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Issue 15 • 2016 Celebrating the Learning and Community Programme and Outside In at Pallant House Gallery
Alternative Ways of Making
Outside In’s fourth open exhibition will be at Pallant House Gallery from 12 March – 12 June 2016. Showcasing
work by 34 British and international artists who express their creativity unbounded by taught conventions,
Radical Craft: Alternative Ways of Making has been organised in collaboration with Craftspace and will tour
across the UK following its debut at Pallant House Gallery.
R
adical Craft: Alternative Ways
of Making has been co-curated
by Laura Hamilton and will include
craft works by historically renowned
artists associated with Outsider Art
as well as contemporary self-taught
artists. Twenty-one of the exhibiting
artists were selected through open
submissions on the Outside In website
and are artists who see themselves
as facing barriers to the art world for
reasons including health, disability,
social circumstance or isolation.
The exhibition will highlight the
artists’ radical missions; their intuitive
responses to textiles; autobiographical
responses to their environment; and
folk-like perceptions of the world.
Most of the artists have never received
any formal training, although their
practices may have been nurtured and
encouraged in specialist centres or
studios. Their work is often created
with very little self-consciousness and
is rarely aimed at a particular audience
or the mainstream art marketplace.
Mr X makes large scale cardboard
structures and vehicles as a form of
escape, survival and resistance to living
in an institution. Pascal Tassini has a
special interest in weddings and bridal
Willem van Genk, Presikhaaf, Image courtesy of Museum Dr Guislain, Ghent
attire, producing a complete environment, including a wedding tent, rings, love
letters and elaborate Baroque-style headdresses.
Beth Hopkins connects found objects, often washed up from the Thames, with
parts of discarded electrical gadgets. She says: “It is empowering to reduce items
down to their components; taking back the power digital life has over us all.”
Other works in the exhibition include Dalton M Ghetti’s extreme miniature forms
sculpted into discarded pencil lead; Michael Smith’s altered donated jeans, bound
and wrapped with masking tape; Erkki Pekkarinen’s folkloric life-sized woven birch
bark figures; Nnena Kalu’s large evolving cocoon-like forms of paper, fabric and
foam bound and wrapped with tape, yarn and cling-film; and Julia Krause-Harder’s
large mixed-media dinosaurs.
continued on pages 2 and 3
The Pallant Press Team - Editor: Kate Davey, [email protected]
Executive Editor: Sandra Peaty, Staff Writer: Emily Turner, Designer: Louise Bristow
Pallant Press is also available in digital format or audio version - please contact the Gallery
Printed by Sharman & Co Ltd - 01733 424949
Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1TJ, 01243 770841, [email protected], www.pallant.org.uk
Issue 15 • 2016
Outside In Exhibition
Page 2
Dalton Ghetti
Dalton Ghetti began handling tools and learning how to carve early. He first started his 3D career by
carving large objects but in the early 1980s, in light of talk about ‘nanotechnology’, he decided to
set himself a challenge and make the smallest thing he could with the naked eye and human hand.
He first carved the wooden part of pencils, before moving on to carving the graphite tip of the
pencil. Dalton’s subject matter comes from his everyday life; things that are related to him or his life,
events, or something he might have seen going about his day to day business. He’ll create sketches
first of all, before carving into the graphite end of the pencil. Usually he does this with a sewing
needle and a triangular razor blade, but he has also created his own tools, including oval and straight
edged chisels fashioned from sewing needles. Taking months or even years to complete, Dalton can
only work on a piece for an hour to an hour and a half at a time. After this, he will take a break –
sometimes for a day, sometimes for a week. There have been times when he has had the time and
availability, but hasn’t felt inspired to carve, and he doesn’t force himself to.
Dalton Ghetti, Boot, Image courtesy of Sloan Howard
Nnena Kalu
Nnena Kalu is a prolific artist with a determined approach
to creating a broad range of work incorporating binding,
wrapping and layering. Recent sculptures illustrate her
distinctive systematic layering technique where cocoons of
clusters of paper, fabric and foam are bound together with
tape, yarn and cling film. Each piece is constantly evolving
and growing as layers are added. Nnena is an ActionSpace
artist based in London. ActionSpace is an organisation
that supports the development of artists with learning
disabilities, creating innovative visual arts projects.
Nnena Kalu, Mummified Sculpture, Image courtesy of ActionSpace
Roland Kappel
Roland Kappel has always been interested in construction machinery, ever since he was a child.
His first memorable moment of inspiration was when he was five years old and he saw a huge
construction site, complete with a KAISER telescopic crane. He started making building cranes
and excavators 40 years ago, first of all out of paper and cardboard, and then out of wood, and
later still, metal. Using what he can find for his 3D creations – primarily wood, wheels, or parts
of old radios, Roland is also a keen drawer, depicting the structure of building cranes and the
rear views of various vehicles.
