The latest exhibition from Diss Art Group has not only brought in lots of visitors but also discussion on an issue set to possibly change the county’s landscape forever.
The show, inside St Mary’s Church in Mount Street, not only showed various works from 22 of the groups members but also sparked the ongoing conversation about the Norwich to Tilbury Pylon project.
The National Grid’s proposed plans to erect a 183km long pylon line through Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex was a source of inspiration by some of the group’s members.
Some of the pieces included showing how tall the pylons would look against the church itself and one showed what John Constable’s famous Hay Wain would have looked like with them in it.
Avril Young, the group’s membership coordinator, said: “Each of the 22 members who were exhibiting put in two or more pieces for the six-day exhibition.
“Overall, the exhibition has been excellent and worth everyone’s efforts.
“The pylon pictures that members produced did certainly promote a lot of conversation with the public that saw them and the consensus of opinion was that they all appeared to be against them.”
Diss Art Group started as an evening class in Diss Secondary School (which is not Diss High School) back in 1964 but it became Diss Art Group in 1975.
The group, which currently has 32 members and meet at Palgrave Community Hall weekly, will be celebrating 50 years next year.
It is a self-running group with no chairperson, with the group suggesting and selecting ideas, such as glass painting, lino cutting and oils on board for the sessions.
On the support the group has for its exhibitions, Mrs Young said: “We would like to thank everyone for their support and positive feedback.
“It is encouraging to think that other people like what we are producing as much as we do.”
Diss Art Group hopes they will be able to return to the church next year for another exhibition.
