Our vision
Sussex has a rich heritage when it comes to art and artists.
The rolling Downs and breath-taking coastline have inspired artists for centuries, including some of the most celebrated artists that ever lived. Picasso, Miró, Man Ray, Moore, Constable, Turner, Burra, Grant, Bell, Beardsley, Ravilious, Nash and Grayson Perry all have links with Sussex.
Sussex continues to provide inspiration and a home to some amazing emerging talent, and we wanted to create a new addition to the art calendar that specifically showcases the amazing creativity that the county has.
Our vision is simple but is also ambitious. We want to celebrate and promote the fantastic artistic creativity of Sussex-linked artists. That can be artists that were born here (but may have since moved away), studied here or currently live or work here.
Sussex has a growing, vibrant arts scene and we want to show off the best of it to the world.
We initially came up with the idea of our annual exhibition - The Sussex - to provide artists with a platform to show their work to a bigger audience. The Sussex has become a major exhibition in the arts calendar and we continue to encourage artists of all abilities working in any medium to get involved.
We don’t take the stance that art is for the cultural elite, art is for everyone so we also want our exhibitions to be free to visit too. It’s really important to us that in every event and exhibition we do, everybody wins. Suppliers get paid, sponsors get a return, we cover our costs and most of all; art lovers get to see some amazing Sussex art and Sussex artists get exposure and a chance to sell their art.
“Creativity is contagious, pass it on” – Albert Einstein
But, that’s not all.
We found that the artists we worked with were brilliant at creating amazing work but, not all had the knowledge to make the most of that talent commercially. In 2024, we introduced a series of workshops and talks called the Business of Art covering topics as diverse as ‘how to price your work’, ‘preparing for art festivals’, ‘diversifying your income’ and ‘building meaningful newsletters’ to name just a few.
Producing exceptional art is one thing, making money from it is quite another another.
Our Mission
To celebrate Sussex art and support Sussex artists
Celebrate Sussex contemporary artistic excellence through exhibitions and events.
Support new, emerging and established Sussex talent in the business of being an artist.
Host an international-standard annual exhibition that encourages art tourism to Sussex.
Connect artists, collectors, suppliers and venues.
Engage with Sussex schools, colleges and universities to prepare the next generation of artists
The Sussex Contemporary Team
Joanna Myles - Creative Director
Joanna (Jo) is an international artist working from Sussex, UK.
Her work can be found in galleries across the UK & USA as well as in key publications. Working from her garden studio as well as BIP, an artist-led print studio in Brighton, and The Ugly Barn, a community pottery studio in Ditchling. Jo has a rich background in the creative industries having worked for the likes of Alexander McQueen, Duffer of St George, Warehouse and Laura Ashley.
Featured on Sky Arts in 2021.
Shortlisted for the Glyndebourne Tour Art 2021.
Hung in the Turner Contemporary Open 2022.
Jo is becoming an artist of interest, highly collectible and accessible.
She co-founded Sussex Contemporary Ltd in 2021 with a manifesto and mission to provide supportive platforms for Sussex Linked artists, Jo is the Creative Director of the company which hosts major open op-calls across the county. As part of her on-going commitment to sharing knowledge and experience Jo has developed, and is delivering a series of talks about the business side of art offering practical and useful information to artists and creatives.
2022 Saw Jo join Heritage Crafts and the Crafts Council as a maker of the endangered craft of textiles and wallpaper printing, one of only 7 makers globally using this heritage craft.
In September 2023 Jo was appointed as a Trustee of the Ditchling Museum of Art + Crafts.
Her most recent appointment in 2024 is as an Industry Advisor sitting on the Board of Arts and Media at the University of Brighton.
Working with hundreds and hundreds of creatives since 2021 Jo is a huge advocate of creating new platforms and spaces to showcase the excellent talent here in Sussex.
Jason Edge - Marketing Guru
Jason is more an art lover than an artist (as you can see from his self-portrait above), although he does enjoy making marks with paint on canvas every now and then.
He is a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience working with Sussex businesses both agency and client-side.
Entrepreneurial by nature and a strategic creative thinker, he has worked with Jo on a number of projects that have promoted Sussex and it's producers over the past decade.
He manages the day-to-day (dull admin) elements of Sussex Contemporary Ltd which, you may be surprised to learn, has many moving parts to consider.
Jason is also a trustee of Table Talk Foundation and a keen supporter (drinker) of Sussex wines.