Forthcoming Exhibitions
The Dover Prize 2012
Exhibition: May 17th to June 23rd 2012
Deadline for entries: Monday 23rd April
The Dover Prize Exhibition started in 1998 as a replacement to the Silver Longboat Competition. The architect of the competition was the former chairman of the Darlington Society of Arts, Peter Lofthouse. His friend Peggy Nonhebel, née Dover, provided an endowment fund which is managed by the County Durham Community Foundation. The Dover Family Fund was set up to allow the competition to continue in perpetuity with Darlington Borough Council providing the gallery and administrative support. In addition to three cash prizes, the winner receives an engraved silver salver to hold until the next exhibition.
Any residual monies are used to benefit art education at the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College. Grants have helped create opportunities for students to work with practising artists and designers. In 2008 students were helped to create a book of their year’s work and last year students had the benefit of graduate mentoring.
Despite the proposed closure of the Darlington Arts Centre this popular competition is going ahead in 2012. This year the exhibition will be held across two venues: the Lounge Gallery and the new community art gallery to be created in the town’s central library.
Joining in with the Olympic celebration of achievement, this year’s theme is ‘CELEBRATE!’