22nd November 2021
Press Release from Graham Perryman from Dragonfly Framing (and associated Bicester Art Network)
Bicester Town Centre is welcoming back lovers of art and culture as the doors opened last Saturday on the Welcome Back Pop-up Art Gallery. The two week temporary exhibition has been made possible through a successful bid for funding by Cherwell District and Bicester Town Council to HM Government’s Welcome Back Fund (supported by the 2014 to 2020 European Regional Development Fund Programme) and is one of a number of exciting initiatives to encourage the revitalisation of Bicester Town Centre. Bicester Art Network and a number of businesses and volunteers partnered the Council to deliver a colourful and specially curated display of local art, much of which is also available to purchase in the lead up to Christmas. Graham Perryman – from Bicester Art Network, said “we were thrilled to have the funding for this event, but the biggest issue was finding a suitable venue in the heart of the town. Fortunately, landlords WE Black Ltd came to the rescue and generously offered the former Marks & Spencer’s unit in Sheep Street at no charge. The space is simply fantastic!”
The space has been transformed by Dragonfly Framing and Bicester Village into an amazing gallery (in addition to countless hours of voluntary support), TonyG Ltd, Adalta Real property agents, DJ Doors and Zeta Specialist Lighting have all generously offered their professional services free of charge to ensure the seamless opening of the gallery.
The work on display includes paintings, print work, photography, pottery and sculpture with more than 30 participating artists as well as work by Cooper School students - see photo of Jess Lyn (age 16)
The pop up will remain open until Sunday, 5th December with late night opening until 8pm on Saturday, 27th November, the night of the town’s Christmas lights switch on. Hundreds of visitors have already enjoyed the exhibition and from the feedback gathered it is already clear to see that a permanent art gallery would be very welcome in the town.
Councillor Lynn Pratt, Lead Member for Economy, Regeneration and Property, said: “This prominent space has undergone a real transformation, showing off the creativity of local people to anyone who visits Bicester town centre. As Christmas draws nearer the Welcome Back Pop-Up Gallery is a chance to find a distinctive present for a loved one or to simply take some time out from other shopping and draw inspiration from the fantastic artwork. I also recognise that this could not have happened without local partners giving up their time and expertise and I am grateful to all of them.”
The Welcome Back Fund has also enabled a makeover
of empty shop windows in some of the most prominent parts of the town centre. Specially illustrated vinyl’s now cover the facades while new tenants are sought for the vacant units. More events will follow in 2022, including some one-off speciality markets and some replanting to help beautify the town landscape.
