>February Events / >January Events / Art & Theatre / Business Editorials / Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / exhibitions / Waveney Valley January 27, 2020
Call out for artists to take part in popular sculpture event at stunning new location
One of the region’s flagship sculpture events is set to move to a new location this year – and applications are now open for artists to apply to take part.
Waveney & Blyth Arts’ seventh outdoor sculpture event – Sculpture in the Valley 2020 – will help the organisation celebrate ten years at the forefront of the regional arts scene.
Sculpture in the Valley 2020 will be curated by the Suffolk based artist and curator David Baldry and will be hosted by Potton Hall, Westleton – located close to Dunwich Forest in the Blyth valley area of Suffolk.
Annually attracting thousands of visitors to the region, the event moves location every three years around the Waveney and Blyth valleys to reach new audiences and explore different landscapes.
Previously, the sculpture event has taken place at the Raveningham Centre and the River Waveney Study Centre in Earsham.
Genevieve Rudd, the new Chair of Waveney & Blyth Arts (WBA), said: “2020 marks WBA’s tenth birthday, so we wanted to develop this year’s sculpture event to celebrate our legacy of connecting art with landscape and place over the past decade.
“Potton Hall is situated along the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, within the Blyth river valley area of our patch. The new site for 2020 offers an opportunity for artists to explore a distinct environment – from the domestic planted gardens to the wildflower meadow set against the rugged Dunwich woodland.
“We have devised the theme ‘Reflections on Landscape’ which asks artists to consider ideas about scale, perspectives and the interaction between wild and cultivated aspects of the landscape.
“It’s important to note that we are living in the context of climate crisis and this, along with broader perspectives on the landscapes we live in and our relationships with it, could be compelling ideas for artists to explore.
“We’re delighted to be working with John and Priscilla Westgarth who live at Potton Hall and we are very excited to welcome our new curator David Baldry, an award-winning, Suffolk-based artist with an international reputation.”
David Baldry has recently returned from curating an exhibition at the Palazzo Pesaro Papafava in Venice as part of the city’s Biennale.
David Baldry said: “When invited to curate Sculpture in the Valley 2020, I was immediately struck by the title ‘Reflections on Landscape’. This year we are blessed with a new and extraordinary site close to the East Suffolk coast with its woodland, heath, marsh and of course sky.
“Art is at its best when pointing to something we don’t always acknowledge or take for granted. This year artists will have every opportunity to think about, engage with and make sculpture in a very special location which embraces both garden and the wild. I hope we can use this to showcase all aspects of contemporary sculpture. The big, the small, the beautiful, the forever, the experimental and the ephemeral. Above all I hope that this exhibition will excite, delight and challenge its audience.”
Each year Waveney & Blyth Arts hosts a programme of events that highlights the unique character of the Waveney and Blyth valleys situated in north Suffolk and south Norfolk.
Artist have until Friday 7th February to apply to take part in Sculpture in the Valley 2020.
Sculpture in the Valley 2020 will offer artists an improved package of benefits including help with travel costs, reduced commission fee, and split of the box office if the attendance target is achieved.
Each artist taking part will also be eligible for the Curator’s Choice prize of £250 or the Visitor’s Choice prize of £250 for 1st prize, £200 for 2nd prize or £100 for 3rd prize.
If you’re working on an application and would like to explore the site before you submit it there will be a pre-application site visit on Saturday 25th January 10:30am to 12:30pm.
Sculpture in the Valley 2020 will take place between Saturday 18th July and Sunday 2nd August, 10am to 5pm daily.
For full details on how to apply please visit www.waveneyandblytharts.com
About Waveney & Blyth Arts
Waveney & Blyth Arts promotes the distinct cultural identity of the beautiful area of north Suffolk and south Norfolk through exciting arts projects and events. They support the work of local creative people and arts organisations and help to build connections between people and places. The core of their programme is about celebrating ‘place’.
Their annual programme offers a lens to view and experience the landscape, market towns and coastal areas in the micro-region in which they are based. They work across the towns and surrounding areas of Diss, Harleston, Bungay, Beccles, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth along the river Waveney, and also the areas around Halesworth and Southwold in the Blyth valley.
About the Curator
David Baldry is an award-winning artist with an international reputation. Trained originally as a sculptor, David makes work in a range of media and, for many years until recently, he was Head of Fine Art at the University of Suffolk.
David has worked for the Arts Council, the QAA and the Czech Government as well as being External Examiner for the University of Gloucester. In 2017, he became the first Director of the Aldeburgh Arts Academy. He is currently working with the Universities of Duhok and Erbil in Iraq to establish dialogue and exchanges with Kurdish artists as well as developing a new curriculum for fine art degrees within these institutions. David has been Commissioning Agent for a number of major public art installations and has curated several ambitious exhibitions and leading residency programmes.
About Potton Hall
Potton Hall is just two miles from the Suffolk coast. Potton Hall is both the family home of John and Priscilla Westgarth and a spa retreat centre set within beautiful grounds and extensive facilities In addition, Potton Hall has a professional recording studio with residential facilities on-site. However, these activities will be put ‘on hold’ for the duration of this event. There is a delightful Cafe in a yurt, with a fully licenced bar serving light lunches and refreshments. Plus, there is a children’s tree house climbing frame for younger guests.
The areas of the site which will be used for the Sculpture in the Valley 2020 event includes a wild-flower meadow, vegetable/potager gardens, lawns with formal planted gardens with climbing plant archways, views across to Dunwich heath and woodland, a cascading waterfall feature and sheep grazing fields.
Press Enquiries Kate Royall 07775 337201 [email protected]
