Eastbourne Mencap offer art show

Domenico Della Valle, day service manager, said: “Eastbourne Mencap supports people with learning disabilities to achieve their dreams and ambitions, build confidence and develop new skills. We offer a wide range of workshops and activities from The Hive Day Centre and offsite in partnership with organisations in our local community, including Eastbourne Studio Pottery who have been delivering weekly workshops for our service users since 2019.

“This exhibition has been made possible with a grant award from The Duke of Devonshire’s Charitable Trust and the generous support of Eastbourne College. The Hive artists are excited to share their work in a public gallery and talk to the exhibition visitors about making with clay at the celebration with drinks on Saturday from 1.00 to 3.00.

“The artists took inspiration from the local Sussex landscape and Victor Pasmore’s 1979 painting A Tree Full Of Birds to create artworks that speak about our relationship with the environment. All works are for sale at the exhibition and online, after the exhibition, via the Eastbourne Studio Pottery website. All funds raised from the sale will support the workshop and activity programme at The Hive.”

More details on: eastbournemencap.org.uk and eastbournestudiopottery.com

Edwin John Victor Pasmore (December 3 1908-January 23 1998) was a British artist. He pioneered the development of abstract art in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s.

A Mencap spokesman said: “Our vision is for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives. Our Big Plan has at its heart a commitment to listening to and being led by people with a learning disability. As a result we will make all our future decisions depending on what they tell us is important to them.”