Eastbourne - making the most of increased Arts Council England Investment
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I think it’s fair to say that Eastbourne is having a moment in the sun currently, it certainly was when I visited for the Turner Prize launch event at Towner Eastbourne in September. Enjoying the warmer weather of the Indian summer; I remember thinking what an exciting time it is for this part of the country. Not only with the prestigious arts award taking place, but also the way that the town has embraced increased Arts Council England investment as one of our Levelling up for Culture Places and is beginning to deliver top-notch creative experiences for the community.
With Towner Eastbourne, the town has an arts organisation that is really coming into its own. Currently celebrating their centenary year, I couldn’t think of a better way for them to mark their 100th birthday than by hosting the Turner Prize, and what a fantastic job they are doing as well. The Turner Exhibition feels very at home there. This year’s four finalists Jesse Darling, Ghislaine Leung, Rory Pilgrim and Barbara Walker have each been given their own room within Towner Eastbourne, where they’ve been able to show off their equally brilliant yet varied practices. The result is a really enriching gallery experience, which I encourage every local resident to take up. This is a fantastic opportunity to encounter work by four artists at the top of their game.
The cultural offer, whilst the Turner Prize is in town, is not limited to the gallery space, however. Across the town great art and culture is spilling out onto the streets as part of a Place Partnership Programme, led by Towner Eastbourne, and supported by Arts Council England to the tune of £480,000 in National Lottery funding. The project, entitled ‘Eastbourne ALIVE’ is a series of wrap around outdoor arts installations, events and activities taking place in every corner of the town from now until April. There’s a real range of things to soak up, with large-scale outdoor art proudly on display, as well as smaller interactive activities such as the Arts Trail, a promenade display of artwork created by the local community and showcased in the hotels along the beach front.
One of the main partners of Eastbourne ALIVE is the Devonshire Collective, a visual arts organisation working in former retail sites in Eastbourne’s Devonshire ward, where they also have their own gallery space. They’ve led on a number of the exhibitions showcased around the town as part of Eastbourne ALIVE, commissioning a range of local artists to present their work in unusual spaces. These pieces have really reinvigorated parts of the town that would otherwise get over-looked, making creative and cultural magic from the mundane.
Like Towner Eastbourne, Devonshire Collective are also having a great time of late. They are a new addition into our National Portfolio for the 2023-26 Investment Period, meaning over the next three years they will receive regular funding from Arts Council England to help support their vital work engaging the local community in a wide range of cultural and creative opportunities. I have to say, if their involvement in Eastbourne ALIVE Is anything to go by, they’ve really hit the ground running.
Director of Devonshire Collective, Edward Ball, recently wrote to me reflecting on the journey his organisation has been on since joining the portfolio, and of what our investment has allowed them to achieve so far. He said:
“We have been on a remarkable journey since joining Arts Council England’s National Portfolio in April – more than tripling our visitor figures, launching our young people’s programme Devonshire Youth Collective, as well as our artist development programme specialised in social practice, recruiting two new permanent staff members, being featured in the New York Times, and winning Best Cultural and Community Organisation South-East 2023 among just some of the highlights. The stability and strategic support afforded to us through the National Portfolio Programme means we can dream big and think longer term in a way we haven’t been able to before.”
And in relation to Eastbourne’s journey as a town he reflected:
“Eastbourne has been on an even bigger journey. The Eastbourne ALIVE place partnership programme has animated the town through public artworks, brought together a broad coalition of stakeholders, and set firm foundations to centre Eastbourne’s young people in the town’s collective future. It has inspired us to develop a Youth Voice strategy and supported us to produce art in the public realm that celebrates the unique character and community of our neighbourhood.
I am routinely amazed by our partners, artists, colleagues and communities. It feels as though we are on the cusp of something very special here in Eastbourne, where culture isn’t top-down, but open to everyone to participate in, express their own creativity, and have their voice heard.”
Eastbourne is certainly on the up, both creatively and culturally, and long may that continue!
