Norwich 20 Group

Annual exhibition

Norwich 20 Group 80 Years

The Undercroft Gallery

9 – 25 May 2025

Open daily 11am – 5pm

Poster artwork image:

Rachel Furze – Welcome to the Jungle

Norwich 20 Group
Newsletter April 2025

With many thanks to Rae Jones who gave an insightful look into the history of OUTPOST, and exciting exhibition plans for this year and onwards, with her talk, Programming Principles at our meeting earlier this month, on Tuesday 1 April. Good to hear of the open days on every first Saturday of the month from 3-6pm, with drawing events taking place – materials and refreshments provided, all welcome!
Rae described very complex set up logistics needed for the current show, FU3L 2BURN which is open from Thursday-Sunday from 12-6pm. There’s also a closing event on Saturday 19 April from 3-7pm.
https://www.norwichoutpost.org/

A year ago we heard from the Cromer Artspace team, and their immersive opening show of 2025 really does give you a chance to feel the Pulse of the Earth – another one which needs to be experienced! Open daily until 21 April:

https://cromer-artspace.uk/2025-exhibition-programme
From the coast back to our fine city, where it was a real thrill to experience The Creative Life of Colin Self at the Castle. The exhibition shows just how diverse and brilliant his output has been – from his 1960s dissemination of popular culture, perhaps the most well-known work, to the most elegiac responses to both the Norfolk landscape and places seen on his travels, with some watercolours from Scotland that describe the landscape seen and lived in there so eloquently and completely. His use of both traditional and not media has
to be seen – anything you ever thought of experimenting with, he has done it, and so well too, those lumps of charcoal, as well as the now achieving cult status corrugated cardboard ploughed fields… A real curatorial delight too, following straight on from the Turner and Changing Visions exhibition, we are being treated to some visual feasts, that show some positives, in our uncertain world, how being human and reflecting on our lives can be both an individual and universal experience. The exhibition has a lovely long run, until 21 September,
and is much recommended!
A recent dart across the city centre highlighted just how much art is available for our viewing, more transiently, with some shows just open for a couple of days, or weeks, and which can also sometimes reflect decades of creating. The Crypt Gallery has a show of paintings and drawings by Micheal Eatherley, for just three more days – with some chess players whose concentration is beautifully captured in charcoal. The exhibition is open 11-5 until Saturday 12 April. With work created again over many years, the colour palette often reflecting his time in
far flung places, and time something becoming a theme here, with Maurice’s ninety-year celebration coming up next month in Wymondham, more below. Do take a walk around the city, we punch well above our collective weight creatively, with art spaces now in former churches and pubs, as well as shoe factories, cavernous storage spaces and shops, long may this continue.

A reminder that our next meeting is for members and prospective members only, with details of those proposed for membership to be sent by email by Friday 25 April.
We will be back with something a little different in June, more details to come, and the first of our exhibitions coming up before then!

In our anniversary year, we are gearing up for a series of shows to celebrate 80 years of exhibiting as a group.
With over 200 artwork images collected already the committee is planning a publication to accompany the shows – busy times, the folder is bursting with art, we are looking forward to the months ahead.
Here are some dates for diaries:
Undercroft Gallery – Annual Exhibition Friday 9 – Sunday 25 May – Opening evening Friday 9 May from 6pm

St Margaret’s Gallery – 80th Anniversary Exhibition Tuesday 15 – Saturday 26 July – Opening evening Tuesday 15 July from 6pm
Later in the year, in September there will be two further exhibitions, at venues a short walk from each other – at Mandell’s Gallery and the Crypt Gallery.

