Three new art exhibitions have opened in Letchworth, showcasing new work from Hertfordshire-based artists.

Beth Horner, Sean Pearce and Maria Meyer were the recipients of the Broadway Gallery’s Curators Choice Award this year.

They are now displaying work in Letchworth until Sunday, August 8.

The artists were selected from the 300 entries to January's Letchworth Open exhibition for the quality of their work, artistic vision and desire to push the boundaries of their practice.

The Comet: Maria Meyer install at Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.Maria Meyer install at Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Broadway Gallery)

They each received a bursary of £1,000 to develop a new body of work for solo presentation in the gallery at 2 The Arcade.

Curator Kris Day said: “Supporting artists from our area and showing the best of contemporary art is what we are all about at Broadway Gallery.

"These three artists are extremely talented and we hope that the Curators Choice Award will help propel them to even greater success in their careers."

The Comet: One of Maria Meyer's pieces on display at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.One of Maria Meyer's pieces on display at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Maria Meyer)


Who are the artists?

Maria Meyer – Strange Strangers

The Comet: Artist Maria Meyer at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.Artist Maria Meyer at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Broadway Gallery)

Multi-disciplinary artist Maria uses found images to create layered digital collages that explore the hidden meanings, stories and histories of the often mundane things that surround us.

She is interested in how the more we ‘look’ at objects the more strange they become and our relationships with them even stranger.

The Comet: One of Maria Meyer's pieces on display at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.One of Maria Meyer's pieces on display at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Maria Meyer)

Maria holds a BA in Fine Art from Middlesex University and is currently an MFA student at the University of Hertfordshire.



Sean Pearce – Prefab

The Comet: Sean Pearce at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.Sean Pearce at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Broadway Gallery)

Sean Pearce lives and works in Letchworth Garden City.

Sean uses his day job as a tiler as inspiration for his found-object constructions.

His minimalist approach sits between the boundaries of architecture, sculpture and painting and explores themes of human inhabitance, prompting questions around material, process and space.

The Comet: One of Sean Pearce's pieces on display at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.One of Sean Pearce's pieces on display at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Broadway Gallery)

Pearce presents a series of sculptures and a site specific piece that has been constructed on site, unique to the parameters of the gallery.



Beth HornerNeighbourhood Watch

The Comet: Beth Horner at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.Beth Horner at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Broadway Gallery)

Beth’s small-scale paintings and sculpture are made from personal imagery – compiled, disassembled, and pieced back together – warping and abstracting spaces once familiar.

These eerie, uncanny scenes and charred, cracked objects point to a once maintained society left in disarray with glowing windows and apertures alluding to hidden narratives and abnormal happenings.

The Comet: One of Beth Horner's pieces on display at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.One of Beth Horner's pieces on display at the Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Broadway Gallery)


Beth is currently a Digswell Arts Fellow and works from her studio in Letchworth.

Curator Kris continued: “We hope to continue both the Letchworth Open and the Curators Choice Award on an annual basis.

"There is so much artistic talent in Letchworth – we want to nurture that talent and promote the art of Letchworth to a wide audience.”


All three exhibitions opened on July 15.

The Broadway Gallery is open Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.

The Comet: Beth Horner install at Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.Beth Horner install at Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Broadway Gallery)

The Comet: Sean Pearce install at Broadway Gallery in Letchworth.Sean Pearce install at Broadway Gallery in Letchworth. (Image: Broadway Gallery)