Emerald Life is once again proud to sponsor the Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards and will give £1,000 prize money to the overall winner. It is also delighted that Isle of Wight Pride, which recently won the bid to host UK Pride 2018, and Winter Pride, have announced a new arts initiative featuring local artists from the Isle of Wight, and finalists from the Emerald Life sponsored Winter Pride Art Awards.
Heidi McCormack, Emerald Life CEO said, “The Winter Pride Arts Awards brings further momentum to what has been an epic year with the likes of Queer British Art at the Tate and British Museum’s exploring LGBTQ histories. We can’t wait to see the entries for this year’s theme, Beyond the Binaries, and celebrate creativity and diversity – two things near and dear to Emerald’s heart. It is important to make sure that Pride events embrace arts and the Emerald Winter Pride Arts Awards does just that.”
Joe Finch from Isle of Wight Pride said, “We really want to use the opportunity of hosting UK Pride not only to show off our gorgeous Island to the world, but to make a real impact on the lives of Islanders by bringing across internationally recognised exhibitions, like the Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards, to enhance the Island’s excellent reputation as an Arts destination across the Globe.”
Leading Isle of Wight artists have been invited to exhibit as part of the Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards, which will be held from 26 January – 6 June 2018 at The House of St Barnabas in Soho London, followed by an exhibition from 9 June – 30 July 2018 at Quay Arts in Newport, Isle of Wight.
Isle of Wight artist Joanna Kori said, “The Island is a truly inspirational place for artists and art enthusiasts, and this joint Pride arts initiative will be a big boost to the local arts scene.”
Simon Tarrant, Director of the Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards said, “This is Winter Pride’s first ever touring exhibition and we are excited to help publicise local Isle of Wight artists, by showcasing them alongside emerging and established artists from around the world.”