A POOLE based charity is inviting residents to be part of an open exhibition at the Lighthouse theatre celebrating the Poole and Hamworthy area.

Celebrating the Old, Inspiring the New – also known as The COIN Project - is run by The Power House in Poole and funded by Arts Council England and BCP Council, and supported by Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts.

This summer’s 2021 Open Exhibition will include a programme of Covid-secure community and arts events.

CEO of Lighthouse Elspeth McBain said: “We invited The Power House to take over the gallery space and showcase local talent before the enforced closure due to the pandemic.

“It seems fitting and right that Lighthouse will reopen to the public in May with this creative programme from our community and we are so pleased to be able to support The Power House in this first partnership project as we all start the process of recovery.”

The exhibition will run for a month and works on display may include painting, printing, photography, ceramics, textiles, videos, and encompass a complete mix of ideas.

An additional programme of workshops, activities and poetry, dance and music sessions are currently being planned, and a key central feature of the display will be a community art project celebrating Hamworthy, led by the commissioned local company Co-Create.

“We were delighted when Lighthouse offered us their gallery space for a community-focussed exhibition, said Paul Kelly, Chair of The Power House.

“Lighthouse is a long-standing venue with a reputation for high quality national arts. The Power House is a relatively new community-focussed organisation with local arts and culture at our core.

“Our COIN project is a great opportunity to bring those two complementary sides together. COIN offers the chance for local artists to express their unique views and visions of Hamworthy and Poole in a high-quality setting.”

So, if you’ve explored new places, discovered hidden corners, maybe reconnected with familiar sites and objects or have fond memories and stories in Hamworthy before or during lockdown, now is your chance to share your passion with everyone else.

Curator Maureen La Frenais added: “The work can be about anything as long as there is some link or connection to Poole. We are open to being surprised.”

The deadline for submissions is Sunday May 9, 2021.

To submit and find out more about the COIN Summer 2021 Open Exhibition, email coinsubmissions@thepowerhousepoole.org or visit https://www.thepowerhousepoole.org.