PEOPLE wishing to contribute to a record breaking collection have until the end of the month to add their face to thousands of others.

The Breakout! exhibition was first introduced at Quay Arts 20 years ago — an ambitious project that saw the centre filled with self-portraits from a generation of youngsters.

Starting small, the gallery soon expanded as schools got involved, with drawings, paintings and prints flooding in.

It grew to such an extent, an exhibition, My Millennium, ended up in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest collection of self-portraits ever, with 13,626 entries.

A spokesperson for Quay Arts said: “In 2020, we invite Islanders of all ages to submit a self-portrait, in any medium.

“The only restriction is it must be 10cm x 10cm, as the original portraits were.

“We want to make Breakout! bigger and better than before, so we need you.

“We are also asking ‘what’s at the end of your rainbow?’ so you can share a few words to say what Breakout! means to you.”

As a self-financed charity, Quay Arts relies on income from its trading activities to bring the arts to Islanders.

The centre has set a fundraising target of £20,000 to allow it to keep operating in a post-pandemic world.

Isle of Wight County Press:

To that end, Quay Arts are asking for a donation of £1 from every person or household who takes part in the exhibition — back by Arts Council England — although it is not compulsory.

Those wishing to post their self-portraits should send them to Quay Arts by July 31, to 15 Sea Street, Newport, PO30 5BD.

Artwork can also be dropped into the venue’s cafe drop-off point, with the answer to the question ‘what is your rainbow?’ requested on the back of portraits.