Norwich 20 Group

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.

Thanks very much to the many visitors who came to our opening evening on Monday 3 June!

At the Undercroft Gallery, Norwich

Annual exhibition N2024G daily until Sunday 16 June 2024

View from the show:

Tuesday 7 November

At the Chapel, Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF.

With thanks to Charlie Ditcham, a Norfolk-based artist freelancer with a background in film and TV, for his talk about his practice.Ditcham works with digital video, sound, and photography at his studio in Great Yarmouth.

Over the past year Ditcham has collaborated with painters, sculptors, and contemporary dancers on a range of funded audio-visual projects, while also running community animation workshops with children aged 8-10.

Tuesday 3 October, from 7.30pm at the Chapel, Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF.

Very big thanks to Carrie Clarke and Marek Jeczalik for sharing their art practice

Carrie and Marek are our newest licentiate members, who graduated from Norwich University of the Arts in June.

A reminder that we hold meetings regularly on the first Tuesday of each month.

All are welcome – group members and not – to come along, just turn up to the chapel.

Good to see many friendly faces at our September meeting, our next ‘open’ one – to bring artwork to display and discuss – will be on Tuesday 9 January.

Thanks to the many visitors to our third group exhibition of the year, from Saturday 16 September – Sunday 1 October 2023

Thanks to everyone who came to our huge exhibition at the Undercroft Gallery of work from life drawing workshop regulars.

With 10-12 drawings from each artist made at our scout hut workshop, and as the title suggests, more – other artworks in 2D and 3D media, figurative and not, to complement the drawings.

From Village People magazine July/August 2023

So very sorry to post that John Rance died in March 2023 – our thoughts to his family and friends.

We commemorated John’s creative output in our annual exhibition in June.

John wrote:

My work involves both painting and sculpture and often the two mediums will overlap into what is effectively a 3D painting/relief sculpture. I have worked with a variety of materials using what best suits the end result, welded steel, bronze casting, plastics, etc. though currently I’m principally working in wood. I like to work a material against its natural qualities to set up questions in the mind of the viewer.

My work in wood will often look like folded paper which of course is not possible with a hard product like wood so it creates a small perceptual mystery I’m also extremely interested in colour (at heart I am a colourist) and how colour works both physically and emotionally in both the mind and eye of the artist and the reception in the onlooker.

My other love is Life Drawing, I think it is essential for an artist to stay in touch with the core values of observational drawing and the disciplines involved.

What lies beneath, Oil on canvas

Tropical nights, Oil and collage on board

Deeper, Oil and collage on board

Summer, Emulsion on wood

Thanks to everyone who attended our opening night.

The exhibition continued daily until Saturday 24 June, open from 11am to 5pm.

Group members were present in during these times, to discuss the show with visitors.

Joint event with the Norfolk Contemporary Art Society on Tuesday 20 June.

Thanks to everyone who came, and for an engaging question and answer session at the talk end.

Group meetings at The Chapel, Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF from 7.30pm

Tuesday 3 October – New Licentiate members

Thanks for giving a great welcome to our recent graduates from Norwich University of the Arts who have been invited to join the group for a two year period, talking about their art practice.

Thanks to everyone who made our first meeting of the Autumn on Tuesday 5 September such a lively evening, with plenty of art to see, from group members and others.

Please note that everyone is welcome to bring art among to open meetings.

All are welcome come along to meetings in months of January – April, also June, and September – December

May is for members and proposed members only, and there are no meetings in July and August.

2024 meetings – these are usually the first Tuesday of the month.

Very pleased that artist Simon Bill gave a talk, as a joint event with Norfolk Contemporary Art Society – the venue for this was the Undercroft, during our group exhibition in June:

The subject of Visual Perception featured strongly in the teaching of art until the 80s, when it was dropped because it was not commensurate with Critical Theory. The orthodoxy of Critical Theory is in decline, whilst the study of perception as a branch of neuroscience has advanced rapidly. The response to these developments has been slow in art schools – this talk offered an introduction to Visual Perception and a survey of the subject as it stands today. 

Simon with two images from his Op Art murals on Great Yarmouth seafront:

Tuesday 6 June  – The role of arts to engage people with the Earth crisis

May – Welcome to our two new members, Natasha Day (former licentiate member) and Rachel Furze.

Tuesday 4 April
Thanks to everyone who came along to a busy evening at the chapel for an open meeting format – with plenty of artwork brought along to display and discuss.

(Photo from a previous open meeting)

For more information about meetings and membership: www.norwich20group.co.uk/about

For ‘open’ meetings – all are welcome to bring artwork along – we advise bringing something that you can easily carry, and can be displayed on a table or leaning on a side table or chair against a wall.

Tuesday 7 March 

Another ‘open’ meeting, where artists – both group members and not – shared ideas and showed both work in progress and recent art.

Tuesday 7 February, which had a Q & A format, thanks to Christine Allman and Jos Wickham – group members who each talked about their work, with questions posed by Peter Baldwin and Martin Battye.

Tuesday 3 January 2023 – Good to see old faces and new at our first meeting of the year with plenty of artwork displayed and discussed.

Tuesday 6 December – our annual party celebration!

Tuesday 1 November

Thanks to everyone who came to our meeting, where four recent NUA Fine Art graduates gave talks about their art practice.

A priviledge to hear from Jo Bellamy, Carl Durban, Catherine Swain and Luke Underwood, our new licentiate members:

Tuesday 4 October

Format – an ‘open’ meeting – with works in progress brought along to display and discuss.

Good to see a mix of familiar faces and new, thanks to all for attending.

Thanks to everyone who came along to our September meeting too, also an ‘open’ meeting, noting all are welcome – with or without artwork.

Please check here for updates and our newsletter for any changes to dates.

All are welcome to our meetings, noting that the May meetings are for members and proposed prospective members only.

Thanks very much to artists who brought their work along in May 2022.

We’re very pleased to welcome four new members:

Christine Allman, Craig Frost, Sally Hirst and Helen Ireland.

Thanks to members and visitors for making a successful return to meetings this year, here’s a photo from Tuesday 1 March.

2021: Lovely to hold our festive party meeting on Thursday 9 December.

Thanks to everyone who came along on Tuesday 2 November – with talks about their art practice by recent NUA graduates, Jennifer Lovatt and Natasha Day.

With thanks to Natasha, giving her talk in the photo below here, and Jennifer too!