Sarah O’Kane
Since 2000, Sarah O’Kane has worked in the field of Sussex contemporary art, nurturing the careers of a number of artists and annually curating group and solo exhibitions. Alongside her own curation practice, she has developed exhibition opportunities in Lewes District and championed art in the community, from helping establish a gallery programme for Sussex artists in partnership with Lewes District Council (LDC), to expanding the range of festival venues available in Artwave, to championing affordable town centre galleries.
She has curated several Arts Council and LDC-funded exhibitions in Newhaven. Sarah was a founder member of PATINA (Parents and Teachers in the Arts), the charity responsible for Moving On, a three-day programme of carnival art workshops for Year 5/6 children in over a dozen primary schools, culminating in a colourful parade down Lewes High Street which thrives year after year. Art and music closes the High Street and puts a smile on everyone’s faces!
Bringing art and people together has always been close to Sarah’s heart. ‘The more I work in art and the more times change, the more I realise how important art and creativity are for the well-being of communities and people of all ages.’
Sarah formed Art in Place Sussex with Adam Wildi in response to requests and opportunities in East Sussex, particularly within Lewes District.
They are currently working on community heritage and public sculpture projects and welcome enquiries. AiPS is a member of Creative Newhaven and received seed funding from Newhaven Town Council.
www.sarahokane.co.uk
Adam is a highly experienced project director specialising in public events and projects, a number of which have been iconic, reaching wide audiences. Each project has presented unique technical and site challenges, and each has brought its own creative opportunities. For example The Hive, the UK Government’s Expo pavilion was designed by an artist, constructed by engineers and sited in Milan before being taken down and rebuilt in Kew Gardens. It is surrounded by wildflower meadows and powered by beehives in Nottingham!
Adam project-directed Chanel Mobile Art, commissioned by Karl Lagerfeld and designed by Zaha Hadid, which was a moveable pavilion housing a contemporary art gallery that toured Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York.
Closer to home, he has been part of a project at Berwick Church, East Sussex to restore and enhance its beautiful Bloomsbury interior for present and future generations.
Adam’s ideal project is artistic, engaging, experiential and educational. ‘With The Hive we proved that an explosion of media can form an enduring work of art in the public realm; we are no longer constrained to the purely inert. Conversely, the “fourth plinth concept” such as the one in Trafalgar Square, shows us that the public realm can provide for perennial variety within the community.’
Adam formed Art in Place Sussex with Sarah O’Kane in response to requests and opportunities in East Sussex, particularly within Lewes District. They are currently working on community heritage and public sculpture projects and welcome enquiries. AiPS is part of Creative Newhaven and received seed funding from Newhaven Town Council.
www.adamwildi.com
Adam Wildi
