Hastings Contemporary

50.8560606°N 0.5927716°E / 50.8560606; 0.5927716

The west side of the Jerwood Gallery.

The Hastings Contemporary is a museum of contemporary British art located on The Stade in Hastings, East Sussex and is a not-for-profit organisation. The gallery opened in March 2012 as the Jerwood Gallery and cost £4m to build.[1] The gallery contains temporary exhibitions that included work from artists including L. S. Lowry, Augustus John, Stanley Spencer, Walter Sickert, Ben Nicholson, Patrick Caulfield, Maggi Hambling, Craigie Aitchison and Prunella Clough.[2][3][4][5]

Architecture

The building was designed by Hana Loftus and Tom Grieve (son of Alan Grieve, the chairman of the Jerwood Foundation) from the architecture firm HAT Projects. The outside of the gallery building is covered with over 8,000 black tiles that were glazed in Kent.[6] In The Observer, the architecture critic Rowan Moore says that the Jerwood building "is not embarrassed by the stuff and clobber around it, and does not embarrass them". Moore concludes that the building is "a simple and straightforward place for viewing art".[7]

Front Entrance

Wallpaper described the gallery as "a perfectly formed, modest space, that doesn't try too hard".[5]

The building was given a National Award in 2013 by the Royal Institute of British Architects.[8][9]

Exhibitions

The following artists have had exhibitions at Hastings Contemporary:

The gallery has also been a venue for an exhibition of art works from the Jerwood Drawing Prize in 2012.[23]

Controversy and opposition
An anti-Jerwood poster in the Old Town.

The building of the gallery led to protests from local residents fearing that it would lead to gentrification of the surrounding area. In 2008, the Hastings Bonfire Society burned a model of the gallery in effigy.[24] Keith Leech from the bonfire society said that the gallery represented "a long string of things that people are trying to foist upon us".[25]

As the gallery replaced a coach park, opponents of the development believed it would reduce the amount of business from coach trip parties,[26] while others believe it should have been located elsewhere in the town.[2][27] Posters and banners opposing the development have been displayed nearby.[7] Local residents pay a reduced rate to enter the gallery,[28] and on the first Tuesday of every month the gallery is free to all between the hours of 4pm - 8pm.

Renaming

In Summer 2019 the Jerwood Gallery cut ties with the Jerwood Foundation amid a funding dispute.[29][30] As part of its separation, the gallery rebranded to be called Hastings Contemporary, though the building remained in the ownership of the Jerwood Foundation.[31]

In Spring 2023, the head lease of the gallery was gifted to Hastings Borough Council by the Jerwood Foundation (Hastings Council had always owned the freehold). Hastings Council subsequently granted a 99-year lease of the building to the Hastings Contemporary charitable trust, which now runs the gallery.[32]

The independent charity Hastings Contemporary is an Arts Council NPO receiving £100,000 per year grant from Arts Council England.[31]

References
  1. "Jerwood Gallery opening in Hastings attracts 2,000". BBC News. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  2. "Jerwood Gallery in Hastings opens its doors". BBC News. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  3. Rose, Steve (14 March 2012). "The rise of the seaside art gallery". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  4. Sherwin, Skye; Clark, Robert (17 March 2012). "This week's new exhibitions". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  5. O'Kelly, Emma (19 March 2012). "Jerwood Gallery by Hat Projects, Hastings". Wallpaper. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  6. "Jerwood Gallery to open in March". BBC News. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  7. Moore, Rowan (11 March 2012). "Jerwood Gallery, Hastings – review". The Observer. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  8. "Hastings celebrates award for gallery". ITV Meridian News. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  9. Kiely, Melita (13 June 2013). "Hastings gallery wins national award for architectural excellence". The Argus. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  10. "Gallery opening called 'best thing to happen to Hastings'". Hastings Observer. 25 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  11. Hull, Richard (12 March 2012). "Rose Wylie at the Jerwood". Hastings Online Times. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  12. "Gary Hume exhibition at The Jerwood Gallery traces a path from his early works to the present day". artdaily.org. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  13. "Gillian Ayres at the Jerwood Gallery". Hastings Online Times. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  14. "Retrospective of work of distinguished British painter". Rye and Battle Observer. 22 February 2013. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  15. "Three new exhibitions open at Jerwood". 11 October 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  16. "In pictures: Beattie's new abstract works at the Jerwood". BBC News Online. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  17. "Jerwood Gallery in Hastings puts never-seen artworks on display". BBC News. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  18. "Exhibition by Ansel Krut at Jerwood". Hastings & St Leonard's Observer. 2 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  19. Wyatt, Daisy (14 April 2014). "Ansel Krut at Jerwood: Interview with artist and first look at new paintings". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  20. Wyatt, Daisy (18 July 2014). "Quentin Blake unveils new exhibition inspired by Hastings beach at Jerwood Gallery". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  21. Wright, Karen (22 February 2015). "Chantal Joffe's intimate self-portraits can be unflattering, but that is why they work". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  22. "New exhibition at Jerwood is inspired by beaches in Hastings". Hastings & St. Leonards Observer. 8 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  23. "Drawing by established artists and newcomers". Rye and Battle Observer. 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  24. Day, Elizabeth (9 November 2008). "Art's a burning issue here". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  25. "Art gallery effigy up in flames". BBC News. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  26. Simon, Kate (28 November 2010). "Art isn't the real enemy in the new battle of Hastings". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  27. Jones, Jonathan (12 March 2009). "Jerwood meets a sea of disapproval in Hastings". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  28. Derbyshire, Jonathan (26 March 2012). "Battle of Hastings". New Statesman. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  29. "Jerwood Gallery to relaunch as Hastings Contemporary after losing British art collection". theartnewspaper.com.
  30. "Jerwood Gallery in Hastings to lose British art collection by November". theartnewspaper.com.
  31. "Jerwood Gallery To Hastings Contemporary". Hastings Independent Press. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  32. Hastings Borough Council (1 June 2023). "Hastings Borough Council takes ownership of gallery building". www.hastings.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
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