Barod, the Welsh substance misuse charity, is pleased to announce the return of the Mike Parry Art Award competition, which launched on 1 July 2020.
The competition, now in its second year, is in memory of popular Barod support worker Mike Parry, who passed away in January 2019.
This year’s competition theme is Life in Lockdown: Art in Isolation, and will capture what people’s experience has been of the coronavirus lockdown. There are three different categories to enter: young people (up to 18 years old), adults, and groups.
The winner in each category will be announced at an exhibition in the autumn and will receive vouchers for art materials so they can continue to explore their creative potential.
Caroline Phipps, chief executive officer of Barod, said, “Mike was a gifted artist and a wonderful art teacher, and he used his passion to help Barod’s service users make positive changes in their lives, increase their confidence and improve their health and wellbeing.
“We want to honour Mike’s legacy, and so I’m delighted to launch the second annual Mike Parry Art Award to recognise the artistic talents of our wonderful communities. And with coronavirus looming large over our lives this year, we thought it’d be apt to tackle this issue head on and focus on the beauty that can come out of adversity.
“Anyone who has been in substance misuse services, past or present, anywhere in Wales, will be eligible to enter this year’s competition. We are accepting all types of art, from paintings and drawings to sculpture and photography or poetry.
“All entries will be displayed at an exhibition in the autumn, where we can celebrate the creativity and resilience of all those who have submitted their work.”
After the exhibition, all submissions will be put into an auction – with consent of the artists – and any money raised will be donated to an art group of the artists’ choice.
How to enter
To enter, download the entry form from https://barod.cymru/mike-parry-art-award-2020/ and send a digital photograph of your art piece, along with the completed form, to [email protected].
The deadline for all submissions is Wednesday 30 September 2020.
Please read the terms and conditions, also available at https://barod.cymru/mike-parry-art-award-2020/ before submitting your entry.
If you are unable to get hold of any art supplies to complete your piece, please get in touch with the charity via [email protected] and they will endeavour to support you as much as they can.