Roland says of his construction mission: “I don’t know whether what I do is art. I wasn’t that
active in the building mission as a child. A mission is something that helps people out in an
emergency. You cannot simply stop doing it – it has to be done.”
Roland Kappel, Wolff, Image courtesy of Atelier 5, Mariaberg
Ian Sherman
Ian Sherman has amassed some 80 assemblages, mostly dating from 1997 – 2006.
Found objects – wood, plastic, resin, plaster, papier mâché – are often overpainted after
being arranged on their wooden bases. Ian’s concept is to “create a room filled with small
objects that are eerie and evoke silence. Some of the work started to be ‘mock grandiose’
and intuitive, although in the context of the ‘Art World’ it is closest to Surrealist sculpture.
At times a curious synchronicity was apparent – found objects turning up at the right
moment almost as if instigated by thought.” Ian began working on ‘A Comedian’ in 1995.
Incorporating items from his childhood, it alludes to laughter, ephemera and absurdity but
also the introspection and anxieties inherent in the personalities of many comedians. He
continually adds to and modifies artworks that he has around him.
Ian Sherman, A Comedian, Image courtesy of Jacqui Cavalier
Issue 15 • 2016
Outside In Exhibition
Page 3
Radical Craft events
Thursday 14 April, 6pm
Co-Curator talk on Radical Craft: Alternative Ways of
Making
(£10, £8.50 Friends of the Gallery, £9 students)
Tour schedule
Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
12 March – 12 June 2016
Oriel Davies Gallery, Powys
25 June - 29 August 2016
“Radical Craft is exactly the kind of project that disrupts and
pushes the edges. It offers a unique and exciting opportunity
to break open and challenge boundaries, particularly within
the arts. Not only does the show take a meaningful and critical
outlook on artists working outside the ‘considered’ mainstream,
it offers a powerful and important marker of seminal practice
within contemporary craft. We look forward to being introduced
to artists whose work we are unfamiliar with, and in turn
introducing them to audiences coming to Oriel Davies (existing
and new). The impact, we’re sure, will certainly resonate for a
long time – and generate new ones along the way.” – Alex Boyd
Jones, Curator, Oriel Davies Gallery.
Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend 10 September – 5 November 2016
20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe
19 November 2016 – 28 January 2017
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Carlisle
11 February – 26 March 2017
“Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery is excited to be one of the host
venues for Radical Craft. In 2013 we held ‘Outside In’, an exhibition
of visual art created by diverse artists in partnership with Pallant
House Gallery and Prism Arts. We received excellent feedback
from our visitors about this exhibition and have since continued our
work with diverse artists through commission opportunities and
creative response projects. Displaying Radical Craft at the museum
will allow us to provide a platform for diverse artists to create
high quality, exciting craft work and share their skills with our
audiences.” - Anna Smalley, Programming Manager – Learning,
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery.
The Barony Centre, West Kilbride
8 April – 10 June 2017
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
24 June – 2 September 2017
Walford Mill, Dorset
16 September – 5 November 2017
Laura Hamilton, Radical Craft Exhibition co-curator, takes
a closer look at the creative processes of the makers
represented in the exhibition, and how the development
of their unique practices provides a sense of timelessness,
uncommon in the field of mainstream, contemporary craft.
Thursday 19 May, 6pm
Tour of Radical Craft: Alternative Ways of Making
(£5.50, £3 students, plus admission)
Outside In Manager Jennifer Gilbert leads a tour of the
exhibition, which showcases extraordinary craft works ranging
from bark woven clothing, to buses made from tin cans, to
delicate textile weavings.
Saturday 21 May, 2 – 4pm
Art as Communication: Panel Discussion
(£7, £5 Friends of the Gallery)
For many of the artists involved with Outside In,
communicating using language is not possible. Because
of this, many of them use their art to communicate with
the people around them, and to share their worlds with
others. To accompany Radical Craft: Alternative Ways of
Making, Outside In is hosting a panel discussion focusing
on art as communication, looking at how creativity can be
vital for people without language or sight to maintain their
independence.
The panel will include Dr Cheryl McGeachan, a lecturer at the
University of Glasgow who is concerned with the historical and
cultural geographies of mental ill-health and asylum spaces;
Dr David O’ Flynn, consultant rehabilitation psychiatrist at
Lambeth and Maudsley Hospitals and Chair of the Adamson
Collection Trust; Joyce Scott, twin sister of exhibiting artist
Judith Scott and member of the Advisory Board of Creative
Growth Art Center in California; Charlotte Hollinshead, artist
facilitator at ActionSpace; and David Johnson, a blind visual
artist working in 3D.
