Aura: Creative Portal

Aura Image "A splendid and glittering composition" is how Mark Girouard described Burton Agnes Hall in his book on Elizabethan architecture, and certainly as soon as you enter through the gatehouse you are made aware that you have arrived at a place where artistic considerations prevail.

The late Elizabethan mansion sits amongst extensive and beautiful gardens, and houses treasures collected over the centuries. Particularly notable is the collection of 19th and 20th century paintings - many of which are displayed in the Long Gallery.

This spectacular room runs along the full width of the building on the highest floor, and in October it will provide the elegant location for the third aura contemporary jewellery exhibition.

Aura Image aura began in 2005 when the Hall's owner, Mrs Susan Cunliffe-Lister, kindly allowed four artist jewellers from the area - Jacqueline Stieger, Pamela Dickinson, Jacqueline Warrington and Emma Sedman – to stage an exhibition of their work. Encouraged by the positive reaction, they saw an opportunity to raise awareness of the existence and desirability of studio jewellery, and have been using their own resources to make aura into an event not to be missed.

To this end they have been greatly assisted by two important people in the world of contemporary jewellery, Astrid Berens and Giò Carbone.

Astrid is half of EMB & B Art Events team, which stages the Sieraad Art Fair in Amsterdam, and in 2006 she came over to East Yorkshire with a collection of work by nine very distinctive artists from The Netherlands.

Giò Carbone is the Director of the prestigious Jewellery School and Academy, Le Arti Orafe, based in Florence and Lucca in Italy, and he is organising a collection of work by artists from all around the world, to be shown at aura2007, later this year.

Jewellery takes on a special quality when it is the product of the heart, mind, eyes and hands of a single individual. The identity of the piece goes beyond the inherent characteristics of the materials and techniques. Consequently the personality of the work is stronger, with the result that the greater range of work should offer something special for almost everyone.

Evidence of this can be found by going to the exhibition’s website, www.auraexhibition.co.uk, for a retrospective view of the work of last year’s exhibitors, and to see a preview of the jewellery to be shown at aura2007 .

The exhibition will run from Friday, October19 to Sunday, October21st. The opening hours are 11am - 5pm, and entrance to the exhibition is included in the normal house admission charge of £6.

Artists will be on hand throughout the exhibition to talk about their work and discuss commissions, and as most of the jewellery is for sale you may well be inclined to take home your own "splendid and glittering composition" to treasure into the future.

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Aura is a "not for profit" organisation.