See work of aspiring young Sheffield artists

Sixty pieces executed by artists at schools and colleges within the city can be seen in Sheffield Town Hall on January 13 and 14.

The event runs with the co-operation of the Sheffield Decorative and Fine Arts Society and enables works to be submitted for national competitions.

This year’s display includes works by Lily Fletcher from Silverdale School and Olivia Moorhouse from Sheffield Girls’ High School, who will also have samples of their art showcased in London at The Rising Stars Exhibition in the Royal Overseas League in February, and again at The Mall Gallery in March.

Both students are selected Royal Society of British Artists’ scholars.

They are in good company. Seven Sheffield students have become RBA Scholars in recent years, after appearing in Young Artists’ Exhibitions.

At the January 13 event there will also be a ‘Creative Careers Workshop’ with specialists advising on career opportunities for students with art backgrounds.

The main Sheffield Young Artists’ Exhibition at Ponds Forge attracted over 1000 visitors in two days last year. with 1,200 pictures on display. Visitors admired a vast range of talent from Sheffield school children, aged five to 18 years.

Since the Rotary Club of Abbeydale first staged Sheffield Young Artists in 2005, over 7,000 pictures by city schoolchildren have been displayed at what is now the largest annual children’s art exhibition in the UK.

The 2017 exhibitions are at Ponds Forge, April 28-29, and again at The Town Hall on June 2-3.

Over 50 schools have registered so far to contribute work to the event.

In 2016, two Sheffield students, Abigail Powell and Tristan Brockenshire, were awarded RBA Scholars of the Year and had their work shown in the Mall Gallery, London.