Thursday 26 May, 6pm
Alice Kettle in conversation with Aradne and Ian
Sherman
(£10, £8.50 Friends of the Gallery, £9 students)
Aradne makes jewel-like figurative stitched works. Ian
Sherman’s assemblages are of miniature extraordinary
worlds made using found objects. Both artists draw upon
autobiography and the imaginary to create works which use
material process as part of their construction. In relation to
the Radical Craft exhibition they will be in conversation with
Alice Kettle, who is herself an artist working in textile. If you
are an Outside In artist or part of Pallant House Gallery’s
Community Programme you can book these events for the
discounted price of £5.00.
Issue 15 • 2016
Exhibitions and Events
Page 4
Work by Thompson Hall is commissioned by HOUSE 2016
T
his year Outside In is once again collaborating with HOUSE; the
contemporary visual arts festival that takes place every May as part
of Brighton Festival. An open submission saw Outside In artists respond to
the HOUSE 2016 theme ‘home,’ with Thompson Hall being selected for an
exhibition at the iconic Regency Town House from 30 April – 5 June 2016.
For the exhibition, Thompson will work on a series of paintings about the difference
between being in London and Brighton. These will be inspired by his feelings about
the two places, and will be of varying sizes. He is interested in the idea of painting
windows into other worlds that exist in his mind. He has proposed that these will sit
beside the windows of the Town House, which look out onto the streets of Brighton.
Some of these represented scenes might be nightmarish: a plane crashing into a
fictional metropolis, or rooms moving and melting, or they might be dreamy and
peaceful: bright seaside colours, or reflections and refractions of colour.
Thompson says of his selection: “Thanks for this opportunity to be part of the
festival. I’m very excited to start doing my work. It means a lot to me as I can inspire
others and be a role model.”
Thompson is an ActionSpace artist. ActionSpace supports the development of
artists with learning disabilities. His installation, based on the HOUSE 2016 theme
‘home’, will be at the Regency Town House, Hove from 30 April – 29 May 2016.
Who are you?
Outside In will once again be
collaborating with The Wellbeing
Gallery, based at the Brighton
Health and Wellbeing Centre, for
Artist Open Houses this May.
This year, the exhibiting artists are
exploring the theme ‘Who are you?’
The Wellbeing Gallery is part of a
research project to understand the
need and meaning of arts on referral
within the NHS. Their main objectives
are to offer support and opportunities
for under-represented artists, whilst
communicating to their patients
through the arts that self-reflection and
understanding personal narrative are
beneficial to wellbeing and good health.
Jude Hart, Curator of The Wellbeing
Coming up in the
Studio at Pallant
House Gallery
Creating Untitled: Silver Awards
1 March – 3 April 2016
An exhibition of work by members of
the Gallery’s young people’s group,
Creating Untitled.
Studio Artists
10 May – 5 June 2016
This exhibition will showcase work
created by Community Programme
members who participate in Art Ways
and Art in Practice.
W
ork in the show includes Luc
Raesmith’s collage and assemblage
pieces, textiles by Sally Ward, and
paintings by Yap, Stephen Hawthorne
and Stephen Humphreys. There will also
be a film from Finding Your Compass;
a project exploring a creative road to
management and recovery from mental
health conditions.
Thompson Hall, St Peters Church
Stephen Hawthorne, Stephen
Gallery says: “We are so pleased to be
partnering with Outside In again. The
Outside In artists are at the heart of the
project - they are so brilliant and inspiring
and a pleasure to work with. Showing their
work and telling their stories strengthens
our message that understanding oneself
through making, sharing and being heard is
key to our wellbeing.”
‘Who are you?’ will be at The Wellbeing
Gallery, 18-19 Western Road, Brighton,
BN3 1AE on 30 April and 1, 7, 8, 14, 15,
21, 22, 28, 29 May (11am – 6pm).
Image by Julie Hurman
People, Places and Partnership
7 – 26 June 2016
An exhibition of work produced by two
Partners in Art partnerships, showing
the range of interests and approaches
in their creative relationships.
Issue 15• 2016
Learning and Community
Programme Page 5
New developments: meet Learning Programme Manager Kiki Claxton
What can you tell us about your role?
What does it involve?
At the moment, primarily, I’m working
with schools, interacting with them and
tailoring the workshops to the different
schools who visit the Gallery, as well
as finding the right artist and the right
workshop assistant to work with them.
Sometimes we also organise a tour guide
to help the schools with their visits around
the Gallery, so it can completely relate to
what they’re learning in the classroom.
Kiki Claxton is the new Learning
Programme Manager at Pallant
House Gallery. Here, Kiki discusses
her role at the Gallery, how
the Learning and Community
Programme will develop during
2016, and what she’s excited for
in the coming months.
How are you enjoying your time at
the Gallery?
