Public Open Exhibition 2025 and sensory experience Neon Caverns… there’s lots to see at LEVEL Centre this summer!

LEVEL are thrilled to announce the opening of their 2025 Public Open Exhibition, running from 17 July until 5 September 2025!

Now into its fifth year, the Public Open Exhibition features work from disabled contemporary visual artists from across the UK. After a call out earlier this year, selected pieces were shortlisted by a panel of industry professionals to be part of the public exhibition both online and at LEVEL Centre in Rowsley, Derbyshire.
This year, a record number of entries were received from far and wide across the UK! Once again, the standard of submissions was impressive, showcasing work produced by disabled, learning disabled, autistic and/or neurodivergent artists, with categories for both young people and adults. The judging panel had a real challenge to select the exhibition finalists and prizewinners.

First place in the 18 and over category was awarded to Emma Major for her digital painting ‘Invisible Faces’. Emma is a blind wheelchair user, poet, author and artist. Emma lost almost all of her eye sight, overnight, in 2015 and has been getting progressively more disabled ever since. Emma never knows exactly what will emerge in her paintings but she shares them and her poems online, encouraging others to explore their creativity.

In February 2025 Emma developed sepsis that couldn’t be controlled and was admitted to ICU. She was cared for by a team of nurses and doctors who saved her life. ‘Invisible Faces’ reflects how being in ICU was a strange mix of traumatic and wonderfully caring all at the same time. The painting is a way of processing the experience emotionally and celebrating the NHS.

Emma says:
“It is an honour to be chosen as the first place winner of the LEVEL Public Open Exhibition 2025. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my experience of being cared for by the NHS and celebrate the “Invisible Faces” who saved my life. Creating art and poetry is an essential element of living well with my disabilities and chronic illnesses; releasing and processing my emotions whilst also providing a window into the reality of my life.

I am almost entirely blind now so I paint digitally on the iPad with huge magnification; sometimes as large as one pixel of the painting on the screen at a time. I hope that this painting will raise awareness of living with complex health and disability whilst celebrating the vibrant life we can all lead when access is provided. Thank you again to the LEVEL team for giving me and the other artists in the exhibition a place to shine brightly.”

Panel member Corinne, a professional disabled artist and photographer, comments:
“I always think great art is meant to move you and I was deeply moved by Emma’s powerful autobiographical work. It was fascinating to hear Emma’s unique working method of creating the painting digitally on the iPad with magnification, often one pixel at a time. For me Emma was a clear winner and I thank her for sharing her visually beautiful art, entwined with her deeply personal experiences as a Disabled woman, an experience which is often wrongly overlooked within society. Congratulations Emma!”

Second place in the 18+ category was awarded to Joel Simon for his oil painting ‘Portrait of Adam Pearson’. This portrait features a nearly full body composition of the young actor, presenter and disability rights campaigner Adam Pearson.

Joel met his personal hero Adam in London and arranged a portrait session from which this painting was executed. As a disabled artist, he was particularly interested in painting Adam after watching his Channel 4 documentary Adam Pearson: Freak Show, in which he discusses the effect his severe disability has on the people around him.

Entries in the young people’s categories were equally as strong, with Alfreton Park School pupils Billy and Llan scooping the winning place in their age categories. Both are members of the school drawing club, which encourages young people to express themselves through creativity, have fun and build friendships.

Although first and second place has already been decided, you can still vote for your favourite piece in The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by Turners Arts Supplies in Matlock! You can vote by visiting the exhibition at LEVEL Centre in Rowsley or online through the LEVEL Centre website www.bit.ly/pubopex2025

Alongside the 2025 Public Open Exhibition, there is also the opportunity to spend time away from the everyday in Neon Caverns by artist Alex Billingham, LEVEL Centre’s latest sensory exhibition! This amazing experience features wrap-around film projections, sculptural playable elements, crystals, a projection pool and even a fluffy neon sofa!

Both exhibitions run until 5 September at Level Centre, Old Station Close, Rowsley, and best of all they are free to visit! Drop by to see all this wonderful work for yourself! LEVEL Centre is designed to be accessible and the exhibitions are suitable for all ages and abilities.