The Valley: Art on the border - a cultural history of Marsland

An exhibition curated by the artist Peter Stiles exploring the Marsland Valley, its heritage and the people who have been inspired by its charms – both in the past and in the present. Marsland Valley has a history of attracting pacifists, artists and individuals who seemed to value the Valley’s isolation from broader society.

The exhibition features works by artists including the English painter and decorative artist, Dora Carrington, associated with the Bloomsbury group. Other artists include the painter Gillian Ayres, who owned a studio in the Valley from which she created the large vibrant canvases that earned her a Turner Prize nomination; her former husband and fellow abstract painter, Henry Mundy; the writer Ronald Duncan who enjoyed success in 1950s with West Ends plays and a TV show based on his newspaper column about the lives of North Devon villagers; the documentary photographer, James Ravilious; painter and garden photographer Andrew Lawson; animation artist, Petra Freeman; and contemporary sculptor, Briony Lawson, whose work is heavily influenced by the wild North Devon landscape where she was born.

Peter Stiles will be giving an exhibition talk on Saturday 24 May, 2-3.30pm. The exhibition is free but advance booking is recommended. To register your interest, please e-mail olivia.desborough@northdevon.gov.uk.