Art and Sacred Places

Art and Sacred Places is a UK-based national charity in London working in the field of commissioning visual art for sacred places. Its work includes both temporary and permanent commissions and projects which bring together communities of people from both faith and non-faith backgrounds.

Art and Sacred Places – Creative Conversations

– Commissions exciting and innovative work from contemporary artists for sacred places. – Stimulates creative dialogue through encounters with art and the sacred. – Widens vision through education and participation.

Art and Sacred Places was founded under the auspices of the Rt Revd John Gladwin at that time the Anglican Bishop of Guildford. The organisation, then known as Art 2000, formed in 1998 and became a Charitable Unincorporated Association in May 2001 under the name Art and Sacred Places. In June 2014 it became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.

The Very Revd Stephen Waine, Dean of Chichester, became President in 2015. The organisation's patrons include the broadcaster Andrew Graham-Dixon.

Since its formation Art and Sacred Places has had several notable programmes of work.

The first programme was the 1999 'Seeing the Light' exhibition organised, using existing work, in Portsmouth Cathedral, Guildford Cathedral and Chichester Cathedral. The Chichester exhibition included Jerwood Sculpture Prize 2004 short-listed artist Simon Hitchens.

In 2000 'Projects in Sacred Places' was organised with specially commissioned work. For this initiative, which took place across four Cathedrals and a Brighton Church, of particular note was the Richard Wentworth work 'Recall' for Winchester Cathedral. A catalogue was produced with essays by Sacha Craddock and Father .

For the 2003/4 series Turner Prize 2007 nominee Nathan Coley exhibited 'Black Tent' in Portsmouth Cathedral; Lithuanian Venice Biennale 2001 artist Deimantas Narkevicius exhibited 'The Role of a Lifetime' in St Peter's Church, Brighton and Rose Finn-Kelcey created 'Angel' for St Paul's Church in Bow Common in the East End of London. Sarah Wedderburn, writing in the Church Times reported the incumbent of St Paul's saying 'the work succeeds because it captures so many different aspects of the culture of this community.'

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