The mayor of Bewdley, Councillor Nicole Harper, officially opened a new art exhibition at Bewdley Museum on October 3, with legendary Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant among the invited guests. The exhibition features works by artists Colin Simmonds and Peter Shread, both members of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, showcasing Simmonds' expressive oil paintings and Shread's detailed lino and woodcut relief prints. The show is part of the 37th Bewdley Festival, a ten-day event running from October 10 that includes music, comedy, and literature.
The exhibition matters because it highlights the limited public gallery space available in the region—as photographer Colin Hill noted, this museum gallery is the only public venue for artists in Kidderminster, Stourport, and Bewdley. By featuring two established local artists and drawing a high-profile visitor like Robert Plant, the event raises the profile of community visual arts and underscores the importance of sustaining local exhibition spaces for artists to display their work.