Black Swan are delighted be one of the touring venues for SKETCH OPEN 2017 and to welcome back what has been one of our most popular shows ever!

The competition and touring exhibition SKETCH aims to promote the diversity and importance of drawing and the role of the sketchbook in contemporary creative practice. For the first time SKETCH will be open to international as well as UK based artists. One hundred Sketchbooks will be chosen through an open submission process by a panel of three selectors with subject expertise representing the perspectives of writer, practitioner and curator.

This competition offers unique opportunities for the selected artists to develop their ideas with the help of the following prizes.

Prizes:

Rabley Print Editioning Prize
Black Swan Arts Solo Exhibition Prize
Plymouth College of Art Student Prize (Artists Access to Art Colleges award that gives a career boost with access to studios and facilities)
Lancaster Arts Prize – For early career artist – artist to be selected from Sketch17 by Sarah Casey, Gerry Davies and Lancaster Arts. £500 commission and two portfolio sessions to support development of practice.

Touring Venues:

Rabley Drawing Centre
Plymouth College of Art
Black Swan Arts, Frome
Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster

‘SKETCH is a ‘must-see’ show; it will intrigue, engage and inspire.  100 artists’ sketch books with a truly remarkable range and diversity.  From figurative to abstract; colour-saturated to mono-chrome; notes, jottings and doodles, but also beautifully finished pieces; oil, watercolour, chalk, pencil, pen and ink, paste and collage.  A universe of experience, interpretation and feeling encapsulated in 100, endlessly fascinating artists’ sketch books.  Stunning!’
AW