Thelma Hulbert Gallery’s Creative Cabin has been awarded Highly Commended in the Pandemic Pivot category of the 2021 Museums + Heritage Awards.
Category winners and shortlistees highly commended by the judges received glowing acclaim during the livestreamed event hosted by journalist and broadcaster Samira Ahmed.
Central to the 2021 edition of the event was marking the achievements of organisations and individuals who had evidenced remarkable levels of ambition and resilience throughout the pandemic.
Maggie Appleton MBE, chief executive of the RAF Museum, who this year chaired the judging panel, said: “We have experienced some very tough times… but we have also seen extraordinary generosity, creativity, resilience and risk-taking.
“These awards celebrate those fabulous traits of our sector, and of the remarkable people that make it one which is such a joy to be part of.”
Councillor Paul Arnott, Leader of East Devon District Council said: “We are really looking forward to opening our ambitious summer exhibition this August.
“We hope visitors will enjoy the diverse range of new works on display from 50 London Group members, alongside works by Thelma Hulbert and previous London Group members: Claude Rogers, William Coldstream and Victor Pasmore. The exhibition marks an important research contribution into the life and work of Thelma Hulbert demonstrating her contribution to the history of British art in the last century.
“From painting, to sculpture, film to photography, art history lectures and workshops, we hope there will be something for everyone.”
The Creative Cabin is out and about across East Devon this summer with a broad range of activities, projects, talks, films, performances and workshops which creatively explore our relationship to nature and the climate emergency.
The next two key events are:
18 July: Climate Conversations event, Sidmouth. The first in a series of Climate Conversations co-hosted by THG and Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub (SCCH). Families can enjoy art activities from the Creative Cabin, craft activities including a pot making demo with Dave French from East Devon Withy Pots and story-telling from the Coral garden. Writer, broadcaster and marine biologist Helen Scales will be giving a talk and signing her new book. This fun-packed event will offer music, bar and great food including Vanilli Bean ice-cream, Angel Chops cakes and fish baps from Sidmouth Trawlers.
29 July: Artist Talk and Climate Conversations event, Exmouth. Artist Mike Perry will be discussing the key themes of his exhibition with curator Ben Borthwick. Exmouth communities are invited to drop in and discuss East Devon's Climate Emergency Plan with newly-appointed Climate Change Officer, Catherine Causley.
Ben Borthwick said,
It is great to see Mike’s exhibition at Thelma Hulbert Gallery and Ocean Exmouth….where it is framed by the galleries strong existing commitment to climate issues.
In Mike’s work, there is always a tension between representing humanity’s destructive impact on nature and the seductive aesthetic beauty of his imagery. This exhibition amplifies that tension in ways speaking to the most pressing issues of our time.
Land/Sea was first presented at Plymouth, where Mike and I did an in-conversation about his work, four years later it is fascinating to see how the work continues to grow in its relevance to the climate emergency.
I am looking forward to picking up our conversation and finding out more about how his work has changed as the social and political conditions around it are catching up with the themes in the exhibition”
Climate Conversations has been developed against the context of East Devon District Council’s commitment to Devon’s Climate Change Emergency declaration and Exeter University's declaration of an environment and climate emergency.
Climate Conversations is funded by East Devon District Council and Art Council England.