OPEN 2009
5 June – 2 August
A selected exhibition of works by artists based in the West Midlands
Open exhibitions have been a regular feature at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum since the 1930s. These exhibitions have always been incredibly popular with both audiences and entrants and OPEN 2009 is likely to be no exception!
The exhibition, which takes place between the 5 June and 2 August, is open to all professional artists based in the West Midlands, with the stipulation that work must have been completed after 1 January 2008. Entrants can submit one or two works in any medium on Thursday 28 May between 1.30 and 7.30pm. There is an entry fee of £5 per work. Entries are welcome in a diverse range of mediums including painting, sculpture, installation pieces and video or DVD format. The maximum size allowed is 2 x 2 x 2 metres.
Works will be selected for exhibition by a panel of arts professionals. There will be one overall prize winner who will be presented with the ‘OPEN Award’, and a ‘People’s Choice Award’. All exhibited works will be for sale.
Entry forms are available from the gallery desk at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum or by calling 01926 742700.
Appeal for memories of the Amazing Chang
Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum would like to get in touch with people who can remember the world famous Leamington magician, ‘The Amazing Chang’. This is in preparation for an exhibition to be held at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum this autumn.
Sandra Evans, whose biography of Chang was published in 2006, lovingly pieced his history together. Leamington Spa’s own ‘Harry Potter’, Samuel L. Whittington-Wickes MIMC was born in 1893 on Avenue road. Such was his passion to pursue a career in magic, 12-year-old Samuel ran away from home in 1905 and returned years later a successful, wealthy illusionist/magician. During his career he took a variety of stage names; ‘Seekhett, The Boy Conjurer’, ‘Cellsus, The White Wizard’, and finally ‘The Amazing Chang in 1934’. He performed in New York and Paris and toured the UK with his magic acts.
During the 1930s and 40s he wowed local audiences with his performances in the Jephson Gardens Pavilion, entertaining up to 15,000 people per show. He was known for his ‘Chinese Fantasy’ based on the story of The Willow Pattern Plate performing tricks such as producing doves from a seemingly empty chest of draws and catching a bullet with his teeth. He also provided popular children’s entertainment using hand made marionettes. He retired from the stage in 1956, but remained in Warwickshire until his death in 1970.
Nicky McIntosh, Senior Curatorial Officer said ‘we are very excited to be organising this exhibition and to discover more about such a remarkable local man and his influence on the world of magic. We would love to speak to anybody who knew Chang, or watched his act.’ Were you lucky enough to witness one of his performances? Do you remember seeing Chang around town? If you have any memories, please get in touch with Nicky at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum on 01926 742703.
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