Curating The Sunderland Collection Art Programme

I have always gravitated to art, art history and artists as a way of understanding our world around us, and as a means of looking at the world from different perspectives and so when I was invited to curate an art programme in response to the The Sunderland Collection I was immensely excited about the possibilities. Who better to invite to engage with a world-class collection of maps, that by definition enable the understanding of things, concepts, conditions, processes, or events in the human world, than artists?

The Sunderland Collection, Art Programme invites artists to spend time and to engage with, and respond to, the objects that have been collected with care and integrity for over 35 years. Timing is everything, and today we find ourselves in a moment when intercultural understanding and respect is of crucial importance. The decision to provide access to the collection and in return to open up conversations around themes, such as globalisation, identity, and nationhood is vital.

Similarly it has been incredibly exciting to watch artists responses when first viewing the maps, weather that be to the artistry and processes, to the materials or the historical moments in which they were made. As the Art Programme unfolds I am excited to work with emerging and established artists alike, working across mediums and processes and to support their enquiries into the treasures within The Sunderland Collection.

The experience, I hope will not only build capacity for cultural awareness, but also our own understanding of the collection. I am excited about sharing the content with as wide an audience as possible on the digital home of the collection and through partnerships with others. Similarly I hope that the artist’s responses to the Collection enable us all to look at the outstanding objects of cultural and historical importance, and consider the legacy of the collection, afresh.