I’ve been in the role three weeks now,
and it’s been really good – there’s a lot
to take on, but it’s been good.
What has the Gallery got coming up
over the next few months?
We have a range of fantastic
workshops coming up as well as the
Free Open Weekend happening in May,
but at the moment we’re re-developing
the programme, and working out what
we would like to offer for the new
academic year.
What are you excited to be involved
with at the Gallery?
The new programmes – I’m really looking
forward to the re-development phase,
in my previous role in the Early Years and
Families Department at Tate, I developed
different strands of the programme to
make it more accessible to visitors. I’m also
interested in connecting up different age
groups within a workshop, and bridging
early years with young people specifically.
Were you involved with the Gallery
before you started working here?
Well, I grew up near Chichester, so I’ve
known about the Gallery ever since I can
remember. I actually volunteered here
about two and a half to three years ago,
just to learn a bit more about the Learning
and Community programme and what the
Gallery had to offer.
Are you an artist yourself?
Well, I was! Unfortunately I don’t have
the time to practice now. I don’t know
whether I’d still consider myself to be an
artist, but I studied at Chelsea College
of Art and Design in Fine Art, and then
I went on to Goldsmiths University in
London, where I gained an Master’s
degree in Contemporary Art Theory.
Any closing thoughts?
It’s been a real whirlwind – it’s a really
great place to work!
Interview by Emily Turner
Winner of the 2015 Sussex Artists’ Award
Passion for Painting: William Lai
T
he creative work of self-taught artist
William Lai is bold, emotional and
exploratory. Since childhood, he has had
an innate passion for painting, and can
remember hoarding piles of paintings and
drawings on paper.
As his father’s hobby was Chinese
calligraphy, there was plenty of paper
lying about for William to practice his
craft on. “My early influences were Paul
Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, and in
my later years, Picasso, Jean Dubuffet,
Paul Klee, primitive art and surrealism and
abstraction,” he said.
Retiring in 2006 after training and working
in the UK as a psychiatric nurse, William
has been painting in his spare time for
around 50 years. In recent years, William
has received recognition for his work, and
has had his paintings exhibited several
times. He explained: “I try to take part in
exhibitions whenever the opportunity
The Award raises vital funds to support
the Gallery’s Community Programme
while championing the work of artists
across the country, whatever their age or
background. 120 artists from across the
country submitted 233 pieces of work to
the Sussex Artists’ Award, and 60 pieces
were selected to be exhibited in the Studio
at the Gallery.
William Lai, Surreal Landscape
arises. I have exhibited twice at the Royal
Academy Summer Show, and three times
at the International Biennale in Malta, in
which I was awarded a Special Distinction
in 2001. I also had a solo show at
Nanyang Academy in Singapore in 1997.”
In 2015, William was awarded first
prize in the Sussex Artists’ Award, a
competition Pallant House Gallery runs
in collaboration with St Wilfrid’s Hospice.
William was awarded first prize for his
work ‘Surreal Landscape,’ for which he
won a solo show at Pallant House Gallery.
William said: “My obsession with painting is
that I have this urge to paint almost daily,
or to get on with some work. If I am not
painting or sculpting for any single day, it
unsettles me.”
Passion for Painting: William Lai will be in
the Studio at Pallant House Gallery from 5
April – 8 May 2016.
Issue 15 • 2016
Outside In
Page 6
Outside In: 10 Years On
This year, Outside In celebrates its tenth anniversary
with a display in Pallant House Gallery’s Garden Gallery
and a special exhibition in the Studio showcasing work
by previous Outside In Award Winners.
T
o date, through its dedicated website, exhibitions and
accompanying events programme, Outside In has
engaged more than 5,000 artists and over a quarter of a
million audience members. Artists who have worked with
the project have experienced increased confidence and selfesteem, and improved mental health and wellbeing. In 2008
Outside In developed Step Up as its professional development
programme, supporting 70 artists to gain new sector-based
skills, in many instances resulting in employment and increased
self-respect. One of the project’s major achievements was
winning the Charity Award for Arts, Culture and Heritage in
2013. This recognition publically validated the Gallery and its
unique approach to community engagement.
Founder of Outside In and Executive Director of Pallant House
Gallery Marc Steene says:
“Since the project was formed it has supported thousands
of artists who define themselves as facing barriers to the art
world. Though the landscape has changed in the period since
Outside In was formed, the art world is still very much the same.
Change comes slowly, especially when it comes to something so
ingrained and embedded as to how we as a society define and
describe art and culture.
