In an exciting development led by Sidmouth School of Art, a new public open air art space opens this Saturday 15th February, with a brand-new exhibition featuring some of the people and groups that make up Sidmouth’s remarkable community.
The exhibition by Brighton-based photographer JJ Waller, whose work gained significant acclaim for his poignant portraits during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, is the culmination of the My Town focus of JJ’s photographer in residence last year for the Your Town My Town project.
Voluntary, sports and leisure community groups, local services and businesses, were invited to book a photoshoot with JJ during his visits to Sidmouth in August and November last year through an open call from Sidmouth School of Art.
Following his visits and after meeting many groups and individuals in the community, JJ described Sidmouth as “a unique, can-do town, full of can-do people.”
A selection of the images will be exhibited in the newly created Riverside Art Space in the Sensory Garden located at the end of the Ham in Sidmouth. The work will be displayed on five new ‘gabion’ baskets in the garden and the building at the location.
Sidmouth School of Art’s Artistic Director, Coco Hodgkinson, said: “We are delighted to bring this community-based work as our first exhibition in the new art space. Building the gabions – wire cage structures filled with stone, to mount the work, has been a labour of love, and we are grateful for the support of our hardworking volunteers. It’s a process similar to dry stone walling, to create each plinth sympathetically with the Sensory Garden environment.”
The project has the support of Sidmouth Town Council, who granted permission for the art space, with the blessing of Sidmouth In Bloom (SIB), who created and maintain the garden. SIB will be planting the new structures with succulents and other plants later in the year to further integrate the baskets and encourage biodiversity.
The full digital community collection will be available on Sidmouth School of Art’s website Your Town My Town | Sidmouth School Of Art.
The exhibition is the first of three planned exhibitions in the new space over the next 12 months, each free and accessible to all, bringing new perspectives and giving access to everyone to enjoy the artwork created through community participation working with a variety of artists.
The project is supported by a variety of funders including the Creative East Devon Fund (UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund) Sidmouth Folk Festival, The Royal Glen Hotel and Devon County Councillor Stuart Hughes’ Locality Fund with additional support from Tiny Designs Devon and Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub.
The Your Town My Town exhibition will close on 30th May and it is hoped that thousands of residents of all ages and visitors to the town will experience this ‘first of its kind in the South West’ space which connects people, place art and nature.
Your Town My Town, in association with Sidmouth Folk Festival, includes JJ’s images of Sidmouth during the 70th anniversary Folk Festival 2024, which will be exhibited later this year.