28 October 2021

An artist has been selected to take part in the next round of the Arts Council England-funded Meeting Point programme with Furzey Gardens.

Anna Cady (www.annacady.com) is a creative artist based in the UK who often makes work with people who are not artists or who do not have their own voice. After a extensive selection programme, Anna was chosen by Furzey Gardens as the perfect artist to create a new work of art inspired by the venue.

Anna is one of six artists working with venues around the country as part of this project, they are:

  • Furzey Gardens in the New Forest National Park (Anna Cady)
  • Didcot Railway Centre (Savinder Bual)
  • National Paralympic Heritage Centre in Aylesbury (Jordan Baseman)
  • Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology in Reading (Chisato Minamimura)
  • ‘a space’ arts and God’s House Tower in Southampton (Enam Gbewonyo)
  • The Brickworks Museum in Southampton (Emma Smith)

Anna Cady said: ‘I am so thrilled to have been selected to collaborate with the remarkable community at Furzey Gardens to make work which will celebrate the garden, the history and the people themselves. I love the enthusiasm and commitment of all those I have met during my visits and I can’t wait to begin!’

Anna’s contemporary artwork and installations will be unveiled in 2022, which is Furzey Gardens’ centenary year. The artwork will be part of a range of events and projects to mark this special year.

Steph Allen, Executive Director at contemporary arts agency Arts&Heritage, which leads the programme, said: ‘Since 2016 the Meeting Point programme has supported the museum and heritage sector to introduce contemporary arts into its programming, helping attract a new audience and reframe how heritage stories are told.

‘Once again we have the opportunity to work alongside some renowned and hugely talented artists to explore how our history, heritage, and identity is presented through museum and heritage collections.

‘Each artist will work with their venue to present a brand new artwork that offers a unique narrative on topics including Britain’s industrial past, Paralympic history, and our natural spaces.’

Meeting Point has gained a reputation for its innovative approach to forging relationships between artists and museums and heritage spaces. The Arts Council England-funded programme is an opportunity for artists to work with unique collections and unlock access to the knowledge of museum curators, whilst supporting small and medium scale museums to develop skills in commissioning new contemporary art for local audiences to experience.

Now entering its sixth year, Meeting Point continues to bring new visitors to the participating museums and enables audiences to view collections and history in a different way, helping support the future sustainability of museums and heritage sites and find ways to tell heritage stories from new perspectives.

Over the next few months the artists will work with Furzey Gardens staff, volunteers and people supported by the gardens to develop their ideas. The artists’ responses to each site will bring fresh perspectives on heritage stories for audiences, and be installed over the next two years.

Since 2016, Meeting Point has worked with 26 museums and more than 50 museum professionals to create 26 new artworks and deliver over 100 workshops.

Arts&Heritage is funded by Arts Council England

For more information about Meeting Point and Arts&Heritage, visit www.artsandheritage.org.uk.

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