It is said that (nearly) everybody in Norfolk is an artist. It must be the light, the landscape, the laid-back way of living which are equally inspiring to lots of aspiring artists.
The “Open Studios” scheme has now been running for several years, and each time, some 250 artists take part in it. During two weeks in May, they open their studios to the public, mostly at the weekends, to present and discuss their work and, ideally, to sell some of it.
The RoaR Gallery in North Norfolk is a particularly interesting place for Art, concentrating on Outsider Art.
“Outsider Art follows no rules and has no influences. An Outsider artist has only his imagination or sub-conscious to guide him. His art is unlikely to bear resemblance to any art that has gone before, other than his own. He works from compulsion and not with any audience in mind, and creates with a powerful and singular artistic voice.”
“True Outsider artists do not seek publicity, recognition or exhibitions of their work. They work purely from a compulsion or need to create, rather than from any wish for recognition or any other sort of benefit from their art. They usually have a large body of work, and have, almost always, found a particular ‘style’ with which they are comfortable, so their work is instantly recognised from another artist.”
“RoaR Archive is a charitable non-profit making arts organisation situated in the centre of Norwich, Norfolk. The archive houses over 1,000 original artworks on loan to RoaR from known outsider artists in the region. The resource library and information area seeks to promote an understanding and appreciation of outsider art.”
The RoaR gallery opened in June 2004 and provides a programme of contemporary visual arts exhibitions focusing on outsider art.
