HAPPY NEW YEAR!
After the last couple of years, 2022 felt like a return to some kind of normality, and we were thrilled so many of you were happy to return and visit us.
Our delayed plans for The Engine Room at The Exchange were finally realised and we now have a state-of-the-art digital learning and hires space, the potential of which, we are just beginning to explore.
Back in July, on one of the hottest days in the year, we were delighted to host a special celebration of our work delivering the Arts Council Collection National Partnership Programme. The event brought together curator groups, artists, partner organisations, Gallery staff, and volunteers to mark all the extraordinary achievements during the three-year partnership. Take a look at our film from that day and be reminded of an amazing summer in Cornwall, as well as the great work that happened during the partnership.
In November we heard that we will continue to receive core funding from Arts Council England. The funding, and ACE’s continued support, will enable us to deliver a gallery programme that expands on the Community Curated programming we pioneered during the Arts Council Collection partnership, but also to build on our commitment to use contemporary art to address real need in our communities, including through our work in schools, and with other community partners. It has been, and continues to be a very difficult time for many, but, through our work we will show that the arts and artists have a tangible role to play in supporting wellbeing and social change.
LOOKING AHEAD
Looking ahead to 2023, we start the year with We Are Floating in Space, a group exhibition of artists who have made work in Cornwall and Devon, using ideas of the coast, to create their work. The exhibition looks beyond the tradition of seascapes to showcase artists who use the coast to address themes within their work.
The summer sees an exhibition that celebrates our two-year, Paul Hamlyn Foundation-funded outreach project, Think, Talk, Make Art. It features 61 artworks selected by children from nine primary schools in West Penwith and the Isles of Scilly, that have, for the last two years been on display in their schools.
In the autumn, we present an exhibition developed in partnership with Focal Point Gallery, Southend. For both venues, our coastal locations bring the prospect of sea-level rise, as a consequence of the climate emergency, into sharp focus. The exhibition will explore the many ways that artists can help us to make sense of the challenges we face and the actions we can all take.
From all of the team at the galleries, we wish you a wonderful New Year and look forward to seeing you in our venues, and in the many other places we will be working in 2023.
Best wishes
James Green
Director, Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange
