work hard, grow your passion, people do notice. 

As we finished our first series of talks, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud of all the Artists and Makers involved. The Maker Series has been set up primarily to support and promote North Devon Artists and these talks have achieved both. Many of the Artists/Makers had never held a talk before and to see them rise to the occasion and ultimately shine their brilliance was such a beautiful experience. I hope they continue to build upon their confidence so that they can continue to talk about their amazing skills and work. Again I have to thank Burton at Bideford for giving me such an opportunity. It is brilliant that such a big and prestigious organisation is embracing the community. Here’s to more talks and more ways of supporting and promoting our amazingly talented Artist/Maker community!