“Outside In seeks to create a fairer art world, to provide the
opportunity for artists who, without the support of the project,
would largely remain invisible and their work overlooked
and forgotten. I feel that one of the major achievements of
the project has been the rewriting of the Gallery’s mission
statement, and more importantly its acquisitions policy, to
include the work of non-traditional and outsider artists. This has
meant that work has been acquired by Pallant House Gallery for
its collection, creating a lasting legacy for future generations,
Martin Phillimore, Untitled 7
redefining our collection of Modern British art and thereby
enabling it to tell an inclusive and wider story of artists and art.
“Outside In connects artists with the art world and with each other,
providing opportunities for discussion and support, and nurturing
a growing sense of respect and entitlement. The remarkable
critical success of some of the artists Outside In has worked with is
testimony not just to the quality of the artists’ work itself, but also
to how fundamentally important it is to reach out to and present
the work of artists hidden in our communities.”
“Creativity is part of the human condition and Outside
In offers a rare opportunity for people like me to show
my work and to learn. I become less invisible as I grow
and share who I am meant to be.”
Jacqui Cavalier, Outside In artist
“In ten years, from lunch at our home to international
renown, Outside in shows the unique impact a
powerful idea can have, providing art world access to
those excluded. We feel privileged to be involved.”
Manuel Bonifacio, Motorbike and Man, Pallant House Gallery
Jackie and Steve Street, Outside In patrons
Issue 15 • 2016
Outside In
“When I think about my time at
Outside In I feel inspired, enriched,
amazed, empowered and motivated.
Some days I feel challenged and
sad. But more than anything I feel
honoured and proud.”
Page 7
#£10 for
10 years
To celebrate Outside In’s 10th
anniversary, we are encouraging
you to donate £10 for 10 years.
By donating £10, you could help
us to:
Jennifer Gilbert, Outside In Manager
“Having been part of Outside In
since its beginnings, it has brought
me no end of pleasure. It has also
helped promote my work and
helped me be more confident in
many situations.”
• Run Surgery Days to help
artists sign up for their own
online gallery
• Organise exhibitions, enabling
Stephen White, Outside In artist
us to share the work of more
artists every year
John Jennings, Engine of the Sunflower
“A partnership between artists and
all who love art. The makers are no
longer isolated. Their art with its
colour, pattern, feeling and skill, is
visible. It does what good art
should: change us.”
Rose Knox-Peebles, Art collector
Tess Springall, Paranoia
• Improve artists’ wellbeing by
increasing their confidence and
self-esteem
If you would like to donate £10
for 10 years, we can accept cash
or card payments which can be
processed at reception at Pallant
House Gallery. Please also fill in
a Gift Aid form where possible,
enabling us to raise even more
money to support artists.
To mark 10 years of Outside In, there will be a display in the Garden Gallery at Pallant
House Gallery from 12 March – 24 April 2016. In addition to this, there will be an
exhibition in the Studio from 6 September – 30 October 2016, which will showcase work
by past Award Winners, highlighting the journey the artists have been on since they were
presented with their awards. For more information please visit www.outsidein.org.uk.
Auction of work by Stephen White will raise money for Outside In
O
utside In is very grateful for the donation of work for
auction by Outside In Ambassador Stephen White,
with funds going to support the work of the project.
Stephen’s work has been a part of numerous exhibitions
both locally and nationally, and with influences from Willem
de Kooning, George Baselitz, Frank Auerbach and the
Scottish Colourists, he brings incredible originality to what
he creates. Stephen was a runner up in Outside In’s 2007
triennial exhibition, and he is now a prominent Ambassador,
sharing his experiences and his journey with the project
with a variety of audiences. Money raised through the
auction will enable Outside In to continue to support artists
facing barriers to the art world.
Stephen White, The View is All Mine
Stephen’s work will be on display at Pallant House Gallery
from 26 April – 8 May 2016, and the auction will take
place on 5 May 2016 from 6pm, conducted by Toovey’s.
Issue 15 • 2016
Partnership in Focus
Page 8
From Chichester to Barcelona: an international partnership
Partners in Art provides opportunities for people with support needs to follow their interest in art by establishing
creative partnerships. Here, Jan Wyld and Kitty Sawday discuss their experience of working alongside each other
as Partners in Art, and their achievements. Interview by Emily Turner
all of the Partners in Art, where we discussed a lot of things.
It was really nice for us to have been able to get to know each
other like that.
Kitty: We became partners in June so it was around six or
seven months, but it now feels like I’ve known Jan all my life!
Kitty and Jan working together in the Studio
Can you tell us about how your partnership worked?
Kitty: My partnership with Jan worked brilliantly! We would
meet up at least once a week to take part in the workshops,
go to exhibitions or just grab a cup of tea and have a chit chat.
I used to look forward to our meet ups so much - the thing I
most enjoyed was just having a time in my week where I could
relax and enjoy myself with my new wonderful friend.
