GALLERY OF THE MONTH
The Jackson Foundation With exhibitions that consistently bring the power, issues, and beauty of our natural environment to the forefront, the Jackson Foundation and its leading resident artist, Kurt Jackson, have always been passionate about being a gallery that looks to raise awareness just as much as it looks to showcase stunning contemporary British art. Here, we catch up with them on their plans for summer and what this past year has uncovered... There has always been a powerful message about the value of nature and our impact on our environments with the exhibitions and work of renowned contemporary artist Kurt Jackson. At his award-winning gallery in St Just, The Jackson Foundation has consistently worked with local and international environmental groups to create cohesive exhibitions that tell a story. Whether it is of human impact on the environment, or the magic in the journey of nature, these exhibitions have drawn in visitors and crowds worldwide. The gallery itself has won awards for their green approach and green thinking, both in the construction and running of the gallery itself and for its conceptual artworks. Now, as the plight of environmental issues becomes ever louder, the Jackson Foundation team have noticed a more n 60 |
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mainstream outlook on their messages, as Gallery Manager Fynn Tucker explains here, “Eyes have been opened due to the pandemic, forcing people to look around their immediate environment, and by extension, beyond that to the wider world: our place in that cycle of supply and demand, and the implications of the decisions we make as individuals and as a society. It’s reassuring that some of the ideas that we as a gallery have always put at the centre of our business model, which only a couple of years ago were seen as fringe, are now almost mainstream. Our fellow Gallery Manager, Zinzi Tucker, has always been on the forefront of sustainability through the business, and has spent an enormous amount of time over the years researching and sourcing plastic free, organic, sustainable solutions, from
| Volume 2 Issue 67 | August - Septemer 2021
cleaning products to packaging.” Part of the Jackson Foundation’s ongoing project is to work with environmentally focused charities, which the Upstairs Gallery section of the building has been dedicated to since opening in 2016. It’s a harmonious match that complements Kurt’s work seamlessly. As an artist inspired continually by the natural world, many of Kurt’s collections explore the relationship between man and nature, both on a personal and wider level. From spending entire seasons trying to capture one tree, to delving into the vast industry of wheat crops, these relationships come to life in Kurt’s captivating artwork, as well as his poetry, sculpture and most recently, two new book releases. Released this year, Biodiversity and Kurt Jackson’s Sea have seen a phenomenal response.
