Art legend welcomes the return of the city’s Young Artists

3rd May 2022

Joe Scarborough lined up alongside the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Gail Smith, to celebrate the city’s next generation of artistic talent.

They were the special guests at the opening of the Sheffield Young Artists Exhibition that took place last Friday and Saturday (April 29th and 30th) at Norfolk Street’s Central United Reformed Church. Hundreds attended the two-day exhibition to admire the 650 pieces of art on display.

The Lord Mayor presented prizes to the winners at the exhibition event, which has had a two-year absence due to COVID,  whilst Joe Scarborough, the Pitsmoor-born artist who has a star on the ‘Walk Of Fame’ outside Sheffield Town Hall, admired the high standard of the art. 

The Young Artists event, which is organised by Sheffield Abbeydale Rotary, invites entries from school children aged 5 to 18 from schools right across the city. The exhibition weekend is the culmination of the Sheffield Young Artists programme. The competition first took place in 2005. 

City-based Graysons Solicitors is the sponsor of the Sheffield Young Artists event. Peter Clark, managing partner, said:

“We were delighted to see the event finally happen after all this time. There is so much talent amongst the young people of Sheffield and it was wonderful to see so much of it on display this weekend. To have a legend like Joe Scarborough there was a great boost for the kids.”

Though the Sheffield Young Artists competition has continued over the past two years, COVID restrictions have meant the full exhibition has been unable to take place. Smaller displays took place at both Art in the Gardens and the Great Sheffield Art Show. But it hasn’t all been doom and gloom for the event in lockdown. The success of Sheffield Young Artists has ended up being the inspiration for a similar event in Bochum, Germany, which takes place this month. Ken Marshall, Chris Jones and Steve Walker will represent Sheffield Abbeydale Rotary at the opening of the exhibition.

Ken Marshall, who organises Sheffield Young Artists on behalf of Sheffield Abbeydale Rotary, said:

“Though we’ve had a very frustrating two years, caused by COVID, there have been two bits of very good news – the continued support of Graysons as our sponsor and spreading our influence to Germany! We have worked together with the Bochum Renaissance Rotary Club which has adopted our format and will be holding its first Young Artists exhibition in early May.”