Jan: Kitty and I are very different in age, but I like that,
because it means we learn a lot from each other. Although we
are very different people, when we were introduced, straight
away we felt very comfortable with each other and seemed to
like similar things in art. Kitty decided that she’d like to come
along to the workshops on Thursdays, and she came along
every week. In between the workshops, we would go to the
Oxmarket to see some exhibitions there, and we all went to
Littlehampton together to see the Littlehampton Art Trail. I
went as part of the Pallant Creative Collective, which is a group
of people within the Community Programme who are exhibiting
outside of the Gallery. We meet up about once a month.
Do you have a memory of your partnership that you
particularly like?
Kitty: When we first became partners Jan mentioned that
she has always wanted to visit the Tate Modern, so in the
weeks leading up to Christmas and before I left for Barcelona
we started planning a trip up to London. We had a really
wonderful day together at the gallery and particularly enjoyed
the Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture exhibition.
Jan: We ended up going to the Tate Modern in London
together, where we saw the Alexander Calder exhibition, and
another Pop Art exhibition which was on. They were really
interesting. The sculptures were very, very good – they all
hung from the ceiling. It was such a good exhibition!
How long did your partnership last?
Jan: We were Partners in Art for about six months before
Kitty had to leave. We knew that when we started the
partnership. We first had a meeting with Lucy, who supports
What do you enjoy about being a Partner in Art?
Jan: I love to share art with other people, and I enjoy looking
at other people’s art. It really interests me, and I like to
see how everybody’s work is so varied. So to be alongside
somebody else, you gain such a lot from their opinions and the
different ideas that they have. I think it’s great to have that
one to one. I love to go out to galleries and with other people
to discuss the artwork, because normally I’m on my own, and
you want to talk about it. It’s lovely to have somebody there
to talk to, especially if they’re someone who really enjoys it as
well. It’s such a lovely thing to have a Partner in Art.
Kitty: I would say that being a part of the Partners in
Art programme has been an amazing experience, and I’ve
definitely made a friend for life with my partner Jan!
Jan: It was good to be together during the workshop as
our styles are quite different – Kitty works faster than me,
but it’s good that we’re different. She loves bright colours
– her favourite colour is orange, which means if she made
something, it had to have orange in it! But when we went to
exhibitions, we found that we liked very similar things.
Kitty and Jan’s collaborative work
What kind of artwork do you like to produce, either
together as a partnership or separately?
Jan: I’m a very varied artist. I work on the projects that we do
in the workshops every Thursday – today we’re doing paper
folding and making 3D sculptures. Next week we’re going to
find a piece of work that we weren’t terribly happy with so
we can cut into it and make shapes and see how it looks – I
definitely have some pieces like that, so I won’t have any
difficulty finding one to use!
Issue 15 • 2016
Partnership in Focus / Living Well with Dementia
Festival Page 9
Living Well With Dementia Festival
April – May 2016
T
his year, Pallant House Gallery’s Learning and
Community Programme will be participating
in the Living Well with Dementia Festival for the
second time. During the Festival, we encourage
people living with dementia and their carers to
join us for these dementia friendly activities.
Image by Jan Wyld
What did you work on together?
Jan: We did some screen printing together,
which we enjoyed doing at one of the Pallant
Community Workshops. We also did a joint
project together, whereas before we were
working side by side on our own work. I like
photography very much, so I went out and took
photographs of architecture, windmills - all sorts
of things. Kitty and I then worked together: I
stuck down the photographs and Kitty drew
from them. We were hoping to do three pieces –
maybe one with flowers - but unfortunately we
didn’t complete it, so maybe when Kitty comes
back from Barcelona, we can finish it!
Kitty: We did our artwork separately but worked
together on one piece which combined both of
our experiences. Half was concentrated on my
time in Barcelona and the other on some of Jan’s
photography. We put the two subjects together
and came up with a piece that used both ideas. Jan: We don’t know how long Kitty will be away,
so we’re not sure what’s going to happen, but I
would like to finish that project we were doing,
and do different things with it – maybe try it with
flowers, and then with another subject.
Partners in Art provides opportunities for
people with support needs to follow their
interest in art by establishing creative
partnerships. Carefully selected to meet the
needs and creative ambitions of both the
volunteer and referral partner, partnerships
are encouraged to work together or alongside
each other in an equal way with respect for the
others’ creativity and interests. Meeting on a
regular basis, partners typically create art, visit
exhibitions, take part in Community Programme
studio sessions or attend workshops.
Care for Art
Tues 12 April, Tues 10 May, 10.30am – 12.30pm
Care for Art runs monthly two hour workshops on a wide range of
creative approaches and techniques. People living with dementia and
carers are welcome to try out these workshops.
Guided Tour of the Gallery Collections
Tues 19 April , 1.30 – 3.30pm
A Gallery Guide will give a general tour looking at key works in the
collections, followed by refreshments in the Studio.
