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SEEDA Helps to Paint a Better Future
29 November 2006
A catalytic £300,000 contribution from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has played a pivotal role in the strategic relocation of the Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth from a small site to the impressive and extensive Vulcan building at Gunwharf Quays. The Gallery will play an integral part in elevating the profile of arts throughout the area and ensuring a superb new arts experience to both residents and visitors to Portsmouth.
The new Gallery, which is expected to attract an estimated 18,000 visitors a year, will focus on developing creative industries, championing the work of local artists and increasing the reach of the gallery's innovative education programmes.
Director of Aspex, Joanne Bushnell, said: "The Aspex is predominantly about access to the arts for everyone. We are all very keen to engage different audiences in the arts and promote Portsmouth as a dynamic, vibrant and new city synonymous with excellence in the arts. We are delighted with the financial support from a range of organisations including SEEDA (through the South East Hampshire Area Investment Framework), Portsmouth City Council and the Arts Council South East."
SEEDA's Area Director for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Kathy Slack, said: "I am delighted that our critical funding stream will have such a positive impact on arts throughout Portsmouth. Art is for everyone. It should be inclusive, open and all-embracing. Art can add so much; it can be used to stimulate education and skills, be at the heart of regeneration, aligned to social inclusion and, through the cultural and creative sectors, contribute to driving sustainable and future economic growth. The Gallery will also be a beacon for tourism; depicting Portsmouth as a thriving and modern city. I think that it is also a very imaginative move to build a creative cluster of graduate enterprises in the new Gallery. Creative industries and culture are two of the crucial cross-cutting themes in the new Regional Economic Strategy for the South East which aims to build a world class region with a stunning quality of life for all."
This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the Aspex Gallery. To celebrate this achievement and the Gallery's new status as a forward-looking contemporary cultural resource, there will be a wide variety of compelling programmes such as:
- Professional Development Seminars – events delivered by arts professionals that explore practical and critical aspects of artistic practice
- One to One surgeries on career development
- Website Development
- Exhibiting Artist One to One Meetings
For Kathy, the Gallery is a remarkable achievement. "For people with no experience of the arts or for people with a burning passion for culture, the Gallery will have both opportunities and programmes for the benefit of all."
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