Open call: Brewers Towner International

Towner Eastbourne invites artists to submit works for consideration to Brewers Towner International, a major exhibition that takes place at the gallery, sited on the UK's south coast, in October 2022. 

Brewers Towner International will feature both British and International artists, and the Brewers Towner Award of 10,000 GBP, sponsored by Brewers Decorator Centres, will be awarded to one of the exhibiting artists during the exhibition. The award also includes mentoring and profile-building support from the gallery team. 

An esteemed panel of guest judges including Sepake Angiama (Director, Iniva), Elizabeth Price (Turner Prize-winning artist) and Noelle Collins (Exhibitions & Offsite Curator, Towner Eastbourne) will select artists for the exhibition. 

Submissions are welcome from professional artists working in all media, including—but not restricted to—painting, drawing, print, sculpture, sound, performance, photography, film and installation.

There is no cost to enter and all exhibiting artists will receive a fee of 350 GBP. 

Submissions can be made by artists living and working in the UK or internationally. While this is primarily an opportunity to present work within Towner’s impressive gallery spaces, site-specific and off-site installations in the Eastbourne area will also be considered. 

Submissions are invited that explore the theme of SANCTUARY. This can be interpreted as a physical space, a place offering a safe haven, asylum or refuge; it can be understood as an area or environment where endangered species are protected, diverse ecosystems flourish and wildlife is preserved; it can also suggest a space of the imagination, a meditative mental space of solace and respite from the exterior world, among other interpretations. 

The open call aims to recognise and appreciate how artistic communities are reflecting and responding to the economic, political, cultural and environmental changes that are unfolding in the contemporary moment.

Key dates
Submission deadline: 5pm GMT on Monday, January 31, 2022 (please see our Submission Guidelines).

Artists will be notified by email on or before: Monday, April 11, 2022, 5pm GMT.

Works submitted must be available for exhibition from October 2022 through to the end of January 2023.

Exhibition dates: October 2022 to the end of January 2023.

At least one-third of exhibiting artists will be selected from Towner’s coastal region—being born or based in Sussex, Kent and Hampshire (all UK).