The Rye Society of Artists Summer Exhibition, which opens on Friday 1 August, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
The first summer exhibition was held in 1951 at the Mermaid Street School which went on to become the Boys Club (now home to Rye Youth Zone). A group of eight artists, the RX8, including Geoffrey Bagley, Walter Cole, Margaret Barnard and later, Ken Townsend, launched their own modern movement in the town, embracing the simplicity and optimism of the post-war aesthetic seen in modernist architecture, design, science and technology, and celebrated in the 1951 Festival of Britain. The exhibition included paintings, lithographs and sculpture.
The establishment of the Society in Rye did not happen in a vacuum: artists have always been drawn to Rye because of the light, landscape and history: from Anthony van Dyck who drew the view of the town surrounded by water in View of Rye from the Northeast 1633 (the outline still recognisable today) to Turner’s view of a crumbling Ypres Castle and view of the town across the marsh. Lucien Pissarro painted Rye from Cadboro Cliff and the Pre-Raphaelites visited John Everett Millais who lived in Winchelsea which appeared in the background of his painting The Blind Girl.
The forerunner to the RSA was the Rye Arts Club founded in the 1920s by Mary Stormont, who later went on to found the Rye Art Gallery. Based at Lamb House when Henry James lived there (he was the President in its early days), members included Augustus John, Dame Laura Knight and Edward Burra, who was born in Rye. Eric Ravilious, John Piper and Paul Nash, who lived in Rye, produced views of the areas surrounding the town, Rye Harbour and the marsh.
The Rye Society of Artists now has approximately 40 members with two exhibitions a year – a Spring Exhibition was introduced in 2019 and is shown at Rye Art Gallery, strengthening the links between the two organisations. The annual Summer Exhibition, held originally at the Mermaid Street School, moved first to what was the Further Education Centre at the St Mary’s Centre and then to the present-day venue, the Dance Hall at Rye Community Centre.
The exhibitions show work by both members and non-members who live within a 15-mile radius of Rye, a great opportunity for non-members to see their work displayed alongside established artists and Royal Academicians including Fred Cuming and Gus Cummins.
Selection of non-members work for inclusion in the summer show is made by a committee of six members, which changes annually.
In 2023, the Fred Cuming Shortlist was introduced by the RSA in memory of Fred Cuming RA who was well known for his support and encouragement of artists. The Society wanted to devise a way to recognise outstanding work by non-members and each year the RSA committee votes on a new Fred Cuming Shortlist from the Summer show entrants. Hanging space permitting, the successful artists are invited to exhibit with the Society as part of the following Spring show, currently held at the Rye Art Gallery.
If there are vacancies for new RSA members, then the artists from the Fred Cuming shortlist will be voted on by the full RSA membership at the AGM. This year Tessa Holmes, A Lincoln Taber, Dominic Zwemmer and Jillian Eldridge were made members and will have work in this exhibition.
A selection of posters from past Rye Society of Artists Summer Exhibitions, chosen by Davida Smith from the RSA archives, will be on display in the corridor on the ground floor of the Dance Hall.
This year, The George is sponsoring two prizes for members of the public who are selected to show at this year’s exhibition, to the value of £250 each. These will be split between the winners of the 2D and 3D categories. They are also sponsoring two prizes of £250 each for RSA members for winners of 2D and 3D categories.
The Summer Exhibition runs from 1 August to 31 August, at the Dance Hall at Rye Community Centre, Conduit Hill, Open daily 10.30 am to 5pm.
Image Credits: Rye Society of Artists , Juliet Duff , Rye Society of Artists .