Exhibition for Happy Valley Pride

Happy Valley Pride Seeks Local Artists for Festival Exhibition

Happy Valley Pride, who promote and celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) life in Calderdale, are seeking pieces of art to go on display in August for an exhibition as part of their festival programme.

Happy Valley Pride is the brainchild of local residents Mike Stephens, David Kennedy, John Spencer and Darren Spruce, who were shocked and outraged by a piece of a homophobic graffiti they saw in Hebden Bridge in the summer of 2015, and decided something needed to be done.

To mark the launch of the organisation, they transformed the graffiti into a piece of interactive artwork.Guests were invited to make their own positive contributions to the piece at the launch evening, which was officially opened by Bafta award-winning Sally Wainwright, and the response was enthusiastic and positive. Now, in the run up to the main festival this summer, Happy Valley Pride are putting on a new exhibition that is set to be a major feature in the festival programme.

“The theme of the exhibition is ‘Happy Valley’ and we are looking for examples of positivity, freedom of expression and individuality to bring our first Pride event alive,” explained David Kennedy, Vice Chair of Happy Valley Pride. “What we ask is that artists use their voice to express what they feel about this wonderful community, of how they visually express their aims and aspirations for a world that is free from discrimination, hatred and ignorance, and one in which the only thing that matters is the power of love.”

All art will be considered for display and Happy Valley Pride request that an agreed percentage of any sales go to the organisation as a donation. Artists will be given the choice as to whether their work is for sale or not.

The event is taking place during August 2016 at Nelson’s Wine Bar, Hebden Bridge, and is open to all.

Entry is free but donations are welcome.

Deadline - Please send your submissions by 30 th June 2016:

Fb: Happy Valley Pride

Info@happyvalleypride.com

Published: 23-Jun-2016: (3790)