Traders & Artists Praise Gallery Owner After Successful Event

Local Artists and retailers have been quick to thank gallery owner Nigel Walker after the event he organised drew hundreds of shoppers to Georgian Quarter.

Nigel says he is delighted with how the Off The Wall art event went but insists it would not have happen without the help of the volunteers.

Nigel who runs the gallery Creation Fine Arts in Beverley’s Georgian Quarter was the key man behind what was the biggest art based event in East Yorkshire.

Off The Wall saw North Bar Within transformed into a street show casing the creative talents of local artists and street performers attracting hundreds of people to Georgian Quarter.

However, Nigel is not prepared to take all the credit. After being successful in getting some funding they did not have enough in the budget to do everything, including marketing the event, so he relied on the good will of art lovers, he said;

“I could not have done this without the volunteers who came on Saturday and did all they could to help to ensure we got the footfall we needed.”

Speaking about the event that has captured the imagination of shoppers and local business owners he added;

“For me art should be not hidden in a gallery behind walls but out there on the street so people can see its.”

“Off The Wall allowed artists to stick their work in the faces of the public, art should never be about just going into a gallery.”

“The Georgian Quarter is a beautiful part of Beverley, to be able to put something on in this part of the town that was creative and showcased local talent was fantastic.”

There were clearly commercial benefits as well, Nigel added;

“For me Off The Wall gave me a chance to market my gallery. As my business is located in the Georgian Quarter, I was very busy throughout the event given the number of people who came.”

Nigel was not the only business to benefit, Susan Elvidge from the Beverley Dresser said;

“I had one of the busiest days and ever as a result of this event. Nigel done an amazing job. He deserves a lot of credit for all the effort he put into what was a fantastic event.”

“Because of the event many new customers came into my shop, many of these would have had no reason to come to this part of the town had it not been for the Off The Wall event.”

“I hope we can hold more of these events as they are certainly excellent for business, good weather also helped but all day long the streets were busy with people who had plenty to browse.”

Susan’s views were also shared by local artist Nick Matson. Nick was out on the street’s painting during the festival and feels that the event was a massive success, he said;

“It was a very well organised event. Off The Wall managed to get a good crowd down to North Bar Within with a steady flow of people passing by whom all showed an interest and there were also some that were looking to buy.”

“All of this coupled with the other entertainment made for a good solid event. People are always interested in seeing artists working live. It is one thing you don’t get often in this region.”

Nigel is now currently in the process of getting back from everyone who involved.

He feels that Off The Wall has proven how cultural tourism can be big business and hopes that with the support of the local council, he will be able to stage similar events in town.