The Kynaston Ballroom

The Kynaston Ballroom is a hidden treasure behind a butcher’s and a Chinese Take-Away on Wem High St, North Shropshire (SY4) – Summer 2016 it became the site for a great Painting Residency through the generosity of Art Patrons and Ballroom owners Bev and Dave Penney. Using enormous rolls of unwanted photograph shoot backdrop paper (12 feet wide) donated by local photographer Mike Norman (and some on unstretched canvas) I spent two months making huge paintings – some on the theme of dancing. Gradually, local children and other artists from Shropshire dropped by. I made four video interviews with people in their 80s about their memories of dancing in the Ballroom during the 1940s – now sadly it’s disused and minus its beautiful sprung wooden floor and big mahogany framed mirrors. To our amazement we logged over 187 visitors over the group exhibition weekend 24th-25th September. Rosie sold all her ceramics and some of the artists have gone on to sell their Ballroom work elsewhere.

 

 

Artists exhibiting were Paola Alessandri-Gray, Ted Eames, Kathy Green, Katie-May Green, Adele Mills, Esther Mills, Molly, Rosie and Liz Spiers. The Ballroom is now up for sale or rent (but what a fab community arts venue it would make…)