Open Call: HESYA – An Open Exhibition

Deadline: Tuesday 1st December, midday

This exhibition is part of an exciting new festival – ‘Gool Edhen’ – which will take place in Penzance this December. The festival celebrates Cornwall’s wonderful wild birds and is organised in support of Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital.

We’re inviting creative responses to ‘Hesya’ (Kernewek for ‘Flock Together’) in any medium, with one simple rule: all artworks must be no larger than A3.

This is an open exhibition, meaning everyone who enters will have their work included. All artworks will be available to purchase, with proceeds shared between the artist and Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital.

Exhibition dates: Tuesday 8th December to Sunday 20th December
Venue: WAH PZ (Wharfside Art Hub), Wharfside Shopping Centre, Penzance
Entry deadline:  Tuesday 1st December

Featured image copyright and courtesy Ollie Smith

As part of Penzance’s new bird festival, Gool Edhen, this exhibition will bring together a collection of small artworks celebrating birds in all their forms, our relationship with them and the wider natural world. It will be an opportunity to celebrate what can be achieved when people come together around a shared purpose: caring for one another, nurturing the natural world and helping to protect the wildlife we share our environment with. The exhibition aims to raise awareness of Cornwall’s remarkable but fragile birdlife, particularly the species that live in and visit its unique marine and coastal environments, while supporting the vital work of Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital in caring for and rehabilitating wild birds.

Our birds are on the frontline of the climate and environmental crisis, making the work of the hospital more important than ever.

Founded in 1928 by sisters Dorothy and Phyllis Yglesias, Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital rescues, treats and rehabilitates sick, injured and vulnerable wild birds, with a particular focus on seabirds. After several challenging years, this small Cornish charity has been rebuilding with renewed purpose since the 2022 avian flu outbreak. We have sharpened our specialist focus on seabird care and rehabilitation, and begun investing in our historic Mousehole site.

As we approach our centenary, we have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this remarkable heritage, welcome more people into our story and build a sustainable future for our small, specialist hospital. By inspiring new audiences to care about Cornwall’s wild birds, we can help ensure this unique place continues to thrive.

Over the next year, we aim to enhance our services and facilities, renew valued relationships with our supporters and welcome new people into our community. Gool Edhen – a festival of events celebrating Cornwall’s wild birds – will help us begin this journey of growth and development. This year, our focus is on raising funds towards the renovation of one of our existing aviaries, creating a larger flight aviary and deep-water pond facilities to support seabirds and pelagic species during the final stages of their rehabilitation.

Every ticket, event and donation will help our small, specialist hospital care for, rehabilitate and release wild seabirds back into their natural habitats. Together, we can strengthen our facilities and continue to make a positive contribution to Cornwall’s unique coastal and marine environment.

– Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital

The ‘HESYA’ open call exhibition is open to everyone aged 18 and over living in Cornwall. You don’t need to be a professional artist or a CKA member to take part.

The exhibition will take place at WAH PZ (Wharfside Art Hub in Penzance) from Tuesday 8th until Sunday 20th December.

All artworks will be exhibited and available to buy. The final sale price of each work will be split between artist and Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital, with 70% going to the artist and 30% donated to the charity.

Wharfside Art Hub, CKA, Daisy Laing and the festival team will coordinate the exhibition, including installation, promotion and sales.

To take part, your artwork must meet the following requirements:

• Theme: Your artwork must respond to the theme of birds / flocking / together / community. This can be interpreted in any way you choose.
• Size: All work must range from postcard size to A3 (297 × 420 mm). It can be framed or mounted. If not clear instructions as to how to hang / install should be supplied.
• Medium: Any medium is welcome, including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, textiles, collage, mixed media and more, provided the finished work is suitable for wall display.  We also welcome small 3D / sculpture (same size restrictions apply) which will displayed on plinths available at WAH PZ
• Display: All 2D artworks must be wall-mountable and supplied ready to hang.
• Number of works: One artwork per person.
• Existing work: You are welcome to submit an existing artwork. There is no requirement to make something new for the exhibition, but please free to do so if you wish!
• Sales: All work must be available for sale. You will be asked to include the price of your artwork as part of the entry form, taking into consideration the split 70% to artist and 30% to the charity. Further information about delivering and collecting artworks will be shared with participants in due course, but drop-off at WAH is likely to be 5th to 7th December. If you cannot make these dates, please let us know – you are welcome to post work but we are unable to cover postage costs.

This is an open exhibition for anyone aged 18 or over who lives in Cornwall.

There is no selection process. Everyone who enters and meets the artwork requirements will be included in the exhibition.

You do not need to be a Creative Kernow Associates member to participate, although CKA members will receive a discounted participation fee.

There is a small fee to take part in the exhibition:

CKA Members: £5
Non-Members: £10

Participation fees will be donated to Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital.

To take part, please complete the entry form below by Tuesday 1st December, midday.

You will be asked to provide some basic information about yourself and your artwork, including its title, medium, dimensions and starting price.

Once your entry has been received, we’ll be in touch with further information about delivering your artwork to the exhibition.

If you have any questions about the opportunity, please get in touch with the Creative Kernow Associates team at associates@creativekernow.org.uk.