Didcot Railway Centre is one of six museums and heritage sites selected by Arts&Heritage to work in partnership with artists to commission a new work of contemporary art inspired by each venue.
The National Paralympic Heritage Centre in Aylesbury; Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology in Reading; Furzey Gardens in the New Forest National Park; ‘a space’ arts and The Brickworks Museum in Southampton will also take part in the Meeting Point programme.
Stephanie Allen, our Executive Director, said: “Arts&Heritage works with museums and heritage sites which have little previous experience of commissioning contemporary art. We’ll be working with these six venues to pair each with an artist who will create a brand new piece of work – which could be anything from sculpture to a sound installation – created especially for the venue and inspired by its history and collections.”
The Meeting Point programme has previously worked with venues in the North East, North West and the Midlands, partnering more than 20 museums with artists from across the UK.
As well as commissioning a new artwork which responds to their collection, each venue also receives training in best practice for working with artists.
Emma Jhita, CEO of Didcot Railway Centre, said: “I am delighted Didcot Railway Centre has been selected to take part in Meeting Point. Commissioning an artist through the programme will enable new audiences to explore the incredible railway heritage we care for and social histories we share. Gaining a fresh perspective on our collection will provide an exciting opportunity for our passionate volunteers and audiences of all ages to discover new connections with this important industrial heritage.”
The announcement was made on 10 November 2020.
