PEARLS OF THE SEA
Landing Places
Showcasing the creativity of 470 students from eight local schools
Encounter a fantastical giant, a suspended shingle beach, the echoes of sea shanties, and much more.
Taking inspiration from The Stade – the Saxon term for a landing place – students have explored the rich maritime heritage of their town. Through oral histories, foraged objects, and a wide range of artistic mediums, they have created a striking collection of collaborative artworks.
Students from Ore Village Primary Academy wrote and performed their own sea shanties at a live concert at The White Rock Theatre, which will be on display as a video installation. Other artworks include prayer flags for the local fishing community, printed poetry banners, an animated short film about the fishing fleet, and detailed plaster-cast sculptures.
To celebrate their achievements, all participating students and their families are invited to visit the gallery free of charge.
The exhibition is the culmination of a year-long collaboration between Hastings Contemporary and eight local primary schools, as part of our Pearls of the Sea programme. Every year, our flagship schools programme gives hundreds of local students the opportunity to visit the gallery, work with local artists in a series of workshops, and then exhibit their artwork in a celebratory show.
Participating schools:
- Baird Primary Academy, Year 5
- Dudley Infant Academy, Year 2
- Ark Blacklands Primary Academy, Year 4 and 5
- Sandown Primary School, Year 4
- Ark Castledown Primary Academy, Year 5
- Ore Village Primary Academy, Year 4
- Ark Little Ridge, Year 3 and Chester class
- Churchwood Primary Academy, Year 4 and 5
Pearls of the Sea 2024/25 is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Chalk Cliff Trust, The Magdalen and Lasher Charity and our Pearls of the Sea Patron Amanda Burton.
Image: The Stade Giant by Sandown Primary School, Year 4 and Dagmara Rudkin, 2025. Clare Hughes Photography.
