Fringe announces art contest winner!

Press Release December 1st 2017 For immediate release

Buxton Festival Fringe has announced the winner of its recent competition to design the cover of next year’s printed Fringe programme.

Joanna Allen, an artist and printmaker from New Mills with a textiles background, came up with the winning artwork, a vibrant collagraph print entitled Orange Festival Folk and incorporating features of Buxton’s architecture. She wins £100 in prize money and some 20,000 programmes featuring her artwork will be printed next summer.

Joint runners up were Amy Whelan with Festival Fun and Pam Smart with Buxton Circular. A selection of competition entries can be seen on the Fringe website www.buxtonfringe.org.uk.

A Fringe enthusiast, Joanna says: “There is something for absolutely everyone at Buxton Fringe: music, drama, comedy, film… even life drawing! I have enjoyed all manner of Buxton Fringe events numerous times in the past. My musician brother Will Hawthorne and my sister Susie Hawthorne and brother-in-law George Telfer (both actors) have been involved in Fringe events over the years, so I am very excited to be able to contribute something myself at last!”

She adds: “My collagraph print Festival Folk celebrates the diversity of people of all types and ages who take part in the Fringe and make it so special. I tried to combine all the elements that make Buxton such a unique town: the historical importance of the natural mineral water, the spectacular architecture and the people. Each festival person has a ‘hat’ which references one of Buxton’s significant architectural features, mostly the town’s numerous domes, both big and small. And of course I had to include an image of spring water flowing from the lion’s mouth at St Ann’s Well!”

Joanna’s winning design will also feature on the Fringe’s flyer to be distributed early next year while more of her work and details of her workshops can be found on her website www.joannaallen.co.uk. A recent member of Peak District Artisans, she will be exhibiting at The Dome in Buxton as part of Fringe 2018.

Keith Savage, Chair of the Buxton Festival Fringe states: “We love Joanna's design - it is imaginative, bold and burns with excitement. It shouts out 'Buxton' but is very different to our recent artwork. Everything we want Buxton during the Festival Fringe to be. We had no idea about the family connections - but are happy that the link is there!"

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PRESS: Picture shows Joanna Allen with her winning artwork for the Fringe 2018 cover. For further information or interviews Send message to Press