PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS
NEW PARTNERSHIPS, NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Sussex Contemporary is expanding its work through partnerships with established cultural organisations, creating new exhibition opportunities for artists. This year, we’ve collaborated with the National Trust at Standen House, Hastings Contemporary and Fabrica in Brighton, with more partnerships and collaborations in the pipeline.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES BEYOND OUR OWN EXHIBITIONS
Alongside our own exhibition programme, Sussex Contemporary is increasingly working in partnership with established cultural organisations to create new opportunities for artists through open-call exhibitions. These collaborations bring contemporary work into different settings and connect artists with new audiences.
This year, that work has included partnerships with three very different cultural venues. Each collaboration has created a new context for contemporary art, bringing artists into spaces with their own histories, audiences and identities.
At Standen House, contemporary makers were placed within one of Britain's finest surviving Arts & Crafts houses. At Hastings Contemporary, a major open exhibition brought more than 150 artists together across the gallery. At Fabrica, a national open call led to Resonance, bringing contemporary work into Brighton's former church space.
These partnerships allow us to work with established cultural organisations while continuing to focus on what matters to us: creating meaningful opportunities for artists and making contemporary art accessible to new audiences.
NATIONAL TRUST – STANDEN HOUSE
Inspired by Standen: The Future of Arts & Crafts
2 July – 30 September 2026
For the first time, Sussex Contemporary collaborated with the National Trust to present a contemporary arts and crafts exhibition inside the historic rooms of Standen House.
Inspired by Standen: The Future of Arts & Crafts brought selected artists and makers from across the UK into direct dialogue with Standen's architecture, interiors, gardens and collection. The exhibition explored what the principles of the Arts & Crafts movement might mean to artists and makers working today, with work spanning ceramics, textiles, sculpture, printmaking, painting, glass, furniture, jewellery and mixed media.
The exhibition was created through a national open call, with selected works displayed throughout the house alongside original Arts & Crafts furnishings and objects. All the contemporary artworks were available to purchase during the exhibition.
Explore our gallery from Inspired By Standen HERE
