TODAY, Thursday, March 18, Hambly & Hambly – the art gallery and creative hub located in the basement of Dunbar House, just two miles outside Enniskillen – celebrates a year of international artistic collaboration, creativity and inspiration in response to the ongoing local and global lockdowns.

In an ordinary year, Hambly & Hambly promotes visual, literary, musical and dramatic art with an active schedule of exhibitions, workshops, musical and literary recitals, but with the lockdown affecting the arts community locally as well as globally, the vision has adapted to change with the times, as needed.

Despite the lockdown, Hambly & Hambly has delivered an extraordinary vision of local art and culture that has reached out to the world, celebrating artistic drive and vision far beyond Enniskillen and Fermanagh’s borders.

Owner and director Ciara Hambly responded to the announcement of the first lockdown one year ago by forming an online Facebook group, ‘Imagine’, which invited emerging and established artists to join in a network of mutual support and solidarity celebrating the power of creativity to connect us.

Imagine is a source of sharing dreams, visions and creativity in a time of global difficulty, and provides an artistic and innovative response to the reality of Covid-19.

Now, with almost 3,000 active worldwide members, Imagine has placed Enniskillen at the centre of a global virtual artistic and cultural map.

Hambly & Hambly have worked in close collaboration with a digital design company, Made In Trenbania, from last April to deliver two exhibitions every week to all members of the public, representing hundreds of artists worldwide in visual, musical and literary art.

The initiative has provided a lifeline for artists, providing them with the opportunity to thrive and develop professionally and personally in difficult times.

Last August, Imagine Together: Arts Unlocked celebrated a group exhibition of more than 1,000 artworks by 100 international artists in the physical gallery space, with an online exhibition of visual art, poetry and music recitals by local musicians and poets recorded on-site and shared virtually, employing the expertise of Bogue Productions.

Last October, a second event – Culture Night by Candlelight – was delivered, showcasing visual artworks by international artists, local musicians and poets.

Noelle McAllinden has collaborated with Hambly & Hambly, providing invaluable support and advice in the execution of the online events.

Made In Trenbania have been indispensable in the delivery of online exhibitions, and Bogue Productions have been employed to expertly deliver the online streaming of arts events filmed on-site and shared worldwide, delivered by Hambly & Hambly in three languages, facilitating an international following and enjoyment.

The vision and inspiration of the Imagine project has been endorsed and approved by funding and support from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, via Culture Night by Candlelight, and in its funding for training for Hambly & Hambly to develop expertise in digital marketing.

Most recently, The Arts Council Northern Ireland gave significant funding to facilitate the Imagine project, and further innovative initiatives in the arts from Hambly & Hambly.

Today, the Imagine project is celebrating its first birthday with the launch of a new group exhibition, IMAGINE BEYOND – a collective show of visual art by Imagine members, curated by Ciara Hambly and Sinead Smyth.

It is accessible to the public on the open Facebook group page, Imagine, and the Hambly & Hambly at Dunbar House Facebook Page.