Fifteen Days in June!

The Third Biennial Broadway Arts Festival, held from the 30th May to the 15th June, 2014, entranced, educated and amused all those with an interest in the Arts – not just graphic art, but also music, literature and drama.

The Festival opened on the evening of Friday 30th May with a reception for Sponsors and Benefactors at Trinity House Gallery in Broadway.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose 1885-6 by John Singer Sargent 1856-1925

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent

The main feature exhibition was a collection of work by our inspiration, John Singer Sargent – had he never come to Broadway we would have no Festival. It was presented by the Ashmolean Museum Broadway. In addition, at least five long-established galleries in the village  mounted exhibitions of both traditional and contemporary painting.

Winners and accepted work in the Open Art Competition,  was  on view throughout the Festival at Little Buckland Gallery.

Artists, both amateur and professional, had the opportunity to join a series of Masterclasses, Workshops and Demonstrations, many of them held in some of our most beautiful local gardens. Tutors included the very highly regarded David Curtis ROI, RSMA, Mike Bernard RI, John Hammond SWAc and Edward Noott RBSA. Some of these gardens also hosted separate tours guided by Marion Mako, a leading garden designer.

There were nine music events, ranging from Bach to Jazz. Maestros included Michael Bochmann, violin, Deniz Arman Gelenbe, piano and Marcel Zidani, piano, performing both standard and lesser known works, while local favourite Debbie Arthurs and her group performed their distinctive brand of jazz.   The Florentine Arts Ensemble gave an informative and musical presentation of John Singer Sargent’s links to the composers Faure, Debussy and Ravel.    The Solem and Zelkova quartets gave dinner recital.

The theme of the Festival was ‘Changing Times’. As 2014 is the centenary of the start of The Great War, we had a group of distinguished speakers – including Professor Sir Hew Strachan – who will explained how Edwardian Britain, at the head of the world’s greatest Empire, became involved in a devastating war which changed everything for ever.


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