Art and Sacred Places
Encyclopedia
Art and Sacred Places is a UK-based national charity
working in the field of commissioning visual art for sacred places. Its work includes both temporary and permanent commissions and projects which bring together communities of people from both faith
and non-faith backgrounds.
at that time the Anglican Bishop of Guildford
. The organisation, then known as Art 2000, formed in 1998 and became a Charitable Unincorporated Association in May 2001 under the name Art and Sacred Places.
The Rt Revd Christopher Hill
, Bishop of Guildford, has been President since 2005. The organisation's patrons include the broadcaster Andrew Graham-Dixon
.
The first programme was the 1999 'Seeing the Light' exhibition organised, using existing work, in Portsmouth Cathedral
, Guildford Cathedral
and Chichester Cathedral
. The Chichester exhibition included Jerwood Sculpture Prize
2004 short-listed artist Simon Hitchens.
In 2000 'Projects in Sacred Places' was organised with specially commissioned work. For this initiative, which took place across four Cathedrals and a Brighton Church, of particular note was the Richard Wentworth work 'Recall' for Winchester Cathedral
. A catalogue was produced with essays by Sacha Craddock and Father Friedhelm Mennekes.
For the 2003/4 series Turner Prize
2007 nominee Nathan Coley
exhibited 'Black Tent' in Portsmouth Cathedral; Lithuanian Venice Biennale
2001 artist Deimantas Narkevicius exhibited 'The Role of a Lifetime' in St Peter's Church, Brighton
and Rose Finn-Kelcey created 'Angel' for St Paul's Church in Bow Common in the East End of London. Sarah Wedderburn, writing in the Church Times
reported the incumbent of St Paul's saying 'the work succeeds because it captures so many different aspects of the culture of this community.'
'The Role of a Lifetime' provoked international publicity in magazines such as 'Flash Art Italia' and 'Untitled' and a copy of the film was subsequently purchased by Tate
Galleries. 'The Role of a Lifetime' has since been exhibited internationally and featured at the 2009 'Istanbul Biennial'.
Rose Finn-Kelcey's 'Angel' was a 2008 recipient of the ACE Award for 'Art in a Religious Context' It also featured as a best practice project in the Arts Council England
Central London Partnership publication 'Open space'.
Catalogues were produced for 'Black Tent' and 'The Role of a Lifetime' but 'Angel' has a website publication.
In 2005 Art and Sacred Places embarked on 'Six Sacred Sites', its first interfaith project. This was a collaborative initiative working with 'aspex' gallery in Portsmouth and 'The Winchester Gallery' on the production and exhibition of site related artists' books. The project, which was designed to explore the range of ways in which a location may be regarded as sacred included communities and sites associated with Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral, Wessex Jamaat Mosque, Basingstoke Hindu Society, Newport Quaker Meeting, roadside shrines with RoadPeace
and South Wonston
's ancient long barrow
.
'Six Sacred Sites' artists included Sam Winston, Jimmy Symonds and Ansuman Biswas. A copy of Census, the book produced by Glenn Boulter and Chris Maxted for the ancient long barrow, was purchased by Tate
Galleries for their library. During one of the many exhibitions of the 'Six Sacred Sites' work the University of the West of England
co-organised with Winchester School of Art
library an artist's book conference held at The Winchester Gallery.
In 2009 Art and Sacred Places was retained by Bristol City Council as the consultant curator for two permanent commissions for Catholic Secondary Schools. The artists selected for the commissions were Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva and Michael Pinsky.
Heather and Ivan Morison were commissioned by Art and Sacred Places to work in Manchester
as a result of a 'Faiths in Action' award, also in 2009.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
working in the field of commissioning visual art for sacred places. Its work includes both temporary and permanent commissions and projects which bring together communities of people from both faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
and non-faith backgrounds.
Mission statement
History
Art and Sacred Places was founded under the auspices of the Rt Revd John GladwinJohn Gladwin
John Warren Gladwin is the former Bishop of Chelmsford in the Church of England. He stands in the open evangelical tradition.Born in 1942, he was educated at Hertford Grammar School and Churchill College, Cambridge . His ministerial training was at Cranmer Hall, Durham . He was ordained deacon in...
at that time the Anglican Bishop of Guildford
Bishop of Guildford
The Bishop of Guildford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Guildford in the Province of Canterbury.The title was first created as a suffragan see in the Diocese of Winchester in 1874. The suffragan bishop of Guildford assisted the Bishop of Winchester in overseeing the diocese...
. The organisation, then known as Art 2000, formed in 1998 and became a Charitable Unincorporated Association in May 2001 under the name Art and Sacred Places.
The Rt Revd Christopher Hill
Christopher Hill
Christopher Hill may refer to:*Christopher Hill , English bishop*Christopher J. Hill, International Relations scholar, Professor and Director of the Cambridge Centre of International Studies*Christopher R. Hill, U.S. Ambassador in Iraq...
