Displacement is a dynamic, collaborative art exhibition which will be held in the Oxhibitions Gallery above Salisbury Oxfam Books and Music, 10 Catherine Street, Salisbury. The gallery is open 10am-4pm each day from Monday to Saturday.

The show, by four emerging artists, runs from 5th – 27th August 2010 and aims to challenge established notions of contemporary art. Featured works includes photography that exists in ‘a permanent state of development’, paintings that are torn between 2D wall hangings and 3D sculptures and objects that are in conflict between function versus aesthetic.

Four artists are involved in this group exhibition; Martin Billingham, Richard Eveleigh, Zoe Snelson and Sarah Sanger. Each artist has a different specialism ranging from painting to installation. This contributes to the overall theme of the exhibition as does the Oxfam Gallery venue itself. The gallery is something of an unexpected contradiction i.e.: a space filled with character that generates funds for the charity whilst allowing considerable artistic freedom.

‘The Oxfam art team are delighted to welcome Richard back for his third exhibition with us. We are looking forward to seeing the inspiring work that his colleagues will contribute to this show.’ Chris Watts, Gallery Administrator.

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Oxhibitions Gallery is open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm, above Salisbury Oxfam Bookshop at 10, Catherine Street.

Commission from sales will be going towards Oxfam’s work overseas to end poverty and suffering.

For more information regarding this Exhibition, please contact Salisbury Oxfam Art Team on 01722 337187 or by emailing art@salisburyoxfam.org.uk

You might have noticed some of the new features around the site, allowing you to share any story with you friends on Facebook by Liking it and letting you comment on stories here by logging in with Facebook, among others. This is all part of our process of joining Facebook as a new way to allow our supporters, shoppers and donators to communicate with us and so we can join in with the Facebook community and collaborate on projects such as Oxjam which work fantastically through social media.

However to get the full benefits of this for you and us we’d love people to Like our new Facebook page which you can find over at http://facebook.com/salisburyoxfam. We’re planning to share photos of our current exhibitions there, create shop events so you can let us know you’re coming and more over time as we work out the many great things we can do with it.

We’ve already been on Twitter for around a year now, amassing a sizable following, and have really enjoyed taking part in that community of Salisbury residents, Salisbury businesses, other Oxfam shops and of course the wider world! We think this will complement that excellently, so don’t worry if you’re already a follower or fancy coming and joining in: we certainly won’t be moving from @salisburyoxfam anytime soon!

Almost 10 million people across West Africa are facing a food crisis following erratic rains that have caused poor food harvests and water shortages.

Irregular rains in 2009 have led to a severe lack of pasture and water and a poor harvest across West Africa. The worst affected country is Niger where over 7 million people are at risk. Some 2 million people are threatened in Chad and an estimated further 629,000 are affected in Mali. Parts of Nigeria and Burkina Faso are also at risk.

In Niger, the harvest has fallen by 30% compared with the previous year, and some areas, especially the Diffa in the east of country and Tillabéry to the west, have had no harvest at all. In Chad, harvests have fallen by 34%. The areas of Hadjer Lamis, Batha, Kanem, Guera regions and eastern Chad are expected to be hit hard, especially from June 2010. Overall, the harvest in the Sahel has decreased by 9% with great disparities between East and West Sahel.

Oxfam is there
Oxfam has launched an emergency programme to provide support to 400,000 people in Niger, 200,000 people in Mali and 200,000 people in Chad. In the most vulnerable regions of Niger, especially in the Maradi, Tahoua, Tillabéry and Zinder regions, we are distributing food and supplies to the poorest households and schoolchildren, protecting livestock and buying weak livestock from herders at above market levels.

Particularly important in the current crisis is the early warning system developed by our partners in Niger and broadcasted on rural radio networks. This gives cattle herders the information they need to act quickly. In Mali, we will be distributing food and animal feed to people worst affected by the crisis.

In Chad, Oxfam is distributing food and seeds, and running agricultural and livelihood support projects. We are also helping rehabilitate and maintain water points, and carrying out hygiene promotion. Oxfam has worked in the Sahel region for decades, developing sustainable solutions to tackle the root causes of food shortages such as creating cereal and fodder banks, promoting income diversification as well as education and literacy.

What can I do?

• Give – Oxfam needs your donations to fund this work. You can donate in Salisbury Oxfam shops, securely online here, or by phoning 0300 200 1300. Thank you.

We are pleased to announce our latest Oxhibition: Art In The Wild by the artists group Art Seen. It will run from 8th – 30th July 2010 in the Oxhibitions gallery above Salisbury Oxfam Bookshop, 10 Catherine Street. Open Monday – Saturday 10am – 4pm.

Fifteen artits from the Romsey area of Hampshire are offering the opportunity to view their latest exhibition themed ‘Art in the Wild’.

In this, their fourth show, ArtSeen are pleased to show their interpretation of wildlife from around the world. Personal experience and a lifetime of travel contribute to this unique collection of their art.

Exotic animals and fleeting moments will catch the energy of vergant jungle life. Nature’s wilderness at its best, caught on canvas.

Salisbury Oxfam is very excited to be taking part in the Oxjam Wiltshire takeover of Salisbury coming this October. Our Oxhibitions gallery will be being used as a venue for some of the many events currently being planned and you’ll be able to find out more about the project as it progresses through our site.

At the moment, we’re looking for for acts, especially acoustic, who would be interested in playing at any time during October and in particular on the 23rd. We can help match you up with venues, though if you have anything planned anyway and would like to get involved with Oxjam as well we’d be delighted to hear about that too! Email oxjamwiltshire@googlemail.com with any offers, questions or any other ideas.

As well as this, we’re looking for any volunteers to help us out on the day: collecting donations, giving out fliers and just enjoying the gigs! If you think you can help out with that drop us an email at oxjam@salisburyoxfam.org.uk and we’ll be in touch.

You can find out more about the plans and make contact by joining the OXJAM WILTSHIRE TAKEOVER Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105570092820071 or following the dedicated Twitter feed @oxjamwiltshire – though we’ll also be retweeting key information on our feed @salisburyoxfam

Finally, if what all you really want to do is enjoy some fantastic live music this October: keep your eyes on this website, there’ll be plenty more news coming over the next few months!