Deputy Mayor of Rochdale opens People's Art 2016 Exhibition

Deputy Mayoress Christine Duckworth, Cody Hluschyk and Deputy Mayor Ian Duckworth

The Deputy Mayor of Rochdale, Ian Duckworth, officially opened thePeople's Art 2016 exhibition at Touchstones Rochdale on Saturday.

The popular annual exhibition gives the chance for residents of all ages, both amateur and professional to show their work.

A huge array of talent is on display filling two full galleries with paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, animation and craft objects.

Declaring the exhibition open,  Deputy Mayor Duckworth congratulated all those taking part, adding: “It’s a great pleasure to be invited to the launch of this year’s People’s Art exhibition.

"Truly original works of art are on display here, by people of all ages, skills and expertise - and they are to be treasured.

"Congratulations to all the entries and the staff here at Touchstones Rochdale for putting this first class show together.”

Mark Doyle, Art Gallery Curator & Collections Manager,  added: “Having recently come in to post, it has been great to witness the creativity of the borough in our exhibition spaces.

"I will look forward to building on this obvious passion for the visual arts over the coming years with some of the exciting future projects we have planned.

"I’d like to thank all 164 artists, professional and amateur, young and old, for submitting their art work for this year’s exhibition and would encourage anyone to come along, enjoy the exhibition and vote for their favourite in our ‘People’s Choice’ award.”