Schools and group visits
We welcome visits from groups of all kinds – from schools and colleges, to art clubs and tourist groups.
We offer a variety of options, including self-guided visits, guided tours with gallery activities, artist-led workshops in our studio space, and remote access robot tours.
To arrange your visit, contact us at visits@hastingscontemporary.org.
Pearls of the Sea
Pearls of the Sea is Hastings Contemporary’s flagship schools engagement programme. Since its launch in 2015, Pearls of the Sea has given thousands of local children the opportunity to respond to modern and contemporary artworks, explore their creativity in our learning studio, and see their art displayed alongside internationally renowned artists.
Throughout the academic year, students from up to eight Hastings and St Leonards schools work with local artists in a series of gallery visits, school visits and workshops to produce their own artworks that are then exhibited at the gallery. Teachers are provided with Career Personal Development sessions to enhance their arts delivery skills.
The programme culminates in the annual Pearls of the Sea exhibition at Hastings Contemporary where the students and their families are given complimentary gallery entry to view and celebrate their work.
Explore the 2024/25 exhibition here.
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.
The Cove
Launched in 2024, The Cove is a collaborative project between Hastings Contemporary and The St Leonards Academy.
It gives 25 SEND students the opportunity to work towards achieving an Arts Award by visiting the gallery four times over four months. During these visits, they will explore exhibitions and take part in extended creative workshops.
Beyond earning a recognised arts qualification, the project is designed to help students build confidence, step outside their comfort zones, and engage in learning beyond the classroom.
The programme will culminate in a student-curated pop-up exhibition at Hastings Contemporary. Students and their families will enjoy free gallery entry to view and celebrate their work.
Robot Tours
Hastings Contemporary made headlines during the first national lockdown in 2020 when we began using a telepresence robot to run robot tours, offering a chance to visit the gallery remotely.
The telepresence robot, developed by Double Robotics, is an innovative tool that helps arts organisations such as Hastings Contemporary work to overcome barriers of isolation and exclusion. We are delighted that, with the robot, we can give visitors an opportunity to experience the gallery in a new way. We believe that the robot also helps to provide an insight into the lived experiences of disabled people in a creative and collaborative manner.
We are grateful to Esther Fox, Hastings Contemporary Trustee and researcher on the D4D project as part of her role as Head of the Accentuate Programme, and to Praminda Caleb-Solly, Professor for Assistive Robotics and Intelligent Health Technologies at Bristol Robotics Laboratory, for their practical and technical facilitation of this project. We are also grateful to Hastings Contemporary Trustee Nicholas Maclean for the considerable help he has given with the tours.
Being Here: Accessible tours and workshops
We are excited to have secured funds through the Accentuate Programme to offer Robot Tours to groups and individuals in the local area who may be unable to travel to the gallery. The tours will provide the opportunity for people to visit exhibitions from the comfort of their home or community centre.
We can offer robot tours and creative sessions for those who identify as disabled and/or have long term health conditions. You just need access to a laptop or mobile phone with internet connection and we will explain the rest. For more information or to book a tour email visits@hastingscontemporary.org or call 01424 728377.
Comments from some of our robot tour passengers:
“Unfortunately we are unable to visit Hastings – or anywhere – at the moment, so it is really lovely to have a tour. It was very interesting and informative.”
“Many thanks once again for an excellent experience. I can really see the benefit of this type of tour, beyond the pandemic, for people who are unable to attend the gallery for whatever reason. I certainly wouldn’t have seen this exhibition otherwise. I look forward to visiting in the future.”