The North York Moors National Park Trust has officially launched a new award for works of art that have been inspired by the diverse landscapes of the North York Moors.
The competition was announced by photographer Joe Cornish and artist Peter Hicks, both of whom have deep ties to the area, at an event at The Moors National Park Centre, Danby, on Saturday 11 August.
The announcement came on the same day as students studying Media & Concept Art at Teesside University officially unveiled their own exhibition. The degree students had previously been introduced to some of the folklore and mythology of the North York Moors, and were tasked with using their creative talent to react to these tales, whether through sculpture, painting, printmaking, photography or film production.
Joe Cornish, who is also a Trustee of the North York Moors National Park Trust, said:
“What the North York Moors may lack in height, it makes up in other rich measures such as, texture, colour, weather, sense of space, history, and the extreme expressions of seasonal change. Whether abstract or descriptive, the area is a source of endless, dynamic potential for the artist who sees landscape as analogous for the human soul.
“We call on all artists to participate in the first art award for the North York Moors, and to translate this unique landscape through the lens of their imagination.”
The window for entries to the competition, which is open to both amateur and professional artists, will open on Friday 27 September 2018 until Friday 31 May 2019. An exhibition of the entries will open at the Inspired by… gallery at The Moors National Park Centre next summer, with prizes awarded for the judges two favourite pieces. There will also be a ‘people’s choice’ award, for the work of art voted as most popular by the public during the exhibition. More information will be available on www.northyorkmoorstrust.uk.
Currently on display at the Inspired by… gallery is ‘Teesside University Inspired’, featuring the work of an extremely talented group of Concept Art students who have ambitions to work in the ever-growing computer animation, games and film industries. Their work is on display until Tuesday 28 August.