Music & Art

Saturday 11 to Sunday 26 September Devon Open Studios

Artists all over Devon will be throwing open their doors and inviting people to look behind the scenes of an artist’s studio. Over 300 artists are taking part in this year’s Devon Open Studios, with a range of free exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and opportunities to see artists at work. The art and craft on display will include drawing, painting, sculpture, tapestry, ceramics, jewellery and glasswork. Artists range from new talent to experienced professionals, all keen to share their inspiration and creativity with visitors. Of course, there’s also the opportunity to buy, when you’ve met the artist, seen them working and heard about their inspiration. Guides will be available from community venues, libraries and tourist information offices in early August or online at devonartistnetwork.co.uk

Nicola Barton

Alison Hannah Amelia Webster

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August & September Wildwood Arts exhibitions

Trailblazers of the Southwest: Post-war Art

Too often the decade after the Second World War has been characterised by austerity and anxiety, but thankfully these labels did not apply to British art. The European artistic influences of Picasso and Matisse were to have a bedazzling effect on a generation of young British artists. This exhibition features the work of Allin Braund, Richard Slater RI, Arthur Homeshaw RWA and Eric Waugh RI. The impact of the war and its aftermath provides the context to understand how the artists were encapsulated in their generation. Three of the four saw military service. Allin Braund served in the Royal Marines and saw active service in North Africa and Crete. Both Richard Slater and Arthur Homeshaw did National Service.

After the war they all either taught or were trained in the premier league institutions of British art education. In terms of the art they produced, the most common thread is a dialogue between abstraction and landscape or nature. Braund’s signature medium was the lithograph but he was equally adept

Allin Braund

at watercolours and acrylic, as well as a qualified silversmith. Homeshaw’s two mediums were linocuts and pastels and his work consists of striking use of tonal contrasts and complex patterning. Of the four, Slater is closest to the British neo-romantics. His watercolours and oils are infused with workaday scenes of the English village, his ever-present sun, abstracted landscapes and plants. Finally, Eric Waugh worked with watercolours and acrylic, employing a bold use of colour with brush stokes applied as angled rectangles. In summary these four trailblazing West Country artists do two things that all good art should do: they make us think and feel. This is a powerful bequest for the twentyfirst century, and their work is highly collectable.

Eric Waugh Annual Contemporary Summer 2021 Exhibition

Every season, our artists submit new work to our exhibitions and it is always a lovely surprise to see what they have created and the subjects they have chosen. What struck me most about submissions for this exhibition is that after the tiresome lockdown, when many told me that they had lost their mojos and found it difficult to create - they all seem to have found their mojo with increased fervour. That is what makes contemporary art- it is about what is happening right now in the emotions of the artists and you may find some of it resonates with you too!

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Situated in the heart of Tavistock, Café Liaison is a warm, friendly café serving breakfast, lunch, cream teas, excellent coffee and homemade cakes. As well as a full menu, there is a daily specials board.

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Dartmoor’s Art Gallery

Chapel Lane, Horrabridge, Yelverton. PL20 7SP 01822 258529

Summer Exhibitions

Contemporary Fine Art & British Postwar : Trailblazers of the Southwest

Tavistock Festival 2021

It seems some time ago since we had to cancel a fabulous festival in April 2020 - no choirs, no orchestras, no lunchtime concerts, no artists’ market, no talks, no library workshops. Thankfully, we have come a long way since then, most notably in the partial arrest of this dreadful virus, which has been awful for all of us in so many respects. Nevertheless, we are very excited that festival activities might be possible in the not-too-distant future.

Although we can’t stage a complete festival in 2021, the Friends of the Tavistock Festival have planned three lunchtime concerts as a ‘taster’ and this has been possible thanks to the generous financial support of our significant sponsors Alistair Kinsey and Hansford Bell, as well as others.

Concerts

Rosemary Turner (Soprano) and Andrew Wilson (Piano)

A diverting compilation for voice and keyboard including a selection from a new set of songs ‘Stella’s Cycle’ by Andrew Wilson

Mary, Kamila and Leslie MazurPark (Piano and Oboe)

One of the festival’s most popular events including music for solo piano, solo oboe and piano duet.

Dr Sean Sweeney (Organ)

One significant loss last year was the diminution of the Mayflower 400 programme. Supported by Plymouth Culture, Plymouth Music Accord and Plymouth and District Organists’ Association, two organ pieces were commissioned from Plymouth composer Clive Jenkins and American organistcomposer Carson Cooman. This concert features both works, together with music ‘from the New World’ and the Plymouth Suite by Percy Whitlock. Final details about these events will be published on www.tavistockfestival.org as soon as everything can be confirmed. We look forward to seeing you.

Dr Sean Sweeney (Chairman)

Wednesday 8 to Saturday 11 September Tavistock Group of Artists Exhibition

Tavistock Group of Artists will be holding their 65th annual exhibition in the new and more easily accessible venue of Butcher’s Hall, close to the entrance to the Pannier Market.

