Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear , The Open Photography 2 private view is tomorrow (Sat 20 Feb 2-5pm, hope to see you there) and the exhibition opens to the public on Sunday. For details of this and all exhibitions and events until end of March, read on. High res images from www.flickr.com/photos/rwapress/sets/ Thanks for your support and do get in touch if you need anything else. Louisa Davison Marketing and PR louisa.davison@rwa.org.uk 0117 973 5129 www.rwa.org.uk Royal West of England Academy, Queen's Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX. Please note: I work at the RWA on Fridays only, but look at my emails in the week. If your query is urgent please call 07929 244 840 or email agentlouisa@secretagentmarketing.com Royal West of England Academy Queen’s Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX www.rwa.org.uk 0117 9735129 info@rwa.org.uk  Open Monday – Saturday 10am-5.30pm (last entry 5pm), Sunday 2-5pm (last entry 4.30pm) Main galleries admission: £4, concessions £2.50, under 16s free. New Gallery admission: free    MAIN EXHIBITION Open Photography 2 20 February – 5 April Snow-covered seats, ducks and shoes, from the atmospheric to the provocative to the plain cute, Open Photography 2 at the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol features hundreds of selected works. From professional and amateur artists alike, alongside invited artists Barry Cawston, Richard Cox, Livia Marin and Sachiyo Nishimura, the exhibition features possibly the youngest successful artist yet, at age twelve. After a frantic final submissions week with over 1000 entries, the total work to be considered numbered 1712 photographs. The selection panel consisted of artists and photographers, with very different tastes, but all on the lookout for quality and ingenuity. There were popular themes this year, the Clifton Suspension Bridge being one of them, funny animals another. Shoes seem to be another interesting preference, along with icy scenes saying something about the British weather of late. Over 300 photographs made it through the vigorous selection procedure.   At the tender age of twelve, Lydia Ness was delighted to discover her piece, Mist in the Gorge, was chosen. With excellent composition and a unique take on the Suspension Bridge, the piece demonstrates excellent technical skill, especially as it was captured on an ordinary digital compact camera. Taken when she was eleven years old and in year seven of Bristol Cathedral Choir School, the anonymity of the selection process meant that her piece was entirely chosen by merit, standing up next to adult photographers including professionals. Invited artist Barry Cawston achieved notable success at the first RWA Open Photography in 2008 as the Chairman's Choice, and has enjoyed commissions by several international charities and English Heritage.  With an award in the Nikon/BJP Endframe competition and winning the Exeter Contemporary Open there has been growing interest and exposure for his fine art photographic prints, which are now held in several notable private collections.   Artist photographer Richard Cox's work is represented in twenty-five public collections across the world and he is currently Director of Howard Gardens Gallery, Cardiff School of Art & Design, UWIC. Richard has developed a close association with Rajasthan, India and its rich visual culture has influenced his work. He returns to India each year and during 2010 he worked with INTACH India National Trust for Culture and Heritage, documenting stepwells in Haryana.   Sachiyo Nishimura is a Chilean born photographer and artist now living in London who has exhibited all over the world including Santiago, London, Barcelona, Toyko, Cardiff. Selected for the 2010 Magenta Foundation Annual, winner of the 2009 DLA Piper Award and chosen as one of the Bloomberg New Contemporaries in 2008 her black and white paired down interpretations of urban landscapes are creating excitement in the world of art and photography.   Chilian born and educated Livia Marin recently achieved her PhD in art from Goldsmiths College (University of London), and has exhibited in Santiago Chilie, London, Bogota Columbia and in the USA: Portland, Los Angeles and Milwaukee. Livia played a central role in the transformation of sculptural practice in 1990’s Santiago. Operating in a context that was dominated by the re-working of Chilean history post-dictatorship, especially through printmaking and painting, Marin stood out for her transformation of sculptural practice. Leaving behind an arte povera influenced art scene, she created large-scale installations suggestive of American minimalism and process-oriented art. Very aware of her Latin American condition, she explored the nature of the image by using ephemeral materials that were lifted from everyday life such as plastic soda cups, discarded lipsticks, among other things. In the process of exploring and interrogating what it means to create mass–produced objects versus a unique work of art, Livia Marin tells a tale of creation and destruction, formation and dissolution.  