“Exhibit” is the latest collaboration between photographer and curator Laura McCann and Liverpool Arts Bar.
The original aim of the project was to exhibit one artist a month at the venue but response to the initiative was so positive, the new plan is to hold a range of events across the year, promoting as many creatives as possible.
Before any open calls went out, Laura who is organising the arts events discovered Wirral-based graphic artist Katie Pinch on Instagram.
Laura herself admits that she isn’t much of a social media fan but she does see the value in it for artists stating, “I don’t like spending too much time away from the real world but platforms like Instagram are vital to artists because it’s like having an online portfolio that the entire world can access.”
Katie, who was born and raised in Bebington, graduated from Liverpool John Moores University in 2018.
Since then she’s forged a path into the creative world gaining multiple commissions as a graphic illustrator.
However, it was Katie’s personal pieces that caught the curator’s eye. Laura explained, “Katie has a distinctive style and that isn’t always easy to see in graphic illustration because it’s so precise but she brings something of herself to every piece.”
With Laura’s help, Katie is now on the verge of her first public exhibition, which will form part of a collaborative pop-up event celebrating International Women’s Day.
The other artists selected for the event are, Katie Gerrard a painter and founder of the creative company “Nevaeh Nine”, Sarah Armstrong a mixed media artist who’ll be creating body positive images, Steph Jones the founder of Self Care Visuals who create graphic messages to promote mental wellbeing and Eileen Nicholson, a grandmother who held her first exhibition last year, aged seventy.
The event will also include live music from Liverpool Arts Bar’s house band, “Tin Can Voodoo”, who regularly feature different vocalists and will be welcoming several female guest musicians onstage.
The hope is that the event will put a spotlight on all the talented females involved and provide a springboard for people like Katie, who haven’t exhibited their own work before.
If you’d like to attend the International Women’s Day event, it is all completely free and will run from noon until late on Wednesday 8 March at Liverpool Arts bar on Hope Street.
The venue will be posting about all up-and-coming events via their social media and for more information on how you can get involved, you can contact the curator via her website https://lauramccannphotos.com You can also see more work by Katie Pinch at www.katiepinch.com
or on her Instagram katie_Pinch
Image: Katie Pinch. Credit: Laura McCann
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