An Art Opportunity for Sussex-based artists who work with low-impact materials to celebrate the acquisition of this piece of land by the charity SMART . https://www.smartlondon.org.uk

SMART  https://www.smartlondon.org.uk  has recently purchased “The Sheds”, 3 hectares of land with buildings in the South Downs National Park.

Our aim is to restore the habitat, creating a space where people can work and connect with nature and each other in line with our wider work to promote mental health and recovery from mental illness.

We are beginning a year of co-production to engage with local people to build something they will use and find helpful. In addition to visiting local groups and schools and connecting with communities, particularly marginalised ones, we are launching this open call to Sussex-based artists and makers.  

If there is anything we can do to make the application process more accessible, then please do let us know.

We are particularly encouraging people with experience of mental illness to apply.

We plan to host an art exhibition and installation involving Sussex artists and craftspeople.

There are numerous structures on the site, and we would like to invite and select 10 artists to install them to create an impactful, interactive art trail on the land.

We have been researching the history, folklore, and ecology of the Devil's Dyke landscape and "The Sheds " and have created a thematic handbook for selected artists to respond to.

There is a wealth of cultural heritage, from individual family stories to the fairground set up by an Afro-American man in the late 1800s, local crafts, Sussex traditions, and a rich natural world.

The exhibition will be held in May 2025.

Our aim is to encourage visitors to our space and engage with the project.

The chosen artists can also offer a series of workshops for local community groups, the artwork of which will be included in the exhibition. 

We would like artists to consider work with appeal across ages and cultures, encompassing music, movement, heritage crafts and visual arts. 

Due to the nature of our project on the land, we ask that the materials used in the artworks be of low environmental impact, i.e. wood, paper, light, film, reclaimed materials, sound, and spoken word. There are lots of materials on-site that can also be used.

Initial budget:

£800 per artist. (material costs to be discussed on final selection) .

There will be a maximum of 3 days to install works on site from 21st-27th April 2025. On-site technical support will be available.

Community workshop work is  a set fee: £350  per day  Dates: March/April  (dates TBC) 

We ask for a nominal application fee of £10. This fee goes straight into the project.

The event in May will be a free admission therefore, please consider the submission fee as your donation to the charity and the event.