If ever a suburb deserves an arts festival all of its own, it's Chorlton, the leafy corner of choice for artists and bohemians finding themselves in

Manchester. And so from 17-25 May, Chorlton Arts Festival is duly staged, with imaginative events as varied as the spaces displaying the work.

'Try Me' is interactive photography by Chorlton based Stephen Delegair McCalla and John Barnes. In the clothes shop Jazz, fashionistas will be pictured spontaneously, with the results to be displayed in Jazz and Kiss My Feet on Beech Road.

In keeping with art in an art shop theme, Loop shows 'Home', a selection of contemporary design, painting, and video - all by Manchester artists. Whilst chic veggie eatery Diamond Dogs hosts Odds and Sods a selection of small scale works by painter and digital artist, Ben Cove.

The Festival also builds on the idea of showing outside of the limiting confines of the traditional gallery, which should help bring the works to a new audience.
The venues range from churches (an arts and crafts show at St Clements Church) to private houses, with some exhibitions even held in dedicated galleries - like Flower and Landscape Painting - doing what it says on the tin at the Arison Gallery,WilbrahamRoad.

Chorlton is more than just a bolthole for the arty classes, though; its residents are varied and the venues and shows reflect and challenge this stereotype of a district packed with arty-farty culture-vultures.

Tweet