Exhibitions
St Margaret’s Gallery: Frances Martin – Red Mysticism
Many thanks to everyone who has seen the exhibition, and there are three more days to visit still, open daily from 10am to 4pm, the last day is Saturday 12 April.
Really good to have some media coverage, with a Look East report on BBC 1 Breakfast this week, and in the EDP/Evening News:
New gallery at St Margaret de Westwick Church in Norwich | Eastern Daily Press
A view of the exhibition, with a drawing of my son made there last week and glimpses of some of the artworks leading up to the stained-glass east window:

https://www.stmargaretsgallery.co.uk/ Please follow on Instagram – @stmargaretsgallery
Mandell’s Gallery In A Certain Light
An exhibition of works by three artists, including photographs from Steve Baker, plus Mike Dodd and Keron Beattie, continues until Saturday 19 April: https://www.mandellsgallery.co.uk/in-certain-light/
Natasha Day has some ceramic pieces in the Undercroft Gallery with Anglian Potters until Sunday 13 April.

Tracey Ross is part of a group show at Salthouse that has a private view tomorrow evening, Friday 11 April from 5-7.30pm – all welcome, and is then open from 12 – 21 April:

Simon Marshall is The Bean Upstairs at Moosey from 30 April to 4 May, with an evening viewing on Thursday 1 May from 6.30-8.30pm https://mooseyart.co.uk/pages/norwich

Maurice Read has a retrospective exhibition, Four Score and Ten coming up next month at Wymondham Arts at Becket’s Chapel.
Maurice is a group member who has attended meetings for over 50 years, and the exhibition will reflect his long career in art – what an achievement, so much looking forward to seeing this!
There is an opening night for friends on Wednesday 7 May evening.

Warm and sunny wishes
Frances
Chair
Norwich 20 Group

www.norwich20group.co.uk

www.instagram.com/norwich20group/

Very many thanks to Rae Jones, for her informative talk about OUTPOST Programming Principles

Thanks to many who attended our meeting, with a seated format and start at 7.30pm

The Chapel, 64 Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF

Thanks to all who came to our second open meeting of the year, with or without work to display.

Here are some of the artworks seen, mostly shown on tables:

Tuesday 4 February 2025 – Jayne Ivimey talk

With huge thanks to Jayne Ivimey who joined us to talk about her art.

Life drawing workshop update – on Wednesday evenings and arrive from 7pm!

The workshop continues weekly until Wednesday 26 March 2025 for a 10 week term, with no session in the Norfolk schools half term week of 19 February.

The life workshop is at the Colman Road Scout Hut next to St Anne’s church, on the junction with Colman Road and The Avenues.

Run on a drop in basis, with a 7.15pm start, arrive from 7pm – please don’t arrive earlier as there is another booking in the space, and their participants need to be able to leave the car park.

The cost is £5 each week, payable on the night by cash.

We take a break from 8-8.15, and drawing ends at 9.15, with a floor display of drawings by anyone who wishes.

All are welcome – please note that you do not need to be a member of the group, just someone keen to work from life!

Also, note that the space doesn’t have equipment, so anything needed, boards etc. as well as art materials, will need to be brought along.

There are chairs, and we can use the car park which is right next to the scout hut (overflow parking also available behind Earlham library across the road if needed).

Thanks to many who came out on a cold January evening to our first meeting of the year – an open one – where artworks are displayed, a huge range of finished artwork and work in progress.

Meetings are at the Chapel, Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF from 7.30pm.

Artists & Makers Festival – Norwich 20 Group Exhibition

St Margaret’s Church, St Benedicts Street, Norwich

Monday 25 November – Saturday 7 December 2024

All welcome to our opening event on Monday 25 November from 6pm!

Tuesday 3 December 2024, at 7.30pm

Our festive meeting and party – again, all welcome but with food and drink this time, not artwork.

With big thanks to everyone for bringing a feast of festive food, and to Rory for another fabulous quiz!

All are welcome to our meetings, members and not – for open ones with or without artwork to display and discuss.

At the Chapel, Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF

Tuesday 5 November – Open meeting

Good to see many familiar friendly faces, plus some new too – and a chapel full of art at the November meeting.

Tuesday 1 October

With big thanks to Rachel Collier-Wilson for a fabulous evening, with their talk, Art from beyond the binary.

Tuesday 3 September – Open meeting

Thanks to all who came to our first meeting of the Autumn, a busy evening!

All are welcome to our meetings, members and not – for open ones with or without artwork to display and discuss.

At the Chapel, Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF

Tuesday 11 June – Artists in conversation

Thanks to Catherine Swain, Stuart Shearer and Steve Baker for an informative evening!

