We’re very excited to announce that next year’s sculpture event, Sculpture in the Valley 2020, will be held from 18th July to 2nd August at Potton Hall, Westleton. The event will be curated by well-known Suffolk based artist and curator, David Baldry.
2020 will be W&BA’s 10th birthday, so we wanted to develop the next annual sculpture event to celebrate our legacy connecting art with landscape and place over the past decade. We have devised the theme ‘Reflections on Landscape’ which asks artists to consider ideas about scale (micro to macro), and perspectives and 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 are thankful to our sub-committee of practising artists – Mike Challis, Meryem Siemmond and Stephen Worrall – who have generously given time to develop the artist brief. Alongside curator David Baldry, the event will be coordinated by our new Chair Genevieve Rudd and the site will be managed by Simon Raven — pictured above: Genevieve, David and Simon.
About this year’s event, our curator David Baldry said: “When invited to curate this year’s 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.”
Artist Call-out
We’re inviting W&BA artist members to submit proposals for Sculpture in the Valley 2020 on the theme ‘Reflections on Landscape’ in the fantastic Potton Hall location. The site 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.
If you’re feeling inspired and looking for a project to ponder over the festive period, take a look at our Sculpture in the Valley 2020 page on our website which outlines details about the venue, theme and the application process. The deadline for applications is Friday 7th February 2020.
Before applying using the online form on our website, make sure you read the artist information document and have current W&BA membership.
We look forward to hearing and seeing how you respond to the brief!