South Downs Open at Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery
The South Downs, a range of chalk hills spanning across the counties of Hampshire, West Sussex, and East Sussex, is not just a landscape but a living testament to art, literature, history and culture. The South Downs Open at Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery celebrated what it means to live, work and be inspired by this iconic landscape.
The South Downs Open exhibited nearly 150 artworks by over 120 artists who are inspired by the South Downs region. We celebrated the beauty of the South Downs with paintings, drawings, prints, photography, sculpture, textiles and ceramics that draw inspiration from across the South Downs region, from Old Winchester Hill in Hampshire to Beachy Head, in East Sussex.
The artworks exhibited in this exhibition were selected from an open call to artists. Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery was delighted to have received hundreds of submissions from artists from across the region, amateur and professional, which reflects the inspiration the South Downs has for so many.
South Downs Open was a selling exhibition and a chance to acquire high-quality, affordable art from artists across the region.
Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery spectacularly concluded our 25th anniversary year with the South Downs Open, continuing our commitment to history, art and literature and a celebration and engagement with our exceptional location within the South Downs.
Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery is delighted to announce the exhibiting artists for the South Downs Open:
| Jackie Amies | Jan Atkinson | Patrick Will Baker | Rhoda K Baker | Ruth Barrett-Danes |
| Alison Baxter | Chris Beards | Gemma Bedford | Frances Bloomfield | Hilary Boardley |
| Tom Boulton | Lola Claeys Bouuaert | Sophie Bowers | Joanne Briffett | Janet Brooke |
| Helen Brown | Sarah Burns | Lesley Butterworth | Nichola Campbell | Joanna Cheer |
| Jorgen Christiansen | Clarinda Joanne Clarkson | Denise Coble | Colleen Conti | Esther Cornell |
| Konrad Cox | Harriet Crichton | Ollie Crichton | Fenella Davies | Sharon Dean |
| Celine Deuble | Pamela Dew | Steve Dodd | Emma Drake | Katrin Eagle |
| P J Ebbrell | Andrew Ekins | Jane Elliott-Renney | Nicki Ellul_Turner | Clare Emily |
| Samantha English | Hilary Everest | Sally Ferguson | Ali Lou Field | Marion Foster |
| Kevin Fry | Chris Gilbert | Sally Goddard | Celia Grace | Alice Howard Graham |
| Allan Grainger | Sophie Anna Green | David Hamilton | Deborah Harwood | Kate Henderson |
| Sue Hoar | Ann Hollaway | Ann Hubbard | Sarah Hughes | Ashley Hutchinson |
| Genevieve Jacobs | Frank Jennings | Margaret Jones | Rosemary Jones | Sue Kelly |
| Jane King | Frances Knight | Fabiola Knowles | Glynis Lamond | Zoe Lane |
| Vincent Lavender | Julian Le Bas | Sara Lee | Freda Line | Emma Lowres |
| Rosalind Lymer | Barbara Mace | Zoë Maddison | Ian McAdam | Devon McCulloch |
| Susan McFarlane | Mollie McMillen | Kate McMinnies | John Meikle | Maryna Melnyk |
| Alison Miller | Jo Mitchell | David Scott Moore | Tim Mullins | Margaret Newbigin |
| Mary Norowzian | David Peduzzi | Rosemary Pocock | Janet Price | Katharine Rabson Stark |
| Charlie Ralfe | Rachel Redfern | Georgina Rey | David Rice | Deborah Richards |
| Eileen Richardson | Robina Richter | James Robinson | Marise Rose | Melanie Rose |
| Tania Rutland | Helen Sadler | Chris Sedgwick | Sarah Semplay | Simon Sharp |
| Siriol Sherlock | Janet Sherwood | Rachael Stedman | Caroline Strong | Wendy Thomas |
| Carola van Dyke | Frances Vesey | Mike Wallace | Mary Waltham | Anjali Walton |
| Sue Webber | Susie Whitcombe | Hannah White | Suzanne Winn |
Thank you to all the artists who submitted their artwork for our Call to Artists.
We are delighted to announce that Sara Lee is the winner of the South Downs Open 2024. This inaugural Open attracted over 300 submissions, showcasing the enduring inspiration of the history and landscape of the South Downs for artists. 
The exhibition was selected by a panel of judges – Alison Crowther, sculptor, Tiffany Francis-Baker, author and illustrator and Louise Weller, curator – and together they selected nearly 150 works by over 120 artists.
Sara Lee won for her work Restore, 2024. Lee predominantly works with drawing, pastel and print. She often works from site-specific landscapes, followed by extended studio-based work. Her images are a response to the ephemeral nature of the land and our relationship with it. Of her work Restore, Lee writes, ‘Restore is both a reference to the often-reassuring nature of being in outdoor environments and a reminder for us all to be aware of our need to take responsibility for its’ care.’
The prize is a solo exhibition at Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery and we look forward to working with Sara on her future exhibition.
We are pleased to announce the winner of the People's Choice Award is Melting Snow, South Downs, 2024 [SDO162] by artist Tim Mullins. ![Melting Snow, South Downs, 2024 [SDO162] by artist Tim Mullins](/sites/default/files/inline-images/xWebsite,P20Exhibitions,P20Page-3_0.png.pagespeed.ic.qvV_ISxDf-.jpg)
Upon receiving the news of winning the People's Choice, Mullins responded, 'What a lovely surprise. It's really good to know that people thought my painting was worth voting for and I'm delighted to have won the People's Choice Award.'
Mullins describes his work in his artist statement as: I am an artist who through my expressionist landscape seek to express my feelings and capture fragments of memories of places and time. Melting Snow, South Downs depicts a scene high up on the downs near Harting Down in mid-winter.
During the run of the exhibition, visitors voted for their favourite entry in the Over 18 category. Thank you to everyone who participated during the exhibition and congratulations again to Tim Mullins!
Alison Crowther - Contemporary sculptor working in English oak based in the South Downs, West Sussex.
Tiffany Francis–Baker - Hampshire author and illustrator of books inspired by landscape, the changing seasons and a slower, more creative way of living in the modern age.
Louise Weller – Head of Collections and Exhibitions at Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery.
- The Over 18 winner will be offered the opportunity of an exhibition in the Flora Twort Gallery at Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery for a minimum length of 1 month to be held in 2026.
- The Under 18 winner will receive a voucher £50 from Jackson’s Art Supplies.
- The Under 11 winner will receive a voucher £25 from Jackson’s Art Supplies.
Winners of the above categories will be announced on 22 October 2024 on our website and social media.
- People’s Choice Award (Over 18 category only)
During the run of the exhibition, visitors can vote for their favourite entry in the Over 18 category, the winner of which will receive the People’s Choice Award of £250.
Winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced at the end of the exhibition on our website and social media.
The submission portal for the South Downs Open: Call to Artists is now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted their work!
Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery invited submissions in the summer of 2024 from all artists, amateur and professional, who respond to the South Downs as inspiration. We were delighted at the overwhelming number of submissions entered in our Call To Artists.