Abigail Thomas, the Landmark Arts Centre Exhibition Manager, sent a message saying: “We are going to be holding a Summer Exhibition... a sort of salon of artwork filling the exhibition walls. As close working partners, we wondered if you, the Surrey Sculpture Society, could use our woodland conservation area for a sculpture trail?”
It was totally unknown territory on many levels. The logistics of being as COVID-safe as possible meant that Abigail had her work cut out for her, creating systems and procedures for safety, never previously envisaged.
But, as we all know, ‘the show must go on' and this art show was just about the most feasible thing to do when all the other uses of the Art Centre were impossible.
"How about it then?", was the question posed. Could we do an arts trail in the grounds of the Centre? Of course not – there is no security! It’s on the corner of a busy road and anyone could hop over the railings and sabotage our sculptures – NO. It can’t be done. Also what does it really look like? It’s a car park and there are bins and it’s really not suitable. NO. It can’t be done...
The Surrey Sculpture Society has held at least four exhibitions at the Landmark Arts Centre. It’s our only exclusively indoor venue and has presented the perfect winter bridge between our calendar of garden exhibitions.
We have a strong working relationship and my thoughts were that as artists, with some trepidation regarding COVID, this Summer Exhibition presented us with an opportunity to exhibit and support the struggling Landmark Arts Centre. It could help their future and our own.
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Friedel Buecking
Malcolm West