November 15th, 2011
East Sussex artists are being invited to apply now for the 2012 open submission exhibition at Eastbourne’s award-winning contemporary art museum, Towner.
Applications are now open for the 2012 East Sussex Open and artists in the region could have the chance to see their works on display in Towner from 24 March – 29 April next year.
2012 will present the third year of the popular exhibition showcasing the wealth of regional artistic talent on Eastbourne’s doorstep and will coincide with the fifth year of the Eastbourne Festival, which runs from 7 – 29 April.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism and Leisure Cllr Neil Stanley said “I am delighted to announce that entries are now open for next year’s East Sussex Open and I’d encourage our artists and makers in the region to put their work forward for the 2012 exhibition. This year’s East Sussex Open showcased the work of 30 exceptional artists from our region and I really hope that next year we will have another tough decision on our hands when it comes to picking the final selection to go on display at Towner.”
The 2011 East Sussex Open attracted 130 entries with the final exhibition including the largest painting ever exhibited at Towner, as well as installations, sculptures and photography. The judges hope to see even more entries for the 2012 exhibition and encourage works of all sizes to be submitted to make the most of the vast gallery space available.
The three-person 2012 judging panel will include Jane Won, curator at De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, Matthew Burrows, a John Moores painting prize winner, and Sanna Moore, exhibitions curator at Towner.
Jane has recently curated exhibitions including Moving Portraits: 60 years of portraits in moving image (2011) and Anthony Gormley: Critical Mass (2010), while Sanna brings several years of experience working at University of Hertfordshire Galleries and several London galleries such as Whitechapel, ICA, and the South London Gallery.
Matthew Burrows is an artist currently living and working in Sussex and was selected as the Artist-in-Residence for the millennium year at Gloucester Cathedral, has spent an Artist’s Residency at the National Gallery in London, and in 2006 was a prize winner at the John Moores 24, the UK’s most prestigious painting prize.
Interested artists must complete an application form to include images and details of up to five pieces of work that they would like to be considered together with a CV and Artist’s Statement before 4pm on Friday 6 January 2012.
For more information and to download an application form go to the website or call 01323 434667.
