Cartoons fly high in Shrewsbury Market Hall

The first exhibition to mark this year’s Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival opens in Shrewsbury Market Hall on Friday 6 April 2012.  

“Flights of Fancy”, which follows the festival theme of flying, features nearly 100 original cartoons and quality prints specially drawn and selected for the festival by over 30 of the UK’s best cartoonists.  The exhibition will be displayed in the Visual Arts Network Gallery, which is on level 2 of the market hall.  The Visual Art Network (VAN) is a well established charity run by artist volunteers, and the gallery is their latest project to promote visual art in the county.

The exhibition runs until Monday 30 April 2012 and is a rare opportunity to see such a range of cartoon styles and humour gathered together in a selling exhibition.  The cartoon festival is unique in the UK.

Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival is organised by Shropshire Council, The Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation, with support from Cath Tate Cards, Agate Design, Readers Digest and many other volunteers and private sector sponsors.

Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for tourism and culture, said:

“This is the first time that a cartoon exhibition has been displayed at the Shrewsbury Market Hall.  I encourage all people attending the market to come along and view this great exhibition.”

Festival chairman and Shropshire cartoonist Roger Penwill said:

“We are really pleased to be working with VAN and the market hall this year.  The bustling atmosphere of the market provides a great setting for this most appealing art form.”

The market hall is also the scene for plenty of cartoon drawing activity during “Cartoonists Live”, the central weekend of the festival, when around 40 cartoonists come to Shrewsbury.  Artists will be drawing cartoons on the spot to create an instant exhibition, starting on the level 2 gallery and expanding over two days from 11am–3pm, Friday 20 April and Saturday 21 April 2012.

The Visual Art Network Gallery is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays, 10am to 4pm. 

Other cartoon exhibitions on show for the festival are: 

• French Flies – cartoons from across the channel, in the FC Manby Bowdler Gallery and Chapel Bar, Theatre Severn from 20 April 
• Flight Bites – cartoons by Shropshire-based cartoonist Angela Martin,at Cath Tate Cards on Hills Lane from 19 April. 

After Shrewsbury, “Flights of Fancy” tours to three other Shropshire venues:  The Qube, Oswestry; Wem Town Hall, and RAF Museum Cosford.  The tour is supported by an Arts Council grant. 

Full programme details of Cartoonists Live weekend and Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival exhibitions are at www.shrewsburycartoonfestival.com