Ten artists have taken up their residencies as part of the Art in the park – Kearsney Interpreted programme funded with £43,592 from Arts Council England. The project is being run by Dover District Council in partnership with Dover Arts Development (DAD) as part of its wider Heritage Lottery funded Kearsney Parks project.
The Arts Council funding is specifically for artistic activities and aims to bring new audiences to the parks and to use the landscapes to engage people with arts and culture.
All the artists are based locally or have a connection to Dover through their work. They will be taking part in a mix of short, medium and long-term residencies in the park.
One of the short-term residencies has been offered to a newly-graduated student from the University of the Creative Arts in Canterbury. DAD plan to make this a yearly prize to encourage new artistic talent in the area.
The artists are:
- Alma Tischlerwood has worked on public engagement with environmental awareness through events connected with her START/FINISH public art work on Dover’s seafront marking the end of the North Downs National Trail.
- Dover-based artist Clare Smith is interested in gardens and public parks as constructed ‘natural’ spaces. Her mixed English/Chinese heritage informs her perspective on issues of identity and categorisation.
- Gabor Stark currently teaches on the Master of Architecture programme and leads the MA Urban Design course at the University of the Creative Arts in Canterbury.
- Jamie Jenkison mainly makes videos on his phone which is the base of his practice-based PhD. He was a cameraman on DAD’s Watermark film and is working with DAD on CHALKUP21.
- Through her multimedia art practice, Kate Beaugie translates natural phenomena from light and water into light installations, sculptures, constructed artworks and photographs. She has her studio in Dover.
- Phil Saunders is based in Dover and graduated from the University of the Creative Arts this year. He is interested in story telling through drawing, live action puppetry and stop motion animation.
- Dover-based Drew Burrett explores the nature of form through projection, lighting and sound alongside painted and sculptural elements. He graduated last year from Norwich University of the Arts.
- Joseph Black has recently taken on the River Garage studio, close to Kearsney Abbey. His practice works with painting, sculpture, and installation, to explore the influence of history and culture on our perception of reality.
- Louise Webb is based in Dover. She works in a varied range of mediums to investigate the relationships and characteristics of painting, moving image, sound, and sculpture.
- Photographer and video fine artist Lisa Derand graduated from the University of the Creative Arts this summer. Her work focuses on people and human relationships. She is the first recipient of DAD’s new graduate award.
In addition, 54 artists and writers are taking part in the Park Bench poetry, painting and drawing project. Each participant is contributing a drawing, painting, collage, piece of writing or a combination of these, made while sitting on a park bench in Kearsney Abbey or Russell Gardens.
Cllr Trevor Bartlett, Cabinet Member for Property Management, said: “We are really delighted to see such a wealth of talent working on this project. We welcome the opportunity to encourage artists at all stages of their careers and to give a boost to those just starting out."
Clare Smith, Co-director of Dover Arts Development, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be supporting DDC and the artists as they develop their ideas for Art in the Park - Kearsney Interpreted.”
Craig Fisher, Course Leader in Fine Art at UCA (Canterbury), said: “It’s fantastic for our students to have such a great opportunity to work in a professional context.”
There will be lots of opportunities to take part in events over the summer. See the Kearsney Parks website for more information www.kearsneyparks.co.uk/events
More information about all the artists and Art in the Park – Kearsney interpreted can be found on DAD’s website http://www.dadonline.eu/projects/art-in-the-park-kearsney-interpreted
Posted on 03 August 2018