Good news this week. We have been awarded a New Initiatives Grant by Eastbourne Borough Council to run two more BMPD events over the coming months. These events will specifically aim to support artists in the run up to the first ever Eastbourne Cutural Festival which will take place in March 2008 to coincide with the opening of the new Eastbourne Cutural Centre.
In addition, we have been invited by The Towner Art Gallery to work with them to promote an artists' networking event which will take place on the 18th August alongside new work from Amy Cunningham and Hayley Skipper from the artist collective SpRoUt. The SpRoUt artists will talk about The Space Between project and about their wider practice.
SpRout were commissioned by The Towner Art Gallery to develop an ambitious public art project, The Space Between, in partnership with local schools as part of the Building Sights programme, a series of ongoing projects to raise awareness of the Towner’s relocation to the Eastbourne Cultural Centre.
APD MEETING
I travelled to Portsmouth on Wednesday for the APD meeting at Aspex Gallery. Artists Professional Development is a group meeting of organisations who run events for artists in the South East coastal region from Bexhill, Eastbourne, Brighton and Portsmouth. The meetings are held at alternating venues. We share information and are discussing the possibility of running a regionwide event.
Judith attended a meeting in April and this was the first one I have attended on behalf of Blue Monkey Professional Development. It was also my first visit to Aspex Gallery in its new location on Gunwharf Quays at Portsmouth Harbour. It is housed in a former naval storehouse for ropes and its contemporary fittings reflect the contemporary art it shows.
I had lunch on the Quays with a fellow hen Jeannie Driver (www.henweekend.org ) and we watched the boats and ferries moving up and down the harbour as we discussed plans to develop our own practice including showing each other round the art venues of our respective cities.
