Southport Contemporary Arts launch new exhibition at ArtHouse

Southport Contemporary Arts will host their keenly anticipated mixed-classes group exhibition at ArtHouse this August.

The Southport Contemporary Arts network began in 2009 and was set up to embrace the fact that Southport is home to a host of different art practitioners – both professional and amateur – working across a broad variety of disciplines.

This year’s showcase at the ArtHouse is now able to draw upon the diverse range of Southport Contemporary Arts’s current weekly taught art classes and workshops – Kaleidoscope Arts – that continue to attract a wide selection of Sefton creatives to its well equipped studios at ArtsLoft and ClayWorks in Southport‘s town centre.

Regular attendees, Chris Brown from Burscough and Rena White from Southport are both unanimous in their praise for the activities on offer:

“A friendly group and a safe space to develop and learn new techniques” and “There is always something to inspire us in these classes!”

Jo Smith from Hillside, who attends Amanda Clark-Price’s Mixed Media Art class, is equally buoyed up by the experience:

“Amanda’s art class has brought me such joy and happiness. I look at the world differently now”.

Amanda is also responsible for the Young Creatives Club which meet each Wednesday aimed at 7-15 year olds keen to develop their skills by working on a range of projects including, drawing, painting, printing and 3D and having lots of creative fun along the way. 

Aimed at nurturing the artistic talents of the individual, although each of SCA’s Kaleidoscope Arts groups of students is introduced to the same skills, it is the way in which each artist then goes on to apply them in their own work that is key.

As Norrie Beswick Calvert, one of the SCA directors, emphasises:

“We are really proud of the developments that our students make and seeing their individuality shine through is an added bonus”. 

Since its inception, Southport Contemporary Arts has annually gone from strength to strength, adding the ClayWorks studio in May 2016 in response to the need from local artists who wanted to work in ceramics. A year later in April 2017, the suite of craft studios above ClayWorks – ArtsLoft – was set up to deliver hands-on participation across a wide range of art and craft based workshops.  In accord with its all-embracing policy to engage with as many local artists and practitioners as possible, a stair lift was added to provide full access to the first floor studio space.

Deliberately keeping the groups small and informal, the convivial classes cater for beginners, improvers and experienced creatives alike. Over the last 12 months Kaleidoscope Arts has offered regular Constructed Textiles, Ceramics and Mixed Media activities in addition to specialist taster workshops led by professional and experienced artists from the Southport Contemporary Arts fraternity covering such activities as book binding with Debbie Matthews and origami with Becky Atherton.

Local textile artist from Formby, Jo Landy, who leads the Thursday class, confirms:

“The Creative Textile class is a joy to teach – all abilities are catered for and the class members derive a great deal of inspiration and encouragement from each other. We cover all aspects of textiles including print, stitch, felt making and heat techniques and it is lovely to see new skills being learned and translated into finished pieces. Everyone works at their own pace and they continue to surprise me with very individual and quality work”.

Additionally, each Friday afternoon there is also an Adult Autism Friendly Art Class led by mixed-media artist from Banks, Linda Heavon. Built around nurturing creative skills in adults that have Autism spectrum challenges, each student is supported to freely experiment using a variety of media as well as promoting positive interaction within the group as a whole. 

Linda explains:

“This year the Autism Friendly Art Group decided to take a deeper dive into a specific medium of their choice, using our sessions to explore the different properties of various art materials to develop skills and build confidence in their uses. Whether it be watercolour or acrylic paints, oil pastels or tempera sticks, papercraft or gel-plate printing, our artists fearlessly embarked on their personal journey of creative discovery.”

Some of the most popular classes occur at ClayWorks, SCA’s dedicated fit-for-purpose ceramics studio. Timetabled classes are scheduled twice-daily weekdays and delivered by a team of skilled potters. Students across the week are encouraged to exploit a wide range of making and decorating methods, including coiling, slab building, casting, throwing and glazing. 

Southport potter, Alice Odgers, who has previously worked as a ceramics instructor in summer camps in America and Canada, oversees 4 of the ClayWorks’ classes:

“Being part of a network of people expressing themselves through creativity is amazing. Our sessions and its members are diverse, each with their own pottery styles and abilities. It’s great to see the students work with one another, to see ideas grow and confidence flourish during our pottery sessions, which is reflected in the works now on display.”

A new addition to the Kaleidoscope Arts timetable is Becky Atherton’s “Painting for Pleasure” class which currently meets up every Monday:

“If you want to switch off from the outside world and become absorbed in your artwork this is the place to be. We work in a very calm and relaxed way drawing inspiration from different artists and reference materials that I research and bring in which include seascapes, still life, nature and portraiture. The group are also encouraged to bring in their own reference materials if something sparks their imagination. We work in acrylics and I support individuals with colour mixing, experimentation, composition and pointers on how to improve.”

Additionally, Kaleidoscope Arts now offers two monthly workshops – ‘Life Drawing’ led by Dawn Summerlin and ‘Machine Sewing skills & Constructed Textiles’ led by Sue Burns – as well as staging a series of ‘pop-up’ Creative Specials throughout the year.

Norrie concludes:

“If you’re thinking of making a start on, or developing your skills, why not think about joining one of our small, group friendly sessions and let your creativity fly!”

‘Create It Together’ is a celebratory exhibition and sale of work that certainly confirms the diversity and resourcefulness of these talented homegrown artisans. SCA’s Kaleidoscope Arts Mixed-Classes Group Exhibition will be on display at the ArtHouse, Eastbank Street from 19^th August – 6^th September 2025.  The gallery is open Tuesday – Friday 10.00-15.00.  Saturday 11.00-16.00.

For more information about Southport Contemporary Arts, visit their website.

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