The Annual Wexford Lions Club Exhibition celebrates local talent and offers a platform for artists who are at various stages of their careers as well as those with an interest in art who wish to see their work realised within a gallery context. For this reason, it is an important show within the Wexford Arts Centre’s visual art programme.

As a result of the tremendous success of last year’s show and the remarkably high-quality work received, the theme for the 2020 Lions Club exhibition has again been left entirely open. The open brief allows participants the freedom to create exciting and original artwork, and to tell their own stories. These stories or experiences can be related through a varied range of subjects such as urban and rural narratives, abstraction and even pure imagination.  Also, this year we will again feature the Young Lions gallery, dedicated exclusively to the work of young, budding artists. Young artists are encouraged to experiment with all types of mediums and objects – paints, glitter, buttons, transfers; Lego…the list is endless. As the Lions Club International celebrated its centenary in 2017, a Perpetual Children’s Trophy will be awarded again this year to a Young Lion for a work that explores the history and/or reflects on the aims and overall ethos of the organisation.

​Wexford Lions Club have served the community of Wexford since 1979 and provide support to the local community. This support may be monetary, such as food vouchers at Christmas for families and individuals in need, or by giving their time to assist community projects. The Trabolgan Holiday Project affords an opportunity for individuals or families, who would not normally be able to afford a holiday or may not be in a position to take a holiday by themselves, to take a holiday in Trabolgan, Co. Cork. last year Wexford Lions Club brought 35 people from the Wexford area to Trabolgan in June 2018. Another project entitled The Message in a Bottle encourages people to keep their basic personal and medical details in a common place, where, in cases of emergency, emergency teams can easily find them. And the Carer’s Weekend Project is a project where carers are treated to a weekend in Ballyvaloo Centre and are provided with counsellors, reflexologists, and motivational speakers. Wexford Lions Club have been running this project as it not only gives a much-needed respite to carers, but also provides an opportunity for them to meet with others and share their experiences and support.