otter galleryWhat’s on

Exhibitions October 2012 - June 2013

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Otter Gallery

The Otter Gallery is an art space that encourages engagement, discussion andparticipation with visual art. It is a public gallery with free admission supportedby the University of Chichester and based at the Chichester campus.

The gallery aims to work with the wider community through a creativeexhibition programme and a series of artist-led workshops and communityevents throughout the year.

The gallery is also home to a distinguished collection of 20th century Britishart including work by Henry Moore, Patrick Heron, Stanley Spencer andGraham Sutherland. Selected works from the collection are exhibited eachyear.

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2012/13 exhibitionsand information

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29 September – 2 DecemberThe Margins of the Lane 04

7 December – 27 January 2013Surveying Landscape – Brian Thompson and James A Wade Jr 05

2 February – 10 March 2013Presence 06

14 March – 21 April 2013Avril Wilson: Somewhere 07

2 May – 9 June 2013Thixotropic 08

The Collection 09

Learning Activities 10

Creative Writing Workshops 11

Forthcoming exhibitions 12

The Learning Resource Centre 13

Mailing List, Access Maps and How To Find Us 14

Parking, Campus Map & Opening Times 15

Admission to the gallery is free at all times.

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The Margins Of The Lane

This exhibition revisits the territory of the 2011 exhibition Entrance To A Lane, when the Fine ArtDepartment at the University of Chichester presented new work in the context of paintingsfrom the Otter Collection.

The Margins Of The Lane further explores ideas about the nature of landscape imagery fromcontributors to the Entrance To A Lane Symposium held in November 2011. This display againcombines new work with a critical selection of artists from the Otter Collection including IvonHitchens, Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron and Graham Sutherland.

Saturday 29 September – Sunday 2 December 2012

Images: details from paintings that were part of the Entrance to a Lane exhibition in 2011;Mote 8: Turn by Christopher McHugh 2011 (acrylic and oil on wood) and

Edge by Steve McDade 2011 (oil on board)

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Surveying Landscape: Brian Thompson

and James A Wade Jr Sculpture and Drawings

Brian Thompson (UK) and James Wade (USA) met at the annual ‘Cast Iron SculptureWorkshops’ at the Ironbridge Open Air Museum of Steel Sculpture. Over time the Museum'sDirector, Pam Brown, noted a particular affinity between the sculptures they produced.Certainly there is a distinct similarity in scale and, in common with historical tradition bothexplore landscape, but they do differ in their approach to the subject. Whilst Wade’stopographical studies appear as views of earth from space, Thompson’s more geometricalstudies describe specific routes as travelled on the surface of the earth.

Wade’s sculpture and drawings focus on a sense of place, incorporating narrative and thevernacular landscape. Ideas such as tooling, mapping, boundaries, architecture and thehorizon figure strongly in his work. Thompson’s “sculptural” journeys reveal something of theculture and histories of places and give insights into how we come to know, understand andnavigate our world.

Friday 7 December – Sunday 27 January 2013

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Presence

This display of work by students on the MA Fine Art programme at the University of Chichesterprovides a concrete glimpse of the challenge and development of individual agendas in post-graduate art practice.

Presence recognises not only aspects of the vital interaction between the particular concerns andideas of students but also the place of material outcomes in the research process. Theexhibition affirms the place of this kind of research-in-action at the heart of what we do in theFine Art Department, and in the University more widely. It makes visible, through the public lensof the Otter Gallery, a crucial insight into the creative and intellectual character of ourenterprise.

Saturday 2 February – Sunday 10 March 2013

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Avril Wilson: Somewhere

Somewhere explores a relationship with borderlands where subconscious, emotional or maybeuniversal connections emerge from the space that is created when an image is subjected to aprocess.

The presence of dense black soot deposited on Avril Wilson’s images usurps the primacy of theimage and alters its meaning. Sometimes the soot is controlled within geometric shapes orstencils while at other times it creates unbounded swirls and suggests tempest. The soot isproduced by a flame that can be used to draw with but which also, through chance, may destroythe work. What remains, for the purpose of this exhibition, are the pieces that survived theflame.

Friday 15 March – Sunday 28 April 2013

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Thixotropic – fluid when worked

A selection of studio work from students on Levels 4 & 5 of the Fine Art degree programme(i.e. first and second year undergraduates).

Thixotropic - an adjective from the noun thixotropy (chemistry) meaning the property ofbecoming less viscous when subjected to an applied stress, shown for example by some gelswhich become temporarily fluid when shaken or stirred*.

This exhibition represents the latest excursion into the crazy world of developing Fine Art ideasand practice ... where students test ideas to destruction and turn the expectation of materialsupside down.

