Boojum&Snark has been awarded £15,000 by the Arts Council to fund not one but three art residency projects based in Sandown over the next ten months.
Each project will seek to encompass elements that are unique to Sandown drawing inspiration from the town’s culture, history and natural environment.
The residency opportunities will also provide support and growth for local self-employed art practitioners who have been adversely hit by the pandemic.
Jones-Evans: Builds on our support of the arts community
Julie Jones-Evans, Boojum&Snark co-founder, said:
“The Sandown Art Residency Projects provide an opportunity to get the community involved, exploring their own creativity as well as seeing Sandown through new eyes. It also builds on our support of the arts community.
“Our permanent installation, Simply Galumphing Around by Teresa Grimaldi and Sarah Vardy, is a very popular talking point with customers and a great way for us to spark conversations about Sandown.”
Response to Chronicle archive
One commission, Chronicle, will shortly be advertised on Boojum&Snark’s social media.
This will focus on the Isle of Wight Chronicle archive which is held at Sandown Library inviting the artist to respond to the original source material and work with the community to produce an exhibition.
Boyd: The brewery and bar is so important to Sandown
Ian Boyd, director of The Common Space said,
“This is a fantastic project! Boojum&Snark is bringing brilliant Island artists right into the High Street and creating opportunities for people here in the Bay and beyond to join in.
“The brewery and bar is so important to Sandown, as a gallery, venue, meeting place and workspace and this project perfectly captures the Boojum spirit of celebrating the best of the past while actively building a better future, a hope that we all need to feel right now.”
Creatives in Sandown
Whilst commonly presented as a rundown seaside town, Sandown has seen her fair share of great artists and thinkers including Lewis Carroll and Charles Darwin.
It’s quite tempting to think of both Carroll and Darwin’s time in Sandown as a residency resulting in radical new works.
Carroll penned the famous nonsense poem, The Hunting of the Snark whilst on holiday there and Darwin began the abstract for the Origin of Species whilst staying at the Kings Head Hotel.
It’s hoped that the work resulting from these projects will continue to add to the town’s rich culture, proving that Sandown continues to inspire.
News shared by Tracy on behalf of Boojum and Snark. Ed
Image: © Christine Taylor
