Preston first in world to host important exhibition of award-winning illustrations

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Four seasons Letterpress Postcards by Pingnan Lu
Four seasons Letterpress Postcards by Pingnan Lu
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Preston has become the first place in the world to host a free exhibition showcasing award-winning illustrations from a host of international artists.

The University of Central Lancashire is hosting the World Illustration Awards (WIA) 2024 touring exhibition of the very best emerging and established illustrations.

The exhibition opened on Wednesday 11 December and runs until until Thursday 23 January.

The WIA are presented annually by the Association of Illustrators in partnership with the USA-based Directory of Illustration. The winners were selected by an independent jury from a shortlist of 200 projects, drawn from nearly 5,500 entries from 82 countries across ten categories.

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The subsequent exhibition showcases all award-winning and highly commended projects, includes material that tell the story of the ideas, processes and artists behind the work. 

From book covers to newspapers, packaging to murals, the exhibition celebrates this most engaging of art forms in its broadest sense. Showcasing a diverse range of styles, materials and topics, featuring an extraordinary range of illustration practice across vibrant industry sectors including advertising, children’s books, design and science, the exhibition reveals the innovative ideas and techniques at the forefront of illustration today.

The Missing Mouseketeer by Mark Smith
The Missing Mouseketeer by Mark Smith

Illustration lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire Rachelle Panagarry said: “We’re really excited to bring this internationally significant exhibition to Preston to showcase amazing illustration talent from all around the world and share it with our students and creative communities from across the North West.”

Association of Illustrators CEO Rachel Hill said: “This year’s entrants displayed remarkable creativity and skill across the board. We were delighted to see illustration being thoroughly explored, celebrated, and developed as an art form.

“Our 2024 winners truly excel in their fields, illustrating complex narratives and ideas through their work. They also highlight the importance of illustration in our everyday lives, in books, news, packaging, murals, and more. We are proud to recognise these artists for their significant contributions to the illustration industry, and to showcase exceptional illustration talent from around the globe.”

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The World Illustration Awards (WIA) 2024 touring exhibition will be open to visitors on weekdays from 10am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 11am to 4pm at the PR1 Gallery, Victoria Building. It’s closed for the Christmas holidays from the 20 December to the 2 January.

For more information about the Preston exhibition, email Rachelle Panagarry and [email protected].

More information about the World Illustration Awards is available on the AOI website.

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This story was made possible by you, our readers, and a host of organisations in the city, through our Crowdfund Lancashire appeal, which unlocked support from the Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund provided by Lancashire County Council. You can see all our coverage and, if you know of an arts project or event in the city we should be covering, you can submit it for our event listings and/or send details to [email protected] for us to cover it as a story on the Blog.