Art Exhibition 2026 - Exhibitor Guide

Representatives from all schools and the central team were invited to meet in person for our 2026 'kick-off' meeting at UTC on 15th October. It was a positive meeting and we made great progress. The following points were discussed and agreed:

• Theme: Making Your Mark
• Venue: Crewe Makes ArtSpace (they have moved across the road from the previous venue, into a larger space). The central team are due to visit the new premises this term, to determine how much space each school will be able to use, understand the logistics of dropping off artwork and picking it up, and consider how we can display live artwork from the pupils’ visits. In terms of displaying children's work, it was agreed that the flow and journey from Nursery through to Year 12 was enjoyable and effective
• Date: similar time to last year with specific dates to follow but it will straddle the end of term and summer holidays, specific dates TBC
• Comms: we will communicate with you all via email but will also have a link to the website we used last year
• Judges & Prizes: follow similar process to last year, but also include 'Highly Commended', as recommended by staff at schools when they submit the artwork, if a pupil has worked especially hard or overcome barriers in order to complete their final piece. 
• Inclusion: where possible, staff will select new artists for this year's exhibition. We will also try and accommodate an interactive creation, which allows all visiting pupils to 'make their mark' on a collaborative piece of work during the school visits. 

Theme: Making Your Mark

We're inviting you to produce artwork which celebrates creative expression through art, and the opportunity for our children to make their mark. 

You are free to choose a subject or medium, or convey a message or create something unique in 3D etc. Remember - we keep the theme as open as possible to allow schools to select pieces that are being generated through set topics, or, you can organise additional art clubs or projects if you wish. We can't wait to see how our young artists choose to make their mark!

Central Marketing Team

Please contact your allocated exhibition team member with any queries:

Venue: Crewe Makes ArtSpace

We are reuniting with Jamie Chalmers and the Crewe Makes ArtSpace team. By next summer they will be fully set up in their new venue, which is just across the way from where we held the 2025 exhibition.