Art Views
Thurs 28 April, Thurs 26 May, 1.30 – 3.30pm
An opportunity to look at 3 – 5 key artworks from the Gallery collection,
led by an Artist Educator who will lead an informal discussion and encourage
people to share their personal responses. The aim is for everyone to develop
confidence and enjoyment in looking and talking about art – there are no
wrong answers and everyone’s opinion is valuable. The one hour sessions are
followed by refreshments in the Studio.
Creative Workshops
Tues 3 May, Tues 17 May, 2pm-4pm
Informal and relaxed workshops with opportunities to try out new
techniques and enjoy being creative.
Booking is essential. Please contact Lucy Greenfield ([email protected]
/ 07788489536) £3.50 (includes refreshments)
The Gallery is part of the Chichester Cultural Learning Partnership (CCLP),
which is running the Festival to encourage those living with dementia to
engage with the rich offering of arts and culture in the region. Throughout
the Festival, there will be a range of dementia-friendly events at other
venues in and around Chichester including Chichester Cathedral, Chichester
Festival Theatre. Fishbourne Roman Palace & Gardens, The Novium, The
Otter Gallery, and The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum.
You can pick up a leaflet
about the Festival from
reception or visit
www.pallant.org.uk for
more information.
If you are interested in finding out more
about Partners in Art please speak to Lucy
Greenfield, Community Programme Coordinator,
([email protected] / 07788 489536).
An Art Views session in progress at the Gallery
Issue 15 • 2016Arts
Award
Page 10
New perspectives on Pallant House Gallery
Pallant House Gallery is running a second Arts Award course at Silver level for some of the members of Creating
Untitled who took part in the Bronze Award. This has been running since October 2015, and will culminate in an
exhibition in March 2016. Creating Untitled is the Gallery’s group for young people aged 13 – 18.
A
s part of the Silver Arts Award the
young people, aged between 14 and
15, have reviewed the gallery; either a
specific exhibition or piece of work – or
even more generally - in order to share
their ideas with others. As a result of
this, in this article, you’ll find different
perspectives on the galleries and current
exhibitions from a young person’s point
of view.
On Edward Bawden’s Brighton Pier: “I like
the bold lines and different shapes and
textures of the lines. I also like the fact
that there are different layers visible
and I like how you can see the different
shaped prints he used.”
– Carmen
On Alfred Wallis’ Grey Schooner: “Dark,
mysterious, storm at sea, greys and dark
blues, dark colours, harsh brush strokes,
worked on old piece of board.”
– Adele
On Ben Nicholson’s, White Relief: “The
artwork is made out of oil, pencil and
cardboard which are layered to give it a
3D effect. It has four layers. The shapes
in the cardboard are a mixture of squares,
circles and rectangles which give it a lot
of variation. This is good because it helps
to make the overall piece unique instead
of it just being the same shapes. The
cardboard is a cream colour. Although this
is simple, it is effective.”
– Alex
“I enjoyed my visit to Pallant House
Gallery as it was interesting to see
different artists’ styles and the
development of their work. For example,
Ben Nicholson went from painting still
life and landscapes in a realistic style
to painting bright abstract paintings.
I did find it difficult to look at the art
that is on the walls on the staircase. I
discovered how artists change overtime,
whether it’s in their style like Ben
Nicholson or in their use of colour, like
David Bomberg. I would recommend
Pallant House Gallery to everyone, as it
is a great place to go and get inspired
by artists’ work. As well as that, it’s
fascinating to know the history behind
an artist and what inspires them. There
is a whole selection of different art to
go and see and you might even discover
a new artist you didn’t know before!”
– Milly
David Bomberg, The South-East Corner,
Jerusalem © Colin St John Wilson
Participants of Creating Untitled in the Gallery
Ben Nicholson, 1936 (White Relief) © Angela
Verren Taunt
Alfred Wallis, Grey Schooner
‘Creating Untitled: Silver Awards’ runs
from 1 March – 3 April 2016 in the
Studio at Pallant House Gallery, and will
include work produced by the Gallery’s
young people’s group (13 – 18 years) as
part of their Silver Arts Award.
Edward Bawden, Brighton Pier © The Estate of Edward Bawden
Issue 15 • 2016
Artist
in Focus
Page 11
Good Luck Gum Nut Folk!
Joanna Simpson was selected from submissions to an open call out to be included in Outside In’s collaborative
exhibition with Craftspace Radical Craft: Alternative Ways of Making. Joanna’s work will sit alongside pieces by
other UK-based artists facing barriers to the art world, as well as internationally renowned artists associated
with Outsider Art.
When did you become interested
in art?
