Weeks to show off art works

The mass exhibition, which operates under the umbrella term Dorset Arts Weeks, aims to celebrate visual arts, from Blandford in the north to Portland in the south, Bournemouth in the east to Lyme Regis in the west.

Paintings, pottery, sculpture and needlecraft are just some of the media that will be on show and all of it will be housed in a range of venues, including houses, shops, churches, halls and cafes.

Claire Ring, visual arts development officer for Dorset County Council, said: "The last Dorset Arts Weeks attracted 40,000 people to the county. Of those, one third were from outside Dorset and a half of those came specifically for the arts weeks.

"This year should be even better, which is wonderful news for the tourist industry, the B&Bs, the cafes and so on.

"We also have the Golden Jubilee celebrations, which mean that, hopefully, more people will be out and about. Every art venue will be well road-signed to make them easier to find."

Dorset Arts Weeks have been running every other year for the past 10 years, with just 90 venues initially taking part and some 300 participating this year.

Claire Ring said: "The arts weeks set-up is going from strength to strength. The artists are not selected to display their work, so there are all sorts of different things on show - works from nationally-renowned artists to pieces by local artists' groups who are really keen to show their work for the first time, which gives the event a varied appeal."

She added: "Organising the events has been absolutely manic, although for the first time this year we have had a paid co-ordinator in Jackie Donaldson, who has done a fantastic job."

Dorset Arts Weeks 2002, which is supported by Southwest Arts and local authorities, runs from May 25 to June 9. Brochures are available from various outlets or by contacting DAWA at PO Box 4040, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 8YA or sending an e-mail to admin@dorsetartweek.com Weeks to show off art works

HUNDREDS of venues the length and breadth of Dorset are gearing up to host displays by 470 of the county's artists and craftspeople this month.

The mass exhibition, which operates under the umbrella term Dorset Arts Weeks, aims to celebrate visual arts, from Blandford in the north to Portland in the south, Bournemouth in the east to Lyme Regis in the west.

Paintings, pottery, sculpture and needlecraft are just some of the media that will be on show and all of it will be housed in a range of venues, including houses, shops, churches, halls and cafes.

Claire Ring, visual arts development officer for Dorset County Council, said: "The last Dorset Arts Weeks attracted 40,000 people to the county. Of those, one third were from outside Dorset and a half of those came specifically for the arts weeks.

"This year should be even better, which is wonderful news for the tourist industry, the B&Bs, the cafes and so on.

"We also have the Golden Jubilee celebrations, which mean that, hopefully, more people will be out and about. Every art venue will be well road-signed to make them easier to find."

Dorset Arts Weeks have been running every other year for the past 10 years, with just 90 venues initially taking part and some 300 participating this year.

Claire Ring said: "The arts weeks set-up is going from strength to strength. The artists are not selected to display their work, so there are all sorts of different things on show - works from nationally-renowned artists to pieces by local artists' groups who are really keen to show their work for the first time, which gives the event a varied appeal."

She added: "Organising the events has been absolutely manic, although for the first time this year we have had a paid co-ordinator in Jackie Donaldson, who has done a fantastic job."

Dorset Arts Weeks 2002, which is supported by Southwest Arts and local authorities, runs from May 25 to June 9. Brochures are available from various outlets or by contacting DAWA at PO Box 4040, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 8YA or sending an e-mail to admin@dorsetartweek.com