*From the Oxford Dictionary online.

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Thursday 2 May – Sunday 9 June 2013

The Collection

The Otter Gallery is home to an extensive collection of some 400 works of art across a range ofmedia.

The Bishop Otter collection was started in 1947 when Eleanor Hipwell, Head of Art for theBishop Otter College, acquired three paintings from an exhibition held at the Victoria and AlbertMuseum in order to display them in what is now the University. Shortly afterwards, Miss K EMurray was appointed as a new Principal. Along with Eleanor Hipwell's successor, SheilaMcCririck, Miss Murray was determined to develop acollection of contemporary art that would inspire andinform the students.

She was helped by the support of Bishop Bell,chairman of the Bishop Otter College Council andWalter Hussey, who arrived as the new Dean atChichester Cathedral in 1955. Their support helpedpromote acceptance of sometimes controversial andchallenging pieces such as Patrick Heron's Black andWhite.

As the collection grew, it was displayed throughoutthe University for the benefit of students and staff.Today, the collection includes pictures by ElizabethBlackadder, Mary Fedden, Paul Feiler, Hans Feibusch,William Gear, Terry Frost, Peter Lanyon and GrahamSutherland, as well as ceramics by Alison Britton,Michael Casson, Ewen Henderson, Bernard Leachand Lucie Rie. There are also sculptures by WilliSoukup, John Skelton and Henry Moore plus textilework by Alice Kettle and Hilda Breed. Pictures andobjects in the collection can be viewed on the OtterGallery website www.chi.ac.uk/ottergallery.

Some of the outstanding pieces in the collection maybe seen in annual exhibitions in the Otter Gallery andare on display as "Picture of the Month" in theLearning Resource Centre. From time to time itemsare on loan for display in regional, national andinternational galleries.

If you are interested in viewing particular works fromthe collection please refer to our website list and thencontact the gallery to make an appointment.

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20th and 21st Century British Art

Top: Paul Feiler, Boats And Sea © The artistBottom: Alison Britton, set of four earthenware jugs

The Otter Gallery offers a variety of public events and workshops, either free or for a smallcharge. These are often linked to our exhibitions programme. Please look at our websitewww.chi.ac.uk/ottergallery or contact the Gallery Assistant, Catharine Russell, on 01243816098, email c.russell@chi.ac.uk forinformation and booking.

We also offer artist or gallery staff-led learningsessions for schools, colleges, day centres andcommunity groups. Based around ourexhibition programme or permanent artcollection, these sessions can be tailored to suiteach group's needs. There is generally nocharge for learning sessions in the gallery. Tofind out more or to book a session contact theGallery Officer, Laura Kidner, on 01243816098, email l.kidner@chi.ac.uk.

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Learning ActivitiesEvents and workshops throughout the year

Creative Writing Workshops

The Otter Gallery’s poet-in-residence Stephanie Norgate hosts regular creative writingworkshops aimed at developing poems and other writing in response to exhibitions at thegallery.

Poet and playwright Stephanie runs the MA in Creative Writing atthe University of Chichester. Her latest book, The Blue Den(September 2012) is her second collection and celebrates thepower of intense looking and making. Her debut poetrycollection, Hidden River (2008) was shortlisted for the ForwardFirst Collection Prize and the Jerwood Aldeburgh First Collection,and Stephanie’s plays have been broadcast on Radio 4 andproduced on the London fringe.

Her 90-minute creative writing sessions take place within thegallery itself, and are open to beginners or those with experience.Members of the public are particularly welcome at theworkshops, which are £3 per session (free to University studentsand staff).

2012 workshop dates:

Wednesday 10 October, 12-1.30pm: Responding to the exhibition, The Margins of TheLane (complementing the previous year’s exhibition Entrance To A Lane, which produced veryfine poetry).

Wednesday 24 October, 12-1.30pm: Participants engage in a workshop designed todevelop further their pieces from previous workshops. Participants will need to bring copies ofwork they wish the group to discuss.

Wednesday 7 November, 12-1.30pm: A further development workshop and a shortperformance of pieces to test the sound and celebrate the poetry. We may ask a musician along(subject to availability).

Wednesday 12 December, 12-1.30pm: Workshop responding to the new exhibition,Surveying Landscape.

Towards the end of the semester, an anthology of work produced by participants in the OtterGallery workshops over the last two years will be taking its final form, and Stephanie may inviteparticipants to help with editing the manuscript. In a new development, some guest poets arebeing invited to respond to the Otter Collection online and send in contributions to the finalanthology.

To book a place on Stephanie Norgate’s creative writing workshops please ring 01243 816098or email s.norgate@chi.ac.uk.

