The Harpur Trust today announced the launch of an exciting new art competition for schools and children in the Bedford Borough, which will culminate in a major exhibition at The Higgins Bedford next Summer.
The competition, which will take place over the coming academic year, was initiated by the Trust as part of a series of anniversary celebrations marking its 450th birthday in 2016.
Open to children aged 7-18 years across four age categories, the competition aims to inspire local children to explore their artistic talent, and to encourage them to engage in a project which could ultimately result in their work being displayed to the general public at The Higgins Bedford in the prestigious Sir William Harpur Gallery.
To support participating schools, a team of Visiting Artists will be engaged to spend time within schools, leading practical workshops for pupils based on the competition’s theme ‘Recording Bedford’. There are twelve generous prizes for the winning artists and finalists, and their schools also stand to win up to £500 of art equipment as well as a school trip to The Higgins Bedford and Bunyan Museum, all funded by the Trust.
The Higgins Bedford is delighted to be a partner organisation in this exciting project and looks forward to hosting the exhibition next summer, showcasing the excellent work produced by pupils from schools across Bedford Borough.
Chief Executive of the Harpur Trust David Russell said of the competition, “Throughout our history, we have been inspiring and supporting children within the Borough of Bedford, using the legacy of our founder Sir William Harpur to provide and promote education. We have long been supporting local maintained schools through our grants programme, but what is most exciting about this project is that it is aimed directly at the children themselves. Our Visiting Artist scheme will enable children to meet and benefit from the expertise of professional working artists, as well as enabling them to learn about different art techniques.”
As well as the 2 month exhibition at The Higgins Bedford, the Harpur Trust is in discussion with a number of other public venues throughout the town with the aim that as many entries will be on display to the public as possible.