Interview with Myles Corley from Linden Hall Studio
This month Own Art meets Myles Corley, Director at Linden Hall Studio, located in the heart of Deal.
Can you tell us a bit more about the history of the gallery? When was it founded and how has it developed through the years?
Living in Deal, my family and I are well versed in travelling via the high speed train to St Pancras and heading to see exhibitions of contemporary British painting and sculpture, regularly those of the Cork Street variety. It was on one of these such trips that John and Heather Corley discussed the possibility of bringing the established British ‘West End’ gallery down to to the Kent coast.
Through artist friends they whipped up support for a major opening exhibition of established contemporary work, and the rest as they say, is history. Since then, over four years have passed and Linden Hall Studio has presented more than 50 exhibitions featuring painting, sculpture, drawing, print making, photography, ceramics as well as supplying the cultural community of the area with a wide ranging events programme highlighting film screenings, workshops, masterclasses, lectures and artist tours; consequently developing the gallery from a place which holds exhibitions to a centre for all visual art.
How would you describe your exhibition programme? Is there an exhibition that you are particularly proud of?
Our exhibition programme is set up to offer a complete window into the world of contemporary art, showing a wide range of works and styles.
In September, Jennifer Durrant RA had her first major show in the UK for nearly 20 years, that was hugely popular and had a fantastic response. Pier, our paintings by Mali Morris RA & sculptures by Stephen Lewis exhibition was recently referenced in Mali Morris Painting , the latest Royal Academy publication – a show I remember extremely fondly and really assisted us in gaining a national exposure.
This show was actually the original inspiration for the current exhibition at the gallery, PUNCH, paintings, drawings and sculptures by Olivia Bax and Dominic Beattie.
With only 11 exhibitions a year, we are very aware that the programme fills up extremely quickly! In order to combat this, in December & January we hold our annual Winter Group Show. This has a portion for open submissions, allowing anyone, from all over the world the opportunity to exhibit alongside artists of international standing, thus aiding the career of emerging talent.
How does your programme dovetail with other cultural activities in the region?
As a gallery it is very important to us to be able to offer people the opportunity to engage with the very best of contemporary art! We work very closely with the Deal Festival of Music and Arts as well as the Turner Contemporary, SouthEastern Rail and the Royal Academy of Arts. These other major institutions all assist in allowing people to know about the culture and visual art which is now more than ever moving out of the larger city pockets and into smaller artistic communities such as Deal!
How has your experience of using Own Art been so far?
Own Art is a fantastic scheme for making art accessible to everyone. Linden Hall Studio has always had an ethos of being a gallery offering the best of visual arts and events to all people who want to engage with them, in a comfortable and enthusiastic environment. If you want to get involved with visual art, we will help make that happen!
The Own Art scheme is very much the same, making real art more attainable to people who want to bring a particular piece into their lives.
Are you more likely to recommend using Own Art to collectors or first-time buyers?
Both! What clients and supporters greatly appreciate about the Own Art scheme is that there is no catch, often a rarity in business! It is quick, smooth and does exactly what it says on the tin , allowing the viewer to own the art they desire. As a gallery, anything which makes the transition from gallery wall to above the fireplace even smoother is a must to recommend.