Artists gather in Amble for the Dovecote Centre's first ever crit

The inaugural Dovecote Street ‘crit’ was held on September 26 and offered the chance for both professional and amateur artists to share and discuss their work with the community in a supportive and encouraging setting.

Organisers Luke McTaggart and Jim Donnelly hope the events will help to foster a greater sense of artistic community in Amble, building on the prior success of their Dovecote Street Show Exhibition, which was held in the Dovecote Centre building in May of this year and saw over 900 visitors.

Luke said: “The first session was met with a great deal of excitement, people seemed really enthused by the format and lots of people spoke of the boost in confidence it gave them presenting their work in that way – people couldn’t seem to wait for the next one!”

The next event is on October 31 from 7pm until 9pm and will feature Ashington artist Iain Bolton as opening guest speaker. Bolton will be discussing his work ahead of his new solo show ‘The Disappearing Quiet’, which will open at the Dry Water Arts Centre, also in Amble, on the November 24, with a preview from 6.15pm until 8pm.

Attendants will be offered the chance to ask questions and discuss his work before going into a wider conversation where everyone will have the chance to show a piece of work to the audience. The organisers hope that the events can help boost the profile of the Dovecote Centre as Amble’s Cultural Hub, as it is also home of both the Northumberland Theatre Company and the monthly Amble Film Society.

Entry to the events are just £2 per person with hot refreshments provided. Anyone interested in attending can just turn up on the night, and anyone who would like further details should contact [email protected]