World-renowned artists, Jenny Saville and Maggi Hambling, the legendary historian, diarist and curator Sir Roy Strong, and the potter and designer Emma Bridgewater are all set to join the programme for this year’s Chatsworth Festival – Art Out Loud.
The group – along with 20 other artists, curators and writers – will transform Chatsworth into Britain’s most exciting destination for art lovers over three days this September.
Now in its second year, Art Out Loud offers an insight into the work, inspirations and opinions of the art world’s leading names.
Key themes to be explored at this year’s festival include: an examination of the artist’s process (Jenny Saville, Maggi Hambling); how East meets West in art (artist Edmund de Waal and author Peter Frankopan); the importance of design in buildings and objects – and what we should do with historic buildings (Deyan Sudjic, Amanda Levete, Anna Keay) and the role of the curator in bringing art to life (Julia Peyton-Jones, Sir Roy Strong, Nick Cullinan, Per Rumberg).
(Image below, clockwise from left: Art Out Loud speakers Sir Roy Strong; Maggi Hambling; Emma Bridgewater; Jenny Saville.)
The festival will also examine the ways in which art and culture are thriving in the north of England. Maria Balshaw, Director of Manchester’s Whitworth Gallery, explains why it’s ‘Not so Grim Up North’ and husband and wife team Emma Bridgewater and Matthew Rice discuss their flourishing Stoke-on-Trent ceramics business.
The Devonshire collection and current exhibitions will feature prominently (Duke of Devonshire, Hugo Vickers) and, as Chatsworth celebrates the tercentenary of the birth of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, there is also a particular emphasis on the art of garden design and on landscapes (Dan Pearson, Simon Thurley and Jonathan Warrender). Please see below for further details.
As well as a stimulating programme of talks, this year’s festival will include: a special exhibition to mark 25 years of the local Peak District Artisans collective; A Gift for Eleonora, a performance piece in Chatsworth’s Victorian Theatre devised by two arts academics from the University of Derby; and the introduction of festival events for children.
Martin Brown, illustrator of the Horrible Histories series of books, will be a major attraction for younger attendees. With a focus on the art of cartooning, his Sunday morning show promises to show everyone that they can draw – and have fun along the way.
(Image below left to right: The Duke of Devonshire; Horrible Histories illustrator Martin Brown.)
Art Out Loud is working in partnership with The Serpentine Galleries to hold Build your own Pavilion workshops for children aged 8-14, a new educational element for this year’s festival. The ‘ed tech’ company Kidesign will host a Saturday workshop for children to design and make their own model pavilions for submission to the national competition. Entry to this session is free of charge, but is subject to availability and must be booked in advance. Local schools will be invited to attend a design and build workshop on Friday 23 September, and older pupils will join Jenny Saville’s talk ‘Beyond the Human Body’ on the same day.
The Duke of Devonshire commented: “After the success of last year’s inaugural Art Out Loud, we are thrilled to announce the programme for this year’s festival, where we will hear from artists, curators and writers who share a passion for art. We hope all attendees, whether new or returning, young or old, will enjoy the beautiful surroundings of our home at Chatsworth and will leave us feeling inspired”.
Art Out Loud takes place from 23rd – 25th September across two venues at Chatsworth – the magical setting of the South Lawn and in the historic Theatre. The Build Your Own Pavilion workshop will be held in The Stickyard, Chatsworth’s outdoor education centre.
