More than 197 amateur and professional artists from across Northumberland and the North East submitted a record breaking 458 artworks for consideration in this year’s Northumberland Open Exhibition at Woodhorn Museum.
379 artworks have been selected to feature in the final exhibition, which opens to the public from Saturday 22 February.
The largest exhibition of its type in the region, the Northumberland Open Exhibition celebrates the talents of painters, sculptures, glassmakers and artists of all mediums from across the North East. It comes at an exciting time for the museum as it prepares to join with 11 other sites as part of the newly renamed and expanded North East Museums.
Every year, a selection panel – which comprises of artists and curators – choose an Overall Winner and a series of Highly Commended artworks. This year, the Overall Winner of the 2025 Northumberland Open Exhibition is Robert Newton from Rowlands Gill with his painting, English Pastoral.
Artist, Robert Newton, said: “To be accepted to an open, juried exhibition is a major milestone for any artist, whatever stage they are in their career, and it’s always a worthwhile component of ones artistic practice. To win first prize came as a surprise and I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the jury for selecting my work, and also congratulations to all of the other artists and makers who have been selected and have work highly commended.
“Thanks to the team at Woodhorn Museum for their hard work, this promises to be an exciting exhibition and I’m looking forward to seeing the exhibition and meeting everyone.”
Narbi Price, painter, curator, lecturer and part of the Northumberland Open Exhibition selection panel, said: “Robert’s work is delightfully fresh, confident, and simple but deceptively complex. It immediately caught my eye and kept me wanting to go back and view it again and again. You can see the artist’s decision making through the brushstrokes, and you can really see how he’s working things out whilst creating the image.
“The overall level of talent, skill and imagination we’ve seen across this year’s entries has been extremely impressive. Whilst we always select a winner and highly commended artworks, being part of the Northumberland Open Exhibition is to be celebrated in itself.”
Joining Narbi in selecting the artworks for this year’s Northumberland Open Exhibition was Liz Ritson, Director of Programmes & Engagement at Woodhorn Museum and Julie Milne, Chief Curator of Art Galleries at North East Museums.
Julie said: “This is the second time I’ve been part of the selection panel and it really has been an honour to enjoy all the amazing artworks that have been submitted this year. Choosing the final group of artists to feature in the exhibition was a very difficult task.
“This year’s Open Exhibition will be the biggest to date, so I’d encourage everyone to visit and support all the talented artists who have worked so hard to be part of this special event.”
The artists whose work was highly commended by the selection panel are: Nasim Akhtar (Dawn Consolation), Geoffrey Bradford (Excavation), Lucy Waters (Reminded Constantly of Being an Outsider), and Michelle Wood (The Lost Pressings).
In addition to the commendations from the selection panel, visitors to the exhibition will also be able to vote for their favourite work as part a People’s Choice Award, with the winner announced at the end of the exhibition’s run on 01 June 2025.
Liz Ritson, Director of Programmes & Engagement at Woodhorn Museum, said: “For many artists, the Open Exhibition will be the first time they’ve presented their work in a professional gallery setting. It’s an opportunity to showcase their work alongside their peers, and reach an audience of thousands.
“Many of the works featured in the Northumberland Open Exhibition will available to buy, so it’s an exciting experience for the artists involved. It’s also a chance for visitors to the gallery to leave with a unique piece of art too.”
The Northumberland Open Exhibition opens at Woodhorn Museum on Saturday 22 February and runs until Sunday 01 June. For more information, visit museumsnorthumberland.org.uk.
Entry to Woodhorn Museum is free for children and young people under 18 with an admission charge of £9.50 for adults and £8.50 for concessions. All passes are valid for unlimited visits for 12 months from the date of issue.
From 1 April 2025, North East Museums (formerly Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums) will manage Woodhorn Museum, Hexham Old Gaol and Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum on behalf of Northumberland County Council.
For more information about Woodhorn Museum visit: www.museumsnorthumberland.org.uk.