The RWA is pleased to be working in partnership with Bristol Festival of Photography this year. The RWA and BFOP will be hosting a number of exciting workshops and talks during the show. Visit www.rwa.org.uk and http://bfop.org.  Open Photography 2 runs from 20 February to 5 April 2011 at the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol. Image (click on it to download high res version): Junkyard Kyushu by invited artist Barry Cawston NEW GALLERY   Sebastian Smith Bringing it all Back Home 5 February – 2 March Ex-Bristol artist working in Provençe returns after 14 years with a new series of abstractions that continue to deal with his exploration of the horizon as a necessary hinge between reality and spirituality. Works will include a 7 meter panel painted in situ in the New Gallery.   Abigail McDougall Art for Sustainable Transport 5 March – 6 April Abigail’s second solo show, “Art for Sustainable Transport” will feature landscapes and cityscapes that the artist has reached by sustainable means: walking, cycling or by train.  The show is being held in conjunction with the charity Sustrans and features sumptuous new watercolours and oils.  Artist led watercolour workshops will be taking place during this show. Please see the RWA website for further information.  FEDDEN GALLERY Jill Carter: 'Dreams, Masks and Mirrors' From: 20th February - 3 March 2011 Open view: Sunday 20th February 2-4.30  Jill Carter's latest exhibition features stunning black and white photo-portraits of Radstock residents at play.   During an intense five day period last September Jill set off traveling the length and breadth of  Radstock on her unique journey.  A natural storyteller, collector and chronicler, Jill together with a talented band of friends, collected together an array of wonderful dressing up clothes, a collection of objects and vehicles, and a new digital camera.  Along the way local folk of all ages were invited by Jill and Co to have fun in a variety of settings: to participate in dressing up and performative play: inspired by the unique treasure trove of materials and unusual objects: the collection of artefacts Jill describes as her Travelling Museum of Possibilities. This is supported by Creativity Works (formally known as nesa) the charity, based in Radstock, who commissioned Jill as artist in residence to work with Radstock people during the art|works festival.   EVENTS Thursday 24 February, 6pm Talk- ‘The Making of Landscape Photography’ £6 per person. To book please call 0117 9735129. Widely revered internationally as the doyen of English landscape photographer, Charlie Waite will be using the RWA Open Photography as a starting point to discuss the making of landscape photography.   Saturday 26 February, 2pm Open Photography 2 Gallery Tours Free with exhibition admission fee With Dr Blu Tirohl, member of the selection committee   Tuesdays, 1, 8, 15, 22 March, 10.30am-12.30pm Course- How to get the best out of your digital camera RWA Fedden Gallery £50 per person (£40 for RWA Friends). To book please call 0117 9735129. A four-week course designed by Stephen Morristo develop digital photography, with a practical, need-to-know approach to overcoming the technology and making it work creatively – with time for creative and individual development.  A laptop with Adobe Photoshop or other photo-editing software is desirable but not essential, as tuition will focus on the earlier, pre-production steps and there will be at least one desktop computer available. Stephen Morris is a photographer and writer whose work appears in books and magazines. Thursday 3rd March 2011, 9.45am-12.30pm Seminar: How can quality socially engaged arts be used to change our social landscape? Free: book through Creativity Works on 07900 017011. The seminar explores how artist residencies can engage with local communities, a forum for best practice on social engagement for artists. It is inspired by Jill Carter's artist residency with Creativity Works and the related exhibition ‘Dreams, Masks and Mirrors’.    Saturday 5 March Course- PhotoMarathon 2011 £7 in advance, £10 on the day. Book a place and find out more at www.secondlook.org.uk. Don’t worry, there’s no running involved! The event is a day to challenge you to think creatively, meet new people and have some fun. Each entrant will receive a disposable camera and a list of topics to capture.   