16 May, 2012
Everyone is invited to get creative with leading artist Bob & Roberta Smith this weekend, as Towner encourages you to Make Art Not War! Eastbourne’s contemporary art museum will be holding its biggest ever interactive all ages event on Saturday 19 May, as part of the UK-wide Museums At Night festival.
Towner is very excited to have won iconic artist and signmaker Bob & Roberta Smith in Culture 24’s Connect10 competition. The gallery’s proposal for a unique event in collaboration with the artist inspired huge support from the public, with Towner receiving double the votes of its competitors!
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism, Cllr Neil Stanley said “Make Art Not War! looks set to be a fantastic free event for adults and children alike. Towner is known for its popular family days that attract people from all across the region, but this will be our biggest public participation event yet, with artistic activities taking place all over the gallery. We were thrilled to hear that we had won artist Bob & Roberta Smith with over 55% of the public vote, and I would encourage everyone to come and make the most of this special opportunity to make art alongside one of the country’s leading artists!”
Between 12pm and 4pm you can have a go at arty activities including vegetable painting, concrete rubbings and making new words, all inspired by Bob & Roberta Smith’s work. You can then display your art and words around the gallery, from the shop window to the industrial scale lift!
When you arrive you will be given a certificate, which will be stamped each time you take part in an activity – collect them all to graduate from the University of Bob & Roberta Smith.
Towner’s idea was inspired by Smith’s iconic 1997 piece Make Art Not War, a sentiment that resonates with the Towner Collection – renowned for its modern British art, it houses many works by the conscientious objectors known as the Bloomsbury Group.
Smith’s encouragement to make your own art echoes Towner’s own ethos. Creativity and productivity are at the very heart of the gallery – alongside major exhibitions of UK and international art, there are six exhibitions per year displaying artwork made by the thousands of participants in Towner’s learning and outreach programmes.
This is a free drop-in event for all ages. The event will be followed by an over 18s event in the evening – as darkness falls, the gallery will be transformed into the first ever Museums at Nightclub, with Bob & Roberta Smith.
For more information on the Make Art Not War! and Museums at Nightclub event go to Towner's website.
