Art exhibition boosts book fest

Writers paint pictures with words. Artists paint pictures with, well, paint … or pencils, pastels, even woods, metals or clays.

Point is, literature and visual arts interconnect. This synergy manifests in Marlborough Art Society’s new exhibition, titled For the Love of Books, coinciding with this weekend’s Marlborough Book Festival.

Fest Co-Chairs Sonia O’Regan and Claudia Small welcomed dozens of attendees to a preview of the art exhibited at the gallery on Friday evening. Sonia expressed how the artists reaching out to plan this show “felt like such a lovely gesture of support between our creative communities”.

The exhibition bookends the literary event of 24-26 July, continuing through 2 August.

Speaking alongside Claudia and MAS President Carolyn Costley as preview guests arrived, Sonia echoed a theme in her dedication remarks.

“The more we thought about this exhibition and the festival,” she relayed, “the more we realised that great books and great art are trying to do the same thing. They invite us to slow down, to look more closely. They help us process pain and challenge our thinking. They help us see the world and each other with fresh eyes.”

Carolyn noted how the artists in the group “like to be involved in the community. We thought, ‘Hey, book lovers and art lovers are not mutually exclusive – let’s do something together!’”

Eye level
The gallery’s two rooms display pieces spanning generations and forms. Youth from classes taught by Tess Landon-Lane have drawings and paintings hanging on the walls; she, too, has a piece in the show. A settee in a corner of the small room beckons visitors to a little library with, naturally, books to read.

Rob Barrer, a society member and sculptor, created two works of wood inspired by Don Quixote. Those caught Claudia’s eye as she surveyed the scene.

What struck Rob as special is how the exhibition “brought children and adults into the exhibition together, at the same level, not differentiating between [them]. The imagination of kids, before they’ve been formed by society, is sometimes pretty amazing. “Reading is the key to an education,” he added, “so this is a really important exhibition.”