Rapid Response Fund provides new works for Hove Museum

Image from 'Losing Venus' Exhibition at the Pitt-Rivers Museum Oxford by Matt J Smith (2020)

The Contemporary Art Society Rapid Response Fund has bought 12 ceramic and three tapestry works by Mark Smith, which will form a central focus for the displays at Hove Museum when it reopens.

Much of Matt Smith's work explores and comments on marginalised history and it will form a key inspiration for activity sessions as the museum expands its work with groups with varied critical social needs.

Artist Matt Smith said:

'What museums collect, and what this tells us about what society deems important, is an ongoing fascination to me.

'Recent events have shown how important objects, particularly sculpture, are in the national debate about who we are and how we got here.

'I have worked with the museums in Brighton & Hove many times over the last decade and am delighted that this acquisition leads on from that relationship.

'I look forward to seeing how the works are interpreted and curated to help the widest possible audience feel welcomed and visible within the museums'.

Councillor Carmen Appich, chair of the city's Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee, commented:

'I am very excited about these works which will form a central focus of display as well as providing inspiration for creative sessions with some of our most vulnerable community groups'.

The Contemporary Art Society's (CAS) Rapid Response Fund, in partnership with Frieze London, is a new initiative supporting artists and museums during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is being used to purchase works by artists to add to collections of museums across the UK, ensuring financial support goes where it is needed most.

More than £230,000 has already been raised, mostly from a crowdfunding campaign. These funds will support over 20 acquisitions.