HomeHistoryCommunityArchitectureFundersJoin usNewsPress
The New Towner Trust

Outreach

Image of artwork from the Towner on the Town outreach programme
Artwork from a recent Towner on the Town programme

The new Art Gallery in the Cultural Centre will enable the Towner to extend the nationally acclaimed outreach programme ‘Towner on the Town’. 

In April 2006, Eastbourne Borough Council was recognised at a national level by achieving Beacon status under the Government's Beacon Authority Scheme.

Eastbourne won the award under the Beacon round seven theme Culture and Sport for Hard to Reach Groups, on the strength of Towner on the Town.

The programme has an outstanding record in successfully working with groups of vulnerable people.  It has since developed into one of the most significant sustained gallery outreach programmes within the UK. 

The programme has shown how an art gallery can work in partnership to successfully tackle social exclusion in the community.

The programme is uniquely linked to the Towner’s collection and exhibitions programme and is delivered through a strategic partnership between Arts Council England South East, Eastbourne Borough Council and Sussex Police. 

The programme is focused in the more deprived wards of Eastbourne.  It targets:

  • Young people experiencing social exclusion;
  • People with drug and alcohol misuse problems;
  • Older people.
Working with partners is vital to the success of the project.   The main idea behind the project is that people develop their own views about visual art because they are unfamiliar with it.   The programme removes the mystery and helps people engage with contemporary visual art.  This is achieved by presenting art works from the Towner in ways which are more recognizable and in community environments and settings.