Preview Evening will be held on Tuesday 7th September from 7 to 9pm, and the exhibition opens to the public on Wednesday 8th and runs through to Saturday 11th September, from 10am to 5pm daily. Around 30 local artists and crafters will be showing their latest works alongside some retrospective pieces from previous years, from abstract to landscape, watercolour to oil, paintings and ceramics - all will be available for purchase along with prints, cards and small gift items. New members are always welcome at Tavistock Group of Artists from all levels of skill and interest; enrolment details will be available during the exhibition. Our meetings are held monthly in the Parish Rooms with speakers and practical demonstrations. For more details visit tgartists.co.uk.

Tavistock Group of Artists

FREE ADMISSION Wednesday 8th September 2021 UNTIL Saturday 11th September 2021

10.00am - 5.00pm AT

BUTCHERS HALL - TAVISTOCK

Sponsored by

01822 612345

Bedford Court, 14 Plymouth Road, Tavistock PL19 8AY

4 to 8 August Drawn to the Valley Summer Exhibition

It’s a busy month for the Drawn to the Valley (DTTV) network of artists, with two major events taking place, starting with their Tavistock Annual Summer Exhibition. Eighty artists from the 170-strong group are exhibiting at the event, which is being held within the fabulous setting of Butchers’ Hall in Tavistock (open daily 10am-4.30pm; Sunday 10am-2pm). The exhibition showcases the artists’ diverse range of work, which is often influenced by the inspiring Tamar Valley where all the artists live and work. Expect many different art forms and materials, from oil, acrylics and graphite to glass, ceramics and metals. The styles are equally varied, with landscapes, seascapes, figurative, contemporary and abstract artwork all on show. It’s an opportunity for members of the public to buy original pieces from local artists, and to view their work ahead of the open studios event across the area.

25 August to 5 September. Drawn to the Valley Open Studios

This year’s event has a mixture of individual open studios and studios shared by several artists. Among these is the open studio at Tavistock Library where an exciting partnership is developing between DTTV and the library, with its town centre location and wide range of community activities for all ages. The library offers artists’ cards for sale, and for the open studio six artists will be displaying their work and offering demonstrations in two newly refurbished community rooms. They are Shelagh Brown (weaving, textiles), Dorothy Harris (photography), Stefania D’Amico (ceramics, pen & ink, prints), Lyn Edwards (mixed media, textiles), Jane Deane (weaving, textiles), and Gilly Spottiswoode (linoprints). At Peter Tavy, Angela Smith (painting and mixed media) and Jen Bradley (mixed media) are sharing Angela’s studio which boasts stunning views over Dartmoor. There are two open studios in nearby Mary Tavy - Julia

Angela Smith

Odell (documentary-style painting and drawing); and husband and wife, Clark and Karen Nicol (landscape artist and textile artist). Down the road in Yelverton, there’s the chance to take in several studios in close proximity. In all, there are 67 artists in 33 open studios - all are free entry, with various opening times. Visit drawntothevalley.co.uk for artist profiles and more information about the events.

Tavistock Musical Theatre Company

Little did we know as the final curtain fell on our very successful production of ‘The Sound of Music’ in late October 2019 that the (metaphorical) footlights would be dimmed for more than two years hence. Of course, TMTC is just one of many community theatre companies across the land that has found itself grounded by the Covid pandemic and sadly, there are those who haven’t survived. We at TMTC were due to stage ‘My Fair Lady’ in Tavistock Town Hall in late 2020 and ‘Elf -The Musical’ in late 2021. Both of these productions have had to be postponed until 2023 and 2022 respectively, until it is hoped that amateur theatre will be able to perform with all restrictions lifted.

Whilst live theatre in the professional sector is now beginning to emerge from the enforced ‘hibernation’, amateur and community theatre companies are facing a long wait until confidence has been restored in the viability of staging large productions. There needs to be reassurance that a show which can cost anything between £10,000 - £15,000 would not have to be stopped midway through the rehearsal period due to further restrictions, and that the opportunity to play to capacity audiences is not diminished. There is no insurance that will cover Covid.

TMTC has provided Tavistock with high calibre musical theatre for over sixty years and we hope to continue to do so in the future. We pride ourselves on having an inclusive and multigenerational membership. We are a self-funding company, relying on membership fees, fundraising efforts and occasional local grant funding which we have been fortunate to have secured. But since March 2020, our income has dwindled significantly; however, our outgoings have not, and storage and insurance costs run into quadruple figures annually. Our committee has stayed active during the pandemic, meeting monthly via Zoom. Through much ‘head scratching’ and long discussions, plans are being formulated for a comeback to the Tavistock scene with the possibility of a low budget entertainment later this year, or in early 2022. A programme of fundraising events is being planned and we hope to access some recovery grant funding and maybe some local patronage or sponsorship in the coming months. To that end, we are inviting anyone with a genuine wish to see live community theatre resurrected, and the means to help us by contributing ideas, time, or financial aid, to join us in this effort. If you think you may be able to help, we would love to hear from you at tmtc@hotmail.co.uk. As a long-established community theatre group, we are confident that with support, we can rise from the Covid ashes to deliver once again what we are good at – musical theatre – starting with ‘Elf -The Musical’ in November 2022!

AMANDA RANDELL COX

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