• Laura Ford

    Artist

    “I have always enjoyed gardening and placing my work in the landscape but now instead of just white walls, I have fields, woods, paths, ponds and a lake with islands to play with, to plant, landscape and dream in.
    Much of my work is about different emotional states and I am interested in how the sculpture can be placed or made within the landscape to amplify or temper that experience.

    Our relationship to the land seems fundamentally important.  The grounds at Matt Black Barn are a wonderful testing ground for exploring the emotions that can arise from our interventions in the landscape.  I am looking forward to sharing these sculptural experiments with our visiting groups through the educational programme.

    As president of the Royal Society of Sculptors and I have enjoyed being involved with a broad group of artists with very diverse practices all of whom are grappling with how to make sculpture, with what material, scale and technique, how it sits in the world and interacts with its environment, physically and intellectually.  We aim to promote the same kinds of discussions through our program of events and visits here at Matt Black Barn.” -Laura Ford

    Laura is represented by Bo Lee and Workman and has work held in many public collections including; Tate, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Government Art Collection, Potteries Museum, National Museums and Gallery of Wales; Museum of Modern Art, University of Iowa; Arts Council of Great Britain; Contemporary Art Society; Unilever plc; Penguin Books; Oldham Art Gallery, The New Art Gallery Walsall, The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, The Meijier Gardens, Grand Rapids USA and The Gateway Foundation, St. Louis, as well as numerous private collections.

    https://www.lauraford.net

  • Andrew Sabin

    Artist

    “For me sculpture making is an emotional adventure anyone can join.  


    One way or another I have been making sculpture for over 40 years sometimes in the studio seeing what materials can do, playing with stuff, stretching it, bending it, pushing it around, seeing what I can do with it and how I respond to what I have done.  Now in my studio there are great vats of sloppy margarine into which I am pouring buckets of concrete full of wonder at the way this gelatinous substance can hold and form such a hard, implacable substance as concrete. Over the years I have made enormous works in the landscape, small, intimate, works that were realised in a matter of minutes and immersive installations some of which have taken over a year to conceive and create.


    Laura and I moved from London and built our new studios at The Black Barn with the thought that, in this last period of our lives we would bring together everything we needed to complete our lifetime of experimenting in sculpture.  Our hope is to be able to share our excitement with sculpture to anyone and everyone who feels that, in one form or another, they would like to join the adventure.”     - Andrew Sabin

    In 2011 Sabin was commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to replace Henry Moore's 'Two Piece Reclining Figure No.1' on the site of the former Chelsea School of Art in Manresa Road, Chelsea. His Bronze sculpture 'Painting and Sculpture' was installed in 2013.

    Sabin is the recipient of many awards including several from the Arts Council England, The Henry Moore Trust, Arts and Business, SEEDA, RSA art for architecture award, The Aggregates Levy, The Bridgehouse Trust, The Lorne Award, The Marsh Award, ABSA and several awards from The British Council. He has taught widely as a regular visiting lecturer at Chelsea College of Art and Design, Middlesex University, Portsmouth Polytechnic, Bath School of Art and Camberwell School of Art, before taking a post as a Senior lecturer at Chelsea. In 2006 he left teaching to focus on his practice.

    https://www.andrewsabin.org

  • Holly Fox-Lee

    “Matt Black Barn is a welcoming space where people can connect fully with the artistic process. Through managing exhibitions, workshops, learning and community initiatives, I work to design programmes that foster creativity and encourage meaningful ways to engage with art.

    In addition to my role at Matt Black Barn, I am Director of Weald Contemporary Gallery and visiting tutor at West Dean College.”

    www.wealdcontemporary.co.uk

  • Sarah Gilham

    “At Matt Black Barn, I lead educational tours and workshops, offering visitors a chance to immerse themselves in a space dedicated to creativity.

    This unique setting provides a rare opportunity to step inside a working artistic space, where ideas unfold, and materials are transformed. As an artist myself, my practice is driven by an exploration of materials, the human form, and found objects, I am continually inspired by Laura and Andrews commitment to their practise.

    It is a privilege to introduce visitors to a working studio and experience gain an insight into the creative process.”

    https://www.sarahgillham.com

  • Jasmine Simpson

    “I work in the ceramics and sculpture studios at Matt Black Barn.

    With a passion for three-dimensional design and ceramics, I earned my BA from Staffordshire University and MA at the Royal College of Art in London.

    During my time at the RCA, I collaborated with Waddesdon Manor, designing a series of tableware inspired by heritage and creativity.

    In addition to my role at Matt Black Barn, I continue my own practice from my studio in West Sussex.”

    www.jazsimpsonartist.wixsite.com