Our vision
Sussex has a rich heritage when it comes to art and artists.
The rolling Downs and breath-taking coastline have inspired artists for centuries, including some of the most celebrated artists that ever lived. Picasso, Miró, Man Ray, Moore, Constable, Turner, Burra, Grant, Bell, Beardsley, Ravilious, Nash and Grayson Perry all have links with Sussex.
Sussex continues to provide inspiration and a home to some amazing emerging talent, and we wanted to create a new addition to the art calendar that specifically showcases the amazing creativity that the county has.
Our vision is simple but is also ambitious. We want to celebrate and promote the fantastic artistic creativity of Sussex-linked artists. That can be artists that were born here (but may have since moved away), studied here or currently live or work here.
Sussex has a growing, vibrant arts scene and we want to show off the best of it to the world.
We came up with the idea of The Sussex Contemporary to provide artists with a platform to show their work to a bigger audience. The Sussex will be a major exhibition in the arts calendar and we want artists of all abilities working in any medium to get involved.
We don’t take the stance that art is for the cultural elite, art is for everyone so we also want our exhibitions to be free to visit too. It’s really important to us that in every event and exhibition we do, everybody wins. Suppliers get paid, sponsors get a return, we cover our costs and most of all; art lovers get to see some amazing Sussex art and Sussex artists get exposure and a chance to sell their art.
“Creativity is contagious, pass it on” – Albert Einstein
Our Mission
Promote Sussex contemporary artistic excellence
Provide a platform for new, emerging and established Sussex artists
Host an exhibition that encourages art tourism to Sussex
Nurture new and emerging talent by providing access to support for the business of being an artist
Connect artists, collectors, suppliers and venues
Engage with Sussex schools and colleges with workshops
Raise money for our nominated Sussex-based charity
Our Team
Joanna Myles - Creative Director
Joanna (Jo) is an international emerging artist working from Sussex, UK.
Her work can be found in galleries across the UK & USA as well as in key publications. Working from her garden studio as well as BIP, an artist-led print studio in Brighton, and The Ugly Barn, a community pottery studio in Ditchling. Jo has a rich background in the creative industries having worked for the likes of Alexander McQueen, Duffer of St George, and Laura Ashley.
Featured on Sky Arts in 2021. Shortlisted for the Glyndebourne Tour Art 2021. Hung in the Turner Contemporary Open 2022. Joanna is becoming an emerging artist of interest, highly collectible and accessible.
Jo actively works with hundreds of Sussex-based artists. She has hosted major artist open calls and is a member of Hassocks Artists and Steyning Arts.
Jo launched her hand lino printed wallpaper with British Crafts in June 2022. She is an accredited member of Heritage Crafts, one of 7 lino printers that are making this bespoke artisan product within the UK.
Jason Edge - Marketing Guru
Jason is more an art lover than an artist (as you can see from his self-portrait above), although he does enjoy making marks with paint on canvas every now and then.
He is a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience working with Sussex businesses both agency and client-side.
Entrepreneurial by nature and a strategic creative thinker, he has worked with Jo on a number of projects that have promoted Sussex and it's producers over the past eight years.
Jason is also a trustee of Table Talk Foundation.