Crumbs!  Hasn't time just flown by.  We have been so busy in the shop and organising new work in the gallery that we haven't had a chance to put up a post about our incredibly successful Gingerbread Man exhibition!

We want to start by saying a HUGE thank you to all those who got involved and contributed to the show.  You made it such an exciting experience, we really can't thank you enough.

In such difficult economic times it was important to us to make a real celebration of the Gallery's 3rd birthday and to do something that provided a positive focus in a time that sees such serious cuts in arts funding.  With few organisations in a position to host community art events we wanted to celebrate the Gallery's ethos by creating an inclusive exhibition which would reflect the huge amount of local artistry and creativity that surrounds us.

"Yummy!  A delicious exhibition for all the senses"

So for a few weeks, Ginger Fig Gallery was taken over by gingerbread men.  The number of people that got involved and the amount of entries we received was quite overwhelming!  It was brilliant to see such an eclectic mixture of art coming together to create an exciting and engaging exhibition.  Entries ranged from textiles, clay, wire, paint, collage, film and photography to glass, willow, dough, ceramic, wood, glitter and even blu-tac!  Work also varied dramatically in scale too, from some gingerbread men that were just a couple of inches to one that was more than 6 feet tall!

We were bowled over by the number of interpretations of the theme and the different approaches to the work.  There was a real sense of fun, with gingerbread men appearing in so many different guises - from Dr Who to a starring role in Munch's 'The Scream'.  Many were also inspired by the gingerbread man's adventurous spirit, experimenting with new artistic techniques.  A prime example of this was the Hutton family's first animated film, a brilliantly funny take on the story.  This quirky little film wa a great addition to the show, with Daddy Hutton's voice-over talents personifying the little gingerbread man and making him a very likeable young fellow!

"What a most fabulous exhibition - crumbs what a time we've had looking at all the fab artworks"

Sugar and spice and all things nice!  We think that the success of the exhibition was down to a delicious mix of ingredients with many different community groups, schools, nurseries and artists coming together to enter work.

The exhibition was opened with a tea party featuring lots of gingerbread men baked by Sarah from Bath Place's Country Market.  The Mayor of Taunton, Jefferson Horsley, cut the ribbon on proceedings and he too was moved by the sheer community involvement.

"What a fascinating exhibition!  I'll always think twice before I eat another ginger(man) biscuit"

The gallery was very busy for the duration of the exhibition with many proud parents and young artists keen to see their work on display. It was really lovely to see their reactions:  lots of pride and excitement on both sides!  Both children and adults also took part in gingerbread decorating and we saw some very colourful creations emerging...

It was an exhibition that really engaged and uplifted the community, and we would just like to share some more of the comments we received from visitors:

"Absolute genius!  Beautiful and just plain astounding"

"Brilliant, lots of fun bringing children together through art"

"What fun, so much colour and imagination brings the child inside alive"

"Fantastic exhibition.  Nothing like children to kick start creativity.  Loved it"

"What a fabulous exhibition, well done to all and congratulations to all the entries.  It really makes you feel good"

With such a great response from both the public and other Bath Place traders we hope to make this exhibition an annual event.  We hope to repeat this year's success but get even more people involved...so what do you think next year's theme should be?