, Bishop of Guildford, has been President since 2005. The organisation's patrons include the broadcaster Andrew Graham-Dixon
Andrew Graham-Dixon
Andrew Michael Graham-Dixon is a British art historian and broadcaster.-Education:Graham-Dixon was educated at the independent Westminster School and at Christ Church at the University of Oxford, where he read English...
.
Development and projects
Since its formation Art and Sacred Places has had several notable programmes of work.The first programme was the 1999 'Seeing the Light' exhibition organised, using existing work, in Portsmouth Cathedral
Portsmouth Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Portsmouth, commonly known as Portsmouth Cathedral, is the Church of England cathedral of the City of Portsmouth, England and is located in the heart of Old Portsmouth...
, Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
and Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
. The Chichester exhibition included Jerwood Sculpture Prize
Jerwood Sculpture Prize
The Jerwood Sculpture Prize was launched in 2001 as an initiative of the Jerwood Foundation. This commissioning prize aims to give support to emerging talent within the medium of outdoor sculpture...
2004 short-listed artist Simon Hitchens.
In 2000 'Projects in Sacred Places' was organised with specially commissioned work. For this initiative, which took place across four Cathedrals and a Brighton Church, of particular note was the Richard Wentworth work 'Recall' for Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
. A catalogue was produced with essays by Sacha Craddock and Father Friedhelm Mennekes.
For the 2003/4 series Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
2007 nominee Nathan Coley
Nathan Coley
Nathan Coley is a contemporary British installation artist, who was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2007....
exhibited 'Black Tent' in Portsmouth Cathedral; Lithuanian Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
2001 artist Deimantas Narkevicius exhibited 'The Role of a Lifetime' in St Peter's Church, Brighton
St Peter's Church, Brighton
St Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church in Brighton in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is near the centre of the town, on an island between two major roads, the A23 London Road and A270 Lewes Road. Built from 1824-28 to a design by Sir Charles Barry, it is arguably the...
and Rose Finn-Kelcey created 'Angel' for St Paul's Church in Bow Common in the East End of London. Sarah Wedderburn, writing in the Church Times
Church Times
The Church Times is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper. It is published in the United Kingdom on Fridays.The Church Times was founded in 1863 to campaign for Anglo-Catholic principles and has always been independent of the Church of England hierarchy. It was a family concern The Church Times...
reported the incumbent of St Paul's saying 'the work succeeds because it captures so many different aspects of the culture of this community.'
'The Role of a Lifetime' provoked international publicity in magazines such as 'Flash Art Italia' and 'Untitled' and a copy of the film was subsequently purchased by Tate
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
Galleries. 'The Role of a Lifetime' has since been exhibited internationally and featured at the 2009 'Istanbul Biennial'.
Rose Finn-Kelcey's 'Angel' was a 2008 recipient of the ACE Award for 'Art in a Religious Context' It also featured as a best practice project in the Arts Council England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
Central London Partnership publication 'Open space'.
Catalogues were produced for 'Black Tent' and 'The Role of a Lifetime' but 'Angel' has a website publication.
In 2005 Art and Sacred Places embarked on 'Six Sacred Sites', its first interfaith project. This was a collaborative initiative working with 'aspex' gallery in Portsmouth and 'The Winchester Gallery' on the production and exhibition of site related artists' books. The project, which was designed to explore the range of ways in which a location may be regarded as sacred included communities and sites associated with Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral, Wessex Jamaat Mosque, Basingstoke Hindu Society, Newport Quaker Meeting, roadside shrines with RoadPeace
RoadPeace
RoadPeace is the national charity for road crash victims in the UK. It supports the people affected by road crashes with emotional and practical support and advocacy. It operates a help line and provides practical support to people affected...
and South Wonston
South Wonston
South Wonston is a village on the outskirts of the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. The population of the village is estimated to be 3,718 people living in an estimated 1,506 households.-Education:...
's ancient long barrow
Long barrow
A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal tumuli or earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs...
.
'Six Sacred Sites' artists included Sam Winston, Jimmy Symonds and Ansuman Biswas. A copy of Census, the book produced by Glenn Boulter and Chris Maxted for the ancient long barrow, was purchased by Tate
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
Galleries for their library. During one of the many exhibitions of the 'Six Sacred Sites' work the University of the West of England
University of the West of England
The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...
co-organised with Winchester School of Art
Winchester School of Art
Winchester School of Art is the art school of the University of Southampton, situated 10 miles north of Southampton in the city of Winchester near the south coast of England.- Overview :...
library an artist's book conference held at The Winchester Gallery.
In 2009 Art and Sacred Places was retained by Bristol City Council as the consultant curator for two permanent commissions for Catholic Secondary Schools. The artists selected for the commissions were Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva and Michael Pinsky.
Heather and Ivan Morison were commissioned by Art and Sacred Places to work in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
as a result of a 'Faiths in Action' award, also in 2009.