Sussex has a rich heritage when it comes to art and artists. The rolling Downs and breath-taking coastline have inspired artists for centuries, including some of the most celebrated artists that ever lived. Picasso, Miró, Man Ray, Moore, Constable, Turner, Burra, Grant, Bell, Beardsley, Ravilious, Nash and Grayson Perry all have links with Sussex. Sussex continues to provide inspiration and a home to some amazing emerging talent, and we wanted to create a new addition to the art calendar that specifically showcases the amazing creativity that the county has. Our vision is simple but is also ambitious. We want to celebrate and promote the fantastic artistic creativity of Sussex-linked artists. That can be artists that were born here (but may have since moved away), studied here or currently live or work here. Sussex has a growing, vibrant arts scene and we want to show off the best of it to the world. We came up with the idea of The Sussex Contemporary to provide artists with a platform to show their work to a bigger audience. The Sussex has become a major exhibition in the arts calendar and we want artists of all abilities working in any medium to get involved. We don’t take the stance that art is for the cultural elite. Art is for everyone so we also want our exhibitions to be free to visit too. It’s really important to us that in every event and exhibition we do, everybody wins. Suppliers get paid, sponsors get a return, we cover our costs and most of all; art lovers get to see some amazing Sussex art and Sussex artists get exposure and a chance to sell their art. We also provide support on the business of art, helping artists make a living from their creativity. “Creativity is contagious, pass it on” – Albert Einstein