Annual Wexford Lion’s Club Exhibition 2027
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
We are delighted to announce that submissions for our Annual Open Submission Exhibition in association with Wexford Lions Club are now open and canvases and watercolour boards are available to purchase at Wexford Arts Centre Box Office. We invite submissions from local artists and anyone with an interest in art regardless of their level of skill or previous experience.
The Annual Wexford Lions Club Exhibition celebrates local talent and offers a platform for artists who are at various stages of their careers as well as those with an interest in art who wish to see their work realised within a gallery context. For this reason, it is an important show within the Wexford Arts Centre’s visual art programme. The Exhibition will be on view in the lower and upper galleries of Wexford Arts Centre from Saturday 9 th January 2027 – Saturday 20th February and will officially open on Saturday 16th January 2027.
Wexford Lions Club has served the community of Wexford since 1979 and provides support to the local community. This support may be monetary, such as food vouchers at Christmas for families and individuals in need, or by giving their time to assist community projects such as The Trabolgan Holiday Project, The Message in a Bottle Project and the Carer’s Weekend Project where carers are treated to a weekend in Ballyvaloo Centre and are provided with counsellors, reflexologists, and motivational speakers..
The theme for the 2027 Lions Club exhibition has again been left entirely open. The open brief allows participants the freedom to create exciting and original artwork, and to tell their own stories. These stories or experiences can be related through a varied range of subjects such as urban and rural narratives, abstraction and even pure imagination. Also, this year we will again feature the Young Lions gallery, dedicated exclusively to the work of young, budding artists. Young artists are encouraged to experiment with all types of mediums and objects – paints, glitter, buttons, transfers; Lego…the list is endless. As the Lions Club International celebrated its centenary in 2017, a Perpetual Children’s Trophy will be awarded again this year to a Young Lion for a work that explores the history and/or reflects on the aims and overall ethos of the organisation.
We will also feature the People’s Choice Award, run in association with Wexford Tidy Towns, which was launched in memory of Denis Collins. Denis provided support for countless writers and artists during his lifetime as a former Artistic Director of Wexford Arts Centre, gallery owner, and editor and publisher. He was also a social activist and volunteer with organisations including Wexford Tidy Towns, Fair Trade, and Amnesty International.
Interested persons are asked to visit Wexford Arts Centre where canvases and watercolour boards are available to purchase and will be available for collection. Please note that places are limited, and you must purchase your canvas or watercolour board at Box Office at Wexford Arts Centre to secure your submission. Applications are limited to one per person, exhibitors must complete a submission form which will be issued upon receipt of purchase. This year, there is a new deadline for submission of completed works, which is 4pm on Friday 27th November 2026.
Exhibition entry fee is €12.00 per applicant. All artworks must be submitted unframed on or before this date and on the board/canvas provided by the arts centre. Please note that we cannot accept any other canvas type. We welcome all submissions. Due to the limited exhibition spaces, we will not present sculptural works in the exhibition.
For further information on the exhibition please contact Visual Arts Manager, Lisa Byrne via email lisa@wexfordartscentre.ie
ADULT AWARD WINNERS 2026
Selected by Fine Art Painter, Oonagh Latchford
Sponsored by: Light & Shadow Wexford, Helen McLean, Spectrum Art & Framing, Wexford County Council, and Wexford Lions Club.
Overall: Sean Fitzpatrick, The Boy and the Jade Hour, Oil on Board.
Merit 1: Patricia Gallagher, Slow Day at Sea, Oil on Canvas
Merit 2: Sheila Kissane, Under the Surface, Oil on Canvas
Merit 3: Adrian Twomey, 4%Dutch, Oil on Canvas
Bio-diversity 1: Elaine Sommers Cashen, Spring Clover, Charcoal on Board
Bio-diversity 2: Catriona Brady, Feathered Friends, Watercolour on Board
Helen McLean Art Award: Jane Prendergast, Flahavans, Acrylic on Canvas
CHILDREN’S AWARDS WINNERS:
Sponsored by: Light & Shadow Wexford, Helen McLean, Spectrum Art & Framing, and Wexford Lions Club.
Under 6 years: Mae Rica Daly, The Pink Behind the Glow, Mixed Media on Canvas
7-9 years: Nessa Brady, Northern Sights Mixed Media on Board
10-12 years: Biancia Goclek, Rose Pillows, Acrylic on Board
13-15 years: Sharon Patucova, Equilibrium, Acrylic on Canvas
16 years +: Ruth O Toole, Truth Uncensored, Acrylic on Canvas
Helen McLean Art Award (under 10 years): Tamara Egan, 67, Pastel on Board.
Helen McLean Art Award (over 10 years): Lucy Lawler, Feline Fisherman
Perpetual Trophy: Roisin Brady, Just Chillin’, Mixed Media on Board
Image Credits:
1: Sean Fitzpatrick, The Boy and the Jade Hour, Oil on Board.
For further information on the exhibition please contact lisa@wexfordartscentre.ie
