Rhythm & Blue: Unravelling the Creativity

The Kevis House Gallery first teamed up with the Petworth Festival in 2017, since which time festival exhibitions have become an important feature of each successive festival. But how do these shows come about? Are they simply a convenient bolt-on in any given year or do they in fact have a much more considered role and reflect important creative themes? And what goes into the curation of an exhibition? What is the process and how much co- operation and collaboration goes into each annual event?

This year’s exhibition, Rhythm & Blue, follows a conversation in 2023 between Kevis House’s Lucy Hodgson and Petworth Festival’s Artistic Director Stewart Collins during which the ‘blue’ theme emerged. With the festival culminating in a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and with ‘blue’ music being such a feature across so many events, the theme simply announced itself, the invitation immediately going out to many of the distinguished artists who have shown in Kevis House over the years to respond to what is clearly a highly ambiguous and visual term.

In a three-way discussion – Unravelling the Creativity – Lucy Hodgson and Stewart Collins discuss the intricacies of putting together shows like Rhythm & Blue and specifically with artist Frances Hatch ARWS – who has taught and mentored Lucy throughout a fascinating career – about both her own contribution to the show, and the approach she and the other 17 artists participating in this year’s show have taken as they interpret ‘blue’….

This event is generously supported by Kevis House Gallery