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can see the associated exhibition up until 14 April. Over the summer, an expanded alumni exhibition is being planned across the whole site, which is going to bring back some of the amazing artists Wysing Arts Centre has worked with over the years. “It’s incredible when you look at the alumni, but we aren’t here to make claim to that, we celebrate how they go into the world,” Jo adds. An artist archivist residency is also being planned with Helen Cammock, a winner of the Max Mara Prize for Women, plus a residency with curator Taylor Le Melle which will present a series of symposia in May focused on revisiting questions posed by Wysing around urgent issues facing society from their 25th year. “The things that concern us are not just in our own country – they are issues that also have a far-reaching impact. We were born out of a turbulent era; it shapes us. We aren’t in a vacuum and I’m proud of how Wysing has become a place of refuge for artists,” Jo explains. Wysing Arts Centre was the first arts organisation to offer a Safe Haven residency as part of the ARTISTS at RISK
Network (ECVAN), whose pioneering project, New Geographies, invited the public to nominate often overlooked locations across the east of England for site-specific public art commissions. “It’s clear it’s acting outside the commercial gallery system. It’s not about commercial intent, product – it’s about production. It has influence on artists at a key time in their careers,” says Jo. As space for artists to work becomes increasingly hard to find, Wysing’s offer only becomes more crucial, thirty years on. With plans to launch a new patrons scheme, Producers Circle, to help support the centre, there’s scope for people to help ensure its work continues to grow, too. Much deserved – as Jo says, “it’s an incredible place.” l
(AR) network, offering refuge for artists being persecuted in their own countries. “Unless you take steps, we won’t have a diverse artworld,” Jo adds. Instrumental to implementing the vision of Wysing Arts Centre has been director of 13 years, Donna Lynas – an inspiration to many. “She has been absolutely pioneering this work. Donna has always been clear Wysing is an organisation that values difference.” Jo continues: “I think, in a world that seems to increasingly fear difference, the work we do at Wysing is even more relevant and vital than ever.” As an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, Wysing Arts Centre is also part of Plus Tate and chair of the East Contemporary Visual Arts
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