Crowshow 24 kicks off to a sparkling start
"We were feeling invisible, and now we’re not"
Exeter’s Creative Older Women (CROWs) have kicked off Crowshow 24, their annual art exhibition, now in its third year.
Entrance is free, and you can visit the exhibition from 10am until 4pm every day until August 31.
The opening night was held at Positive Light on Sidwell Street on Friday evening, August 16, and was well attended by artists and art enthusiasts alike.
While some people came especially for the event, others simply wandered in off the street, enticed by the bustling atmosphere.
Above: Crowshow 24. Image: Ella Woszczyk
Though not all 101 CROWs were present, there was a brilliant array of individual art projects and styles, ranging across paintings, ceramics, and textiles.
Above: Elizabeth's art. Image: Ella Woszczyk
Above: Iryna's art on the left. Image: Ella Woszczyk
Ray, who shares an art gallery with CROW founder Val, specialises in abstract painting and bases her work around organic shapes within the sea and landscape.
Ray’s work also stems from her childhood memories of living and growing up in foster care and children’s homes.
She uses her art as a way to confront adverse childhood experiences and the different forms of abuse she endured to begin the process of healing.
Above: Ray's art. Image: Ella Woszczyk
Julie, a member of the seven- to eight-person strong CROW committee, made a speech midway through the event.
Commemorating the success of CROWs in celebrating the achievements of older women artists, Julie said:
“What a fantastic achievement, celebrating all the exuberance and joy that we bring to art. We never thought it would happen. The 17 people that we started with have now become over 100.
“Everybody brings a high level of skill to the table, and we all benefit from that experience of doing something which is outside of what we would normally do as artists.
“It's professional; it's at a high level; we’re not hobbyists; we are creative older women artists in the way that women artists have been invisible throughout the whole of history. We were feeling invisible, and now we’re not.
“We are a community of artists. The really nice thing is that it takes you out of that isolation that artists are so often in. When Val moved here from Totnes, she thought, ‘Well, where are the artists?’ and it’s not obvious. For some reason, there isn’t an obvious presence of artists in Exeter. But we very much feel that we’ve connected, and we’re supportive.
“Thank you to everybody, and to all the CROW members, those who are here and those who couldn’t make it. Thank you to the exhibitors for this wonderful exhibition. And thank you particularly to the Crow committee. We work together, we support each other, and we make things happen.”
Above: Crowshow 24 poster