Good to see many at our last meeting before the Autumn, with big thanks to three group members who discussed aspects of their art practice.

For her MA project Catherine Swain has been researching pattern and ornamentation of the Iceni Tribe through observing artefacts, and the landscape of East Anglia particularly Warham Camp, and then responding to this through making. Thanks to Catherine for bringing along her artworks created in print and 3D media, also for explaining her ‘non repeating repeating’ print works made! We look forward to seeing how her horse sculptures evolve in bronze too. Her set of resource images is attached.

 Catherine Swain – Presentation Norwich 20 Group June Meeting.pptx

Stuart Shearer beautifully described his ambulatory drawing, giving a demonstration of the physical dynamics of the process. Do check out his website www.ambulatorydrawing.com and his exhibition at Salthouse Church, which will open in 4 weeks time at the end of July.

Steve Baker gave us a valued insight into his Plaques and Tangles series of photographs – it was a real treat to see many of the images while he elaborated and answered questions about the series.

It shows books and other publications that have been important to him, but which he can no longer read due to a neurological condition that has seriously damaged his eyesight. The photographs present each book as if set drift in the landscape for no apparent reason.

We will be back at the Chapel on Tuesday 3 September with an ‘open’ meeting – all welcome, members and not, with or without artworks to display.
Please note that our May meeting is for members and prospective members only.

Tuesday 2 April 2024 Cromer Artspace

Thanks very much to Ruth and Barry from to the team at Cromer Artspace for an enlightening an overview of the gallery space and activities plus the exhibition programme for the months ahead!
Do go to their website to find details of the events, and sign up to receive the newsletter.

www.cromer-artspace.co.uk

Cromer Artspace aims to bring art to Cromer for the benefit of residents and visitors. The charity was set up during the constraints of 2020 and has rapidly become widely recognised as a significant contributor to the arts in Norfolk.

The charity has established Artspace on the Prom in an iconic art deco building on the west promenade in Cromer. In the first two seasons, exhibitions have presented contemporary artists from the region and beyond, as well as showcasing emerging artists from local colleges and from Norwich University of the Arts. Over 10,000 people have visited Artspace on the Prom each year.

Cromer Artspace aims to present art in accessible and sometimes unexpected spaces. In collaboration with the National Gallery and local businesses the charity has brought art trails to the streets of Cromer, showing life size reproductions of works. Transport and finance prevents many local people from seeing such works in galleries.

In the future there are possibilities for more outside exhibitions in collaboration with different galleries from across the country, improvements to the Artspace on the Prom building, significant exhibitions and increased community engagement.

Cromer Artspace also organises workshops, talks and residencies and works with local schools and community groups. Quarterly Advisory Forums engage views on specific topics.
Here are some photos of the building, the first in glorious coastal sunlight, and the second, the programme cover, which also helps to pinpoint the location and access, right on the promenade.

Tuesday 5 March ‘open’ meeting

Thanks to many who came to the chapel, bringing art along too:

Tuesday 6 February meeting – talk: originalprojects;

We were very pleased to welcome Kaavous Clayton, who gave a talk about originalprojects; in Great Yarmouth.

Established in 2016, originalprojects; have developed a distinctive approach to working with artists in a range of local communities to explore relationships between generosity, creativity and place.

Their projects unlock creative opportunities supporting everyone to learn new skills, build confidence and thrive through experiencing sustainable and pioneering great art.

This manifests through exhibitions, studio provision, space for community engagement, showcasing local makers, workshops, public commissions, talks, research visits, conferences, podcasts, a sonic arts festival and gastronomic events; all delivered in partnership with peers, artists, learning providers, other cultural organisations, community and voluntary sector and local businesses.

On Friday 22 March they are planning CONTRAcurricular – a summit for radical and alternative art education.

https://originalprojects.co.uk/

https://contracurricular.co.uk/

https://www.yarmonics.com/

Tuesday 9 January 2024 – Open meeting

Our first meeting of the year, good to see so many at the chapel, members and not – and tables full of artwork.