A major new chapter opens in the long and rich history of art at Goodwood with the launch of the Goodwood Art Foundation – a new venture which will place the best in contemporary art in the most stunning of natural settings.
00:09We're about to see the launch of the Goodwood Art Foundation.
00:12It's been a number of years in preparation.
00:14It's about to go public.
00:16And the whole idea is to bring internationally acclaimed artists
00:20to the stunning natural landscape.
00:23Now, Richard, Richard Grindy, you are the Foundation's director.
00:27It is an exciting moment, isn't it?
00:29Absolutely. It's super exciting.
00:34The location really is quite magical.
00:37I know I'm biased, but it is a wonderful place to be, to spend time.
00:43You know, we have 70 acres of wooded glade, ancient woodland,
00:49wildflower meadow that Dan Pearson has been working on
00:55and helped design over the last few years.
01:00And as you mentioned, we've been lucky enough to work with internationally renowned artists,
01:09all being curated by Anne Gallagher, who came on board very early on in the project,
01:14and will be programming the arts for us over the next five years.
01:19So, yeah, absolutely thrilled to be part of it.
01:22And it's a lovely balance you're intending.
01:24Obviously you want this to be significant nationally in terms of art at the high end,
01:29but absolutely it's for everyone, isn't it?
01:32And you were talking about perhaps bringing barriers down.
01:34What do you mean by that?
01:36Yeah, that's it.
01:37So we want the artwork that we put on the exhibitions to be, you know,
01:42considered significant, important exhibitions in, I guess, the historical context of art.
01:49We want the art world to look at this as a really positive addition to the contemporary art.
01:55But really the very important thing is for us to be as accessible as possible to a wide audience,
02:03to families, to children who maybe don't feel comfortable going into museums in a city
02:12or going into the big commercial galleries that show these international artists.
02:17We feel that the environment we've created, this lovely setting in the 70 acres of landscape
02:23and these custom-built galleries, will break down those barriers
02:26and it will feel more welcoming and engaging.
02:28And if people can turn up and engage with this world-class art
02:35and just take away a bit of inspiration, hopefully that, you know,
02:39that opens the door for them to want to learn more
02:42and to get as wider audience as possible engaging in artwork,
02:45which I think is just beneficial for all.
02:47Absolutely.
02:48And a natural extension of that open access, that availability,
02:52is the fact that education is going to be key to the project too, isn't it?
02:56Absolutely.
02:58So education, we're very keen to stress our learning programme
03:01is not an addition to what we're doing.
03:04It is absolutely central to it.
03:07When we were looking at the structure of the not-for-profit,
03:12the Duke of Richmond was very keen that, effectively,
03:16everything was built around arts education and learning
03:19because he was aware of how important it is to children
03:23and how underfunded it is in general now in the UK.
03:27So everything we do is built around our learning programme.
03:31We're very lucky that Sally Bacon, who's considered one of the UK's leading experts in art education,
03:37she's been working with us for a couple of years now building our learning programme.
03:41We've got this wonderful outdoor learning hub with a kind of a custom-built teepee.
03:47The children's schools have their own picnic area, their own wash facilities,
03:51and we want it to feel like a real adventure for these kids when they visit.
03:56And again, as we said before, breaking down barriers.
03:59They don't need to know they're dealing with the very best art in the world,
04:02but just to create this sense of magic and to create that spark of inspiration.
04:08And with a real focus, certainly in the schools programme that we're delivering,
04:13focusing on those schools that are most in need of support,
04:16and those pupils who we feel don't have an opportunity to engage with art,
04:20really, in any capacity within the curriculum.
04:22So that's been very important to everything.
04:25And the lovely thing is you're not just coming from nowhere, are you?
04:28And the fact is you are using, as the starting point but massively extended,
04:32the old Cass Sculpture Park site, but you've more than doubled that.
04:36And obviously it's not just the sculpture, it's art in general, isn't it?
04:41But equally, there's a fantastic tradition of art at Goodwood anyway, isn't there?
04:46That's it, absolutely.
04:47I think, you know, there has been art at Goodwood for hundreds of years.
04:53I guess the best examples in the Goodwood collection would be the Stubbs paintings
04:58and the Canalettos.
05:00You know, those early dukes were supporters and patrons of those painters
05:05and really helped them in their careers.
05:08The current duke is very passionate about contemporary art.
05:13He's a fantastic photographer himself.
05:15So he has a genuine passion about art.
05:18Goodwood has been engaged in art throughout its history.
05:22As you reference, we are now on the site of the old Cass Sculpture Foundation.
05:27So we are building on the work that that organization delivered over, give or take 28 years.
05:36But what we wanted, you know, our aim is to be world class.
05:39We want to bring on board the very best people in that industry.
05:43As I said, Ann Gallagher there, Dan Pearce from the landscape.
05:47The artists we're working with are all world class, museum level.
05:52But I guess it's building on what Cass did.
05:55They were a sculpture foundation.
05:57We want to be, we are a contemporary art foundation in the widest sense.
06:02So we will have examples of Rachel Whiteread showing her photography collection that's never been seen before.
06:09We will have examples of indoor sculptures, of monumental outdoor sculptures.
06:15We've got sound installations in the ancient woodland.
06:19We're showing a film by Amy Seagull, the American artist.
06:23And we've created a brand new amphitheatre on the site to develop a performance programme throughout the summer months featuring music, theatre and so on.
06:34So we really like to think that this will be as engaging as it possibly can be with many different entry points into the kind of this cultural sphere.
06:44Well, it really does sound super exciting, not just for good, but for Chichester nationally.
06:50It sounds a brilliant thing. Very best wishes and good luck.