I have always been interested in making
things and being creative - I think it
started when I was very small and before
I had a strong connection with the spirit
world. Maybe it is more difficult for me to
make something from reality.
What are your artistic influences,
if any?
I am greatly influenced by having my
children and living in Australia. And more
recently, not being with them and not
living in Australia. Climate affects my
being, as do people, places, everything.
I listen to Radio 4 a lot. I don’t have a
television and I don’t go out much at the
moment. Artists I admire? Impossible to
answer! They would include Jean Michel
Basquiat and Kurt Jackson – they make
me feel like all I want to do is paint! Street
NY, and Glastonbury England is good. If
I Google them there will be a hundred
others I like and then I will be day dreaming
when I have to answer the questions!
Tell me about your art practice.
What medium do you work in?
What is your favourite and why?
I use whatever materials are available,
I have no particular favourite. I usually
prefer to use natural materials – a
Steiner influence, although I do
appreciate design and I am impressed by
technology – like when I can’t tell the
difference between a piece of silk and
synthetic, or whether leather is real or
not. I hope to have a proper respect for
it all - nature, art and design. I hoard and
collect a lot. It’s GREAT.
Joanna Simpson, Group of Good Luck Gum
Nut Folk, Image courtesy of Oana Damir
exhibition space as such great artists
- what can I say? I am speechless!
Everyone at Outside In gives me
confidence; in their admiration and
respect for both the art and the artists.
What is your favourite piece of work
that you have done and why?
I love all art practice and disciplines. I
think I get excited about whatever is
next as much as I care for what I’ve
done already.
Joanna Simpson, Individual Good Luck Gum Nut
Folk Figure, Image courtesy of Oana Damir
How do you make your work? What
is the process from start to finish?
I see what available materials suggest
and try to put to this to best use. Or –
sometimes - I find just what I’m looking for
and it will be perfect. Sometimes I’m very
lucky like that; and sometimes I’m sick of
it. So much stuff – indulgence - makes me
sick. My work process? I find something I
like and make something with it, or I look
for something I already love and use that
or something else instead. I sometimes
just want to paint large canvases, but
given circumstances (no space, etc.) I feel
I can’t. Instead, I use wool and do knitting,
painting, sculpture, and fashion. When all
the wool is gone I’ll use something else maybe go elsewhere. Sometimes it’s good
to be in another place.
How did you hear about Outside In?
Did you know anything about the
organisation before?
Facebook I think! I have studied outsider
art for a while and have some insight
into outsider art practice.
Has being involved with Outside In
helped you with anything such as
confidence in your artwork?
The help and support from Outside In
has made me happier and hopefully
able to be more confident. I can hardly
believe it’s true that I will be in the same
What does it mean to you being
involved in the Radical Craft exhibition?
To be chosen to exhibit in Radical Craft
is very special and makes me happy
and I hope to do well - especially for
my children. It doesn’t seem real to me
- I think everyone is so great and then
there’s me. Like a photobomb, but in 3D
rather than a photograph! It also means
a lot to me how kind and supportive and
encouraging everyone is.
Joanna Simpson, Hand Knitted Jumper Boy
A selection of Joanna’s Good Luck Gum
Nut Folk will be included in Radical Craft:
Alternative Ways of Making at Pallant
House Gallery from 12 March – 12 June
2016. The Good Luck Gum Nut Folk are
made from the seed pods of eucalyptus
trees and were gathered by Joanna
when she lived in Sydney, New South
Wales, prior to 2000. She clusters them
together in different groups, like they are
part of a family or community.
Pallant Press • Issue 15 • 2016
Invest in fantastic art
Featuring original works currently selected by Outside
In Award Winner Kate Bradbury, Outside In’s online
shop is the place to discover and invest in fantastic
art for yourself, friends or family.
Page 12
Pallant House Gallery
Open Weekend
Saturday 7 – Sunday 8 May 2016
Buying work from the online shop greatly increases
the confidence and self-esteem of the artists who
choose to align themselves with the project.
www.outsidein.org.uk/shop
Pallant House Gallery will open its doors
for free on 7 and 8 May for visitors to
explore the collection and current temporary
exhibitions. There will be talks, tours, and
hands-on creative workshops for all ages.
Barry Anthony Finan, THHE PADNOTE WRIGHHTINNG BOOKSSERRS
How to find Pallant House Gallery
Saturday 7 May, 10am – 5pm
Sunday 8 May, 11am – 5pm
Coming soon to Pallant House Gallery
Christopher Wood
2 July – 2 October 2016
www.pallant.org.uk
Gallery opening times
Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-5pm
Thursday: 10am-8pm
Sunday/Bank Holidays: 11am-5pm
Monday: Closed
Christopher Wood, China Dogs in a St Ives Window, 1926,
gouache on panel, Pallant House Gallery, on loan from a
private collection