About us
At Hastings Contemporary we bring world-class modern and contemporary art to a spectacular coastal setting. The gallery welcomes everybody, and through our exhibitions and activities we aim to enrich lives by offering new experiences, supporting creativity and helping our town to thrive.
We are proud of our innovative programming, partnerships and collaborations that support our commitment to outreach, learning and participation. For the last 11 years we have become one of the most celebrated and environmentally sustainable cultural hubs in the South East.
We are situated right on the sea front, among Hastings’ famous net huts, overlooking the largest beach-launched fishing fleet in Europe. Designed by HAT Projects and originally created by the Jerwood Foundation, our building has won several architectural awards, including a RIBA National Award, a Civic Trust Award and a Sussex Heritage Trust Award, and reached the mid list for the Stirling Prize.
The team
Liz Gilmore, Director
Lis Long, Director of Operations & Exhibitions
Leah Cross, Director of Programmes (acting)
Leah Swain, Head of Development
Rebecca Drew, Operations Manager
Sophia McNab, Communications & Marketing Officer
Agnieszka Dolata, Visitor Services & Retail Manager
Suzy Trevethan, Audience Development Manager
Molly Barrett, Volunteer Coordinator
Louisa O’Shaughnessy, Learning Coordinator
and the Front of House Team
Contact us on:
info@hastingscontemporary.org
+44(0)1424 728377
Our Partners
We would like to thank the following for their ongoing support and enabling us to become one of the most exciting cultural hubs in South England:
Sir Quentin Blake
“I am constantly distracted by Hastings in the most enjoyable way” Sir Quentin Blake.
We are honoured that Sir Quentin Blake is the Artist Patron of Hastings Contemporary.
Sir Quentin has had a long association with Hastings and has been a high-profile supporter of Hastings Contemporary since it first opened to the public in 2012 as Jerwood Gallery. Of Hastings, Sir Quentin has said: “It’s medieval practically – I’ve come to love it … over the years I’ve illustrated books there and it’s got more interesting over time, with the arrival of the Hastings Storytelling Festival and Hastings Contemporary”.
Each year Hastings Contemporary presents a running programme of new work created by Sir Quentin especially for our exhibition spaces. Previous exhibitions have included Moonlight Travellers, Dedicated Readers, Feet in Water, Airborne, and The Only Way to Travel, the artist’s biggest ever UK show, bringing 100 pieces to our ground floor gallery space.
For Sir Quentin, his ongoing collaboration with Hastings Contemporary has opened up new possibilities, prompting him to explore new approaches and themes including migration and mental health, in the knowledge that the results will find themselves “sympathetically shown in this extraordinary gallery … they are truly pictures for Hastings Contemporary.”
Sir Quentin Blake Originals
Visit our online shop to browse original paintings, drawings and limited edition prints by Sir Quentin Blake, exclusively available at Hastings Contemporary. For all other sales enquiries, including international customers, email agnieszka@hastingscontemporary.org
Volunteering
Hastings Contemporary’s vibrant volunteer team supports the gallery in its roles as a cultural hub for Hastings and as a key member of the South East’s network of coastal galleries. We believe that the mutual exchange of time and skills benefits both gallery and volunteers.
Our volunteers play a vital role in the gallery’s daily operations, helping to ensure a positive and welcoming environment for our visitors, facilitating visitor engagement with our exhibitions and learning programmes, and helping our visitors to feel at home in the gallery space. In turn, they develop experience and knowledge through playing their part in the Hastings Contemporary team.
If you are interested in art, learning, sharing knowledge on our exhibitions, or gaining experience in a gallery setting, volunteering at Hastings Contemporary could be for you.
To find out more and apply, download the Hastings Contemporary Volunteer Application. For more information about volunteering, contact our Volunteer Coordinator Molly Barrett at molly@hastingscontemporary.org
This autumn, we are also looking for volunteers to join our team as Learning Assistants to help us deliver both our flagship Pearls of the Sea local schools outreach programme and core school group visits. The Pearls of the Sea project involves 8 local schools sending up to 60 students each to participate in a series of in-gallery and in-school workshops that will culminate in an exhibition of work in the gallery in the spring of 2024.
Working with the Learning Coordinator and artist facilitators, you will get involved with delivering a variety of gallery- based art activities, assisting with practical workshops and invigilating exhibitions, whilst encouraging students to feel comfortable in a gallery space and have a go at interpreting art and exploring their own creativity. This is a great opportunity to learn new skills in a cultural environment.
To find out more and apply, download the Learning Assistant Application. For more information about volunteering as a Learning Assistant, contact our Learning Coordinator, Louisa O’Shaughnessy at louisa@hastingscontemporary.org
“It’s a joy to volunteer at the gallery, I always feel uplifted after spending time there.”
“I enjoy learning about art and artists that I am unfamiliar with. I love being able to wander around the exhibitions before the public arrive and the icing on the cake is to meet the artists in person at the briefing sessions.”
“I enjoy being part of the community at the gallery; I find talking with visitors, and perhaps adding value to their visit, very rewarding.”
“The whole volunteering application process was very well organised with excellent documentation setting very clear framework and engagement. ‘Full time’ staff have been very approachable and supportive- replenishing a culture of inclusion, collaboration and appreciation of the work of volunteers.”
Jobs
We are currently have no vacancies.