Saturday 5 March, 2pm Open Photography 2 Gallery Tours Free with exhibition admission fee With Peter Ford RWA, member of the selection committee   Saturday 19 March, 2pm Open Photography 2 Gallery Tours Free with exhibition admission fee With Tamany Baker, member of the selection committee   Saturday 26 March, 11am-12.30pm Talk by Tamany Baker Free of charge however booking is essential. Please book at www.bfop.orgor 0117 97300622. Tamany - a photographer and member of the selection committee for Open Photography 2 and first prize winner of a Sony World Photography Award - will be discussing her own work.   Saturday 26 March, 2-2.30pm Portfolio Review Sessions Free of charge however booking is essential. Please book at www.bfop.orgor 0117 97300622. Award-winning photographer and Open Photography 2 selection committee member Tamany Baker will give individual feedback on photographers’ portfolios.  Saturday 2 April, 11am-12.30pm Talk- Film Photography in the Digital Age RWA Fedden Gallery Free of charge however booking is essential. Please book online at www.bfop.org or 0117 97300622. Now that the world has ‘gone digital’ some photographers persist in using silver based and alternative photographic processes. Martin Edwards gives his personal views on why silver still works for him, and will also be considering analogue photography and processes from a selection of local photographers. The photographic dinosaur is alive, well and very busy.   Saturday 2 April, 2-3.30pm Workshop- Colour Management RWA Fedden Gallery Free of charge however booking is essential. Please book online at www.bfop.org or 0117 97300622. Join Andy Johnson from Calumet who will be discussing colour management from a photographer’s perspective. Learn how to maximise the potential of your images and use colour profiles to prepare images for printing.   Monday 4 April, 6.30pm Film preview: There is a Shipwreck in My Bones Free of charge. Bristol-based dance artist and film maker Lisa May Thomas presents the first show of her latest piece. Looking from both afar and from the intimate space of the dancers, witness a series of movement conversations set against the backdrop of the sea. Moments of contact and tenderness are juxtaposed with a sense of solitude and a state of restlessness. The film was produced as part of the Bristol Dance Associates scheme and Picture This with additional support from Bristol Old Vic.  Funded by Arts Council England. Editor's Notes High resolution downloadable images of a selection of the paintings are available at www.flickr.com/photos/rwapress/sets/  solely for use with media reports of this exhibition. To download high res pictures, please click on the image you require, then click ‘Actions’ then click on 'View all sizes' then ‘Download the original size’. This press release copyright of RWA and used solely to promote this exhibition. For more information or to interview artists, please contact Louisa Davison on 0117 973 5129 (or 01672 811 515) press.office@rwa.org.uk. The RWA has seven galleries within the 19thcentury building. The five upstairs galleries – Sharples, Winterstoke, Stancomb-Wills, Methuen and Milner - host the main exhibition/s. Artists can apply to hire the downstairs New Gallery for their own exhibitions (which forms the New Gallery programme). In the basement are the RWA Friends’ Room (with occasional Friends’ exhibitions), and also the newly refurbished Fedden Gallery which often exhibits some pieces from the RWA’s permanent collection and is available to hire as a conference and meeting space. All gallery spaces are available for private hire for special events, such as weddings and parties. If members of the media would like a tour, please contact Louisa as above.   RWA also hires out pieces from its permanent collection as part of the ‘Art in Your Workplace’ scheme, see www.rwa.org.uk/workfrm.htm.  The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is one of only five Royal academies of art in the UK. It is a registered charity which has been self-supporting for over 150 years and possesses an outstanding Grade II* listed building, galleries and permanent fine art collection. The RWA has HM Queen Elizabeth II as its patron. The RWA is an established venue for the fine arts and embraces an artistic awareness of the widest nature. The exhibition programme provides a showcase for one-person and mixed exhibitions in a variety of media, which attract large numbers of visitors nation-wide. The Academy is situated in the academic heart of Bristol at the Clifton Triangle, where Queens Road meets Whiteladies Road, next to Habitat and opposite the Victoria Rooms. The latest news and events from RWA. artsnews@absolutearts.com from this list | Forward to a friend | Update your profile Our mailing address is: Royal West of England Academy Queen's Road, Clifton Bristol, England BS8 1PX Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2011 Royal West of England Academy All rights reserved.