Towner Art Gallery receives major funding for a new cinema and auditorium for artists’ moving image, film, talks and live performances.
The Eastbourne Gallery has been awarded £450,000 from Arts Council England’s Small Capital Grants fund. The award will be used to develop a ground floor auditorium for presenting artists’ moving image, a film programme, live performances, talks and other events.
Executive Director of Towner, Emma Morris said: “The new space will be an incredible asset for both the gallery and Eastbourne. Having a dedicated, fully accessible auditorium, equipped with high quality AV will allow us to deliver a richer and more diverse programme of moving image and digital works, support artists’ professional development and create new audiences.”
This major award complements the announcement in 2015 of Towner and Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, as the first partners to participate in the Art Fund’s new Moving Image Fund. This enables Towner to acquire important moving image works for a growing collection that includes artists Joao Penalava, Yael Bartana, Ori Gersht, Tacita Dean and Adam Chodzko.
In recent years Towner has collaborated with many artists working in film and moving image including Bill Viola, Dorothy Cross and Joachim Koester, and in April opens the first survey show of moving image work by Melanie Manchot.
Hedley Swain, Area Director, South East, Arts Council England, said: “Towner’s plans are a great example of how our capital investment can create powerful change in an organisation that supports its long-term sustainability. As well as supporting a more diverse programme which will hopefully increase audiences, it will also generate increased commercial revenue from commercial hires.”
The new capital award is also enhanced by a donation of £100,000 from Eastbourne Arts Circle (EAC), a membership organisation dedicated to supporting Towner.
Elizabeth Muir-Lewis ARCM Hon ARAM, Chairman of ECA, said: “This was a much wished for addition to our wonderful gallery, and our organisation will look forward to presenting our programs in this exciting new space. We are proud that we have been able to help to make this important project a reality.”
Recently, Towner also received funding from Arts Council England to present and curate work from the Arts Council Collection to celebrate their 70th anniversary. Through this investment Towner, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, will curate twenty-four exhibitions drawn from the Collection over the next three years, as well as developing eight new commissions.
Towner is an award-winning gallery set in Eastbourne presenting major exhibitions of contemporary and historic visual art, as well as displays from the internationally renowned 4500-strong Towner Collection, which is best known for its modern British art – including the largest and most significant body of work by Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) – and a growing collection of international contemporary art.
You will find Towner Art Gallery at Devonshire Park, College Road, Eastbourne BN21 4JJ. Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00am – 5:00pm, Bank Holiday Mondays, 10:00am – 5:00pm and admission is free.
For more information on the Towner Art Gallery, click here:
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