Exhibition will celebrate 60 years of creativity
Sixty years of artistic and cultural achievement across the Chichester district will be celebrated in a new exhibition at Chichester’s Novium Museum this June.
The Art of Chichester: 60 Years of Creativity will explore the arts, culture and heritage of Chichester city and the district from 1962 — when Chichester Festival Theatre opened — to the present day, embracing professional and amateur work across all art forms.
Curated by David Elliott, who was born and bred in Chichester, the exhibition will tell the story of how the arts have put the city of Chichester and surrounding areas on the map.
The exhibition forms a key part of Culture
Spark 2022 — a season of events, performances, live entertainment and community projects being held to mark a year of culture in Chichester District, including:60 years of Chichester Festival Theatre; 40 years of Pallant House Gallery; 30 years of Chichester Cinema; ten years of The Novium Museum and ten years of the Festival of Chichester; and also 200 years of the Chichester Canal Trust.
The exhibition has been made possible thanks to an Arts Council England Project Grant of £37,000, which will also enable a programme of community and public engagement activities.
These will include a series of art workshops for children led by practising artists during the summer holidays, a series of creative family days and a lecture series for adults.
The museum is collaborating with charity Article 12 Arts on a series of creative workshops designed to bring marginalised young people from across the district into the museum.
The young participants, who will include asylum seekers supported by Sanctuary in Chichester, will be introduced to the themes of the exhibition and be invited to explore their own responses to identity and place through different artistic mediums. Artwork produced during the workshops will be displayed in a community exhibition at The Novium Museum from September 24.
Councillor Roy Briscoe, cabinet member for culture and community services at Chichester District Council, said: “The Art of Chichester exhibition showcases what has been an outstanding 60 years of cultural achievement for the district.
“The story of arts, culture and heritage reaches far and wide, and we hope that the exhibition and supporting events programme will help to inspire the next generation of creatives.
“We are grateful to the many organisations and individuals who are generously contributing to the exhibition, including Pallant House Gallery, the University of Chichester, West Dean College and numerous local artists and makers.
“We are also thankful to Arts Council England for their generous support.”
An accompanying book written by exhibition curator David Elliott, also entitled The Art of Chichester: 60 Years of Creativity, will be available to buy from The Novium Museum’s shop — both in store and online: http://shop. thenovium.org
The Art of Chichester opens on Saturday, June 25 and will run until February 25 2023, replacing the Brick Wonders exhibition, which closes on Sunday, June 5.
Admission is free with donations gratefully received. For more information, you can visit: www.thenovium. org/artofchi