(in association with Chic Lit)

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Summer/Autumn 2013

Art ComposedThis collaborative and creative project brings together the University of Chichester's Music andFine Art students with St. Anthony's Special School and the Otter Gallery to reinterpret aselection of key art works from the Otter collection.

Staff Research Show Staff from the University’s Fine Art department extend their exploration of the boundaries ofcurrent thinking and practice relating to landscape through a range of approaches and media.

Peter Iden: A RetrospectiveThe life and work of the late Peter Iden, one of Chichester’s most popular and acclaimed artists,will be celebrated in this retrospective exhibition which will feature his modern and abstractpaintings. The exhibition will also see the publication of a new biographical study of the artist.

Grimms Fairytales The art of storytelling will be chronicled in this special exhibition, supported by the Universityand featuring books and illustrations by much-loved fairytale artists such as Arthur Rackham,Mabel Lucie Attwell, Charles Robinson and Mervyn Peake.

Forthcoming exhibitions

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The Learning Resource Centre (LRC)

The Otter Gallery is situated in the LearningResource Centre at the University’s College Lanecampus in Chichester. The LRC is an award-winningmodern facility with an extensive and regularlyrefreshed library complete with a large range ofbooks, papers and journals. For art-lovers, there is awide selection of books, periodicals and DVDs.

You don’t have to be a student to use the library -any member of the public is welcome to use it free ofcharge for reference purposes, and there are alsofour categories of associate membership available onpayment of the appropriate annual fee. For information please telephone 01243 816222 orvisit the library website at:www.chi.ac.uk/about-us/professional-services/library-services/access-visitors

The ground floor of the LRC has recently undergone a refurbishment and visitors to the OtterGallery will see many benefits, including longer opening hours and the opportunity to visit until10pm on weekdays (during semester time), with free parking on campus from 5pm. There is alsoa Costa Coffee café near the gallery and a seating area.

Come and visit an exhibition at the gallery, take part in a creative workshop, browse through ourlibrary shelves, pick up an art magazine – or just relax with a cup of coffee!

Toovey’s Antique and Fine ArtAuctioneers and Valuers

We are grateful to Toovey's Antique and Fine ArtAuctioneers and Valuers for their generoussupport of our exhibitions programme. To findout more about Toovey’s visit their websitewww.tooveys.com or telephone 01903 891955.

Director Rupert Toovey, star of the BBC TVseries Bargain Hunt, will be giving regular talks atthe gallery during the 2012/13 programme.

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Mailing listIf you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive information about the galleryprogramme, forthcoming events and workshops, and invitations to special viewings, pleasecontact Catharine Russell on 01243 816098, email c.russell@chi.ac.uk.

Accessibility mapsThe Otter Gallery is open to the public and an access guide is available through the DisabledGowebsite at http://www.disabledgo.com/en/access-guide/otter-gallery/chichester-district-council.

How to find us The Otter Gallery is a 15-minute walk from Chichester city centre or a 20-minute walk fromChichester train station. A number of buses stop at the end of College Lane and Stagecoach’sU700 service stops at the Bishop Otter campus. Covered bicycle parking is available.

The Otter Gallery is situated on the ground floor of the Learning Resource Centre at theUniversity of Chichester’s Bishop Otter Campus. On entering the University via the mainentrance on College Lane, the Learning Resource Centre is the large building on the left.

For more information about finding the University of Chichester, including walking directions, goto www.chi.ac.uk/info/HowToFindUs.cfm

Bus and trainstations

Bishop OtterCampus

Alternativeparking:Northgatecar park

Alternativeparking:Eastgatecar park

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Parking Limited free parking is available for up to 30 minutes in front of the Learning Resource Centre(Otter Gallery location) at any time. For a longer stay during the teaching day (8am-5pm) youmay use the pay and display car park opposite the Learning Resource Centre. A valid pay anddisplay ticket will also be valid in all other car parks on campus, other than the barrier controlledand restricted parking bays.

Please note that without valid parking car owners may face a fine. Alternative parking is availableoff-campus.

The Otter Gallery

Entrance

Parking

Gallery opening timesSemester opening: 8am - 10pm Monday - Friday, 10am - 7pm weekends(Semester dates: 10 September – 21 December 2012; 21 January – 18 May 2013)

Holiday opening: 9am - 5pm Monday – Friday (closed weekends)Closed Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Bank Holidays.

www.chi.ac.uk/ottergalleryPlease recycle after use

Contact Details

Otter GalleryUniversity of ChichesterCollege LaneChichester PO19 6PE

Tel: 01243 816098Email: infoart@chi.ac.uk

Admission to the Gallery is free at all times.

A large print version of this brochure is available on request.Please email infoart@chi.ac.uk if you would like a copy.