A high-profile loan from the Collection of West Dean College of Arts and Conservation is currently featuring in an exhibition Objects of Desire. Surrealism and Design. 1924 – 2020 at CaixaForum Seville.

Submissions are now open for artists from national charity Outside In or artists that fit the criteria of the charity in terms of facing significant barriers to the art world for reasons including health, disability, social circumstances or isolation to undertake a residency at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation.
 

A rarely heard original 1939 recording of Salvador Dalí’s poem The Dream of Venus from the Archive of West Dean College of Arts and Conservation is on loan to the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Germany. The exhibition, Salvador Dalí and Hans Arp – The Birth of Memory explores the parallels between the two artists, featuring well-known works from international museums and collections.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, West Dean Tapestry Studio has relocated to the kitchen or loft space of each weaver, and weaving continues - albeit on a much smaller scale. Trainee Weaver Emma Straw has been creating a series of striking small tapestries inspired directly by the Empress of the Insects project that she was working on in the Tapestry Studio before the lockdown. The Tapestry is a translation of a fantastical drawing by Edward James, The Empress of the Insects at her Midsummer Night’s Ball created by James in 1983.

Just before Lockdown, West Dean College of Arts and Conservation acquired a new artwork, adding to its diverse and internationally important Collection. The small yet significant watercolour shows the interiors of the grand entrance hall in 1812, revealing how West Dean House, now home to the College, would have looked after James Wyatt extended the property in the early 1800s. 

West Dean College, one of the country's leading arts and conservation educators, has announced its Ten-Year Vision for growth based on increased entry points and study pathways for students and a £25 million investment in campus development and outreach.