National Gallery experts have said the Isle of Wight is the ‘perfect’ location for Newport’s new Art On Your Doorstep exhibition because of its strong community identity, accessible public spaces and enthusiasm for culture.
The free outdoor exhibition, now in place across the county town, features 18 framed reproductions displayed along a step-free 1-mile route through Newport.
Speaking about why Newport was selected for the initiative, Alex Kavanagh, Head of Exhibitions at the National Gallery, said the Isle of Wight offered a unique opportunity to embed art into everyday life.
Alex said:
“Art On Your Doorstep is designed for places with a strong sense of community and a commitment to bringing culture into everyday life, and Newport stood out as a location where the trail could be delivered in a truly meaningful way.
“With its strong identity, active public spaces and communities keen to engage with culture in new ways, the artworks can genuinely become part of people’s daily routines.
“The Isle of Wight offered something really special, a combination of accessible public spaces, strong local partnerships, and a clear commitment to using art as a way of connecting people with their town and with each other.”
Community groups and a local school helped choose the artworks, with selections influenced by the character and surroundings of each location.
Alex explained that involving local people was an important part of the process:
“When local people help choose the artworks, the exhibition feels relevant and owned by the community and it stops being something that’s brought in and starts being something that belongs there and feels rooted in the place it’s shown.”
Each artwork has been recreated life-size and displayed outdoors free of charge, allowing residents and visitors to experience the works up close in familiar public spaces.
Alex added:
“Life-size reproductions allow people to engage with these works up close, to look at all the details closely without any physical barriers, many at eye level, often in places they wouldn’t expect to encounter art.
“That sense of surprise can make the experience feel more immediate and less intimidating than a traditional gallery visit.
“Inclusion is central to this programme. Art On Your Doorstep was designed from the outset to remove practical, financial and psychological barriers, whether that’s through free access, outdoor locations, or routes that are easy for people to navigate.”
The trail has been delivered through the Shaping Newport partnership, which brings together the Isle of Wight Council, Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council and the Newport Business Association.
The artworks that are now on display in Newport and their locations are:
- 64 High Street – The Water-Lily Pond by Claude Monet
- Castlehold Lane – Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh
- Post Office Lane – Flowers in a Vase by Rachel Ruysch
- Independent Arts – Portrait of Giovanni(?) Arnolfini and his Wife by Jan van Eyck
- Richmonds Bakery – The Umbrellas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- Bowling Green Lane – The Courtyard of a House in Delft by Pieter de Hooch
- Lord Louis Library – Bus Station – Surprised! by Henri Rousseau
- Lord Louis Library – Church Litten – Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life by Harmen Steenwyck
- Cockram’s Yard – Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan by Hans Holbein the Younger
- The Wheatsheaf – Corner of a Café-Concert by Édouard Manet
- Newport Minster – The Presentation of the Virgin and Child by His Patron Saint John the Baptist and Saints Edward and Edmund (“The Wilton Diptych”) – English or French (?)
- St Thomas Square – Portrait of Hermine Gallia by Gustav Klimt
- Cherry Godfrey – Exhibition of a Rhinoceros at Venice by Pietro Longhi
- One Holyrood Hotel (Side Wall on Sea Street) – A Muse (Calliope?) by Cosimo Tura
- Quay Arts (Side Wall on Little London) – Men of the Docks by George Bellows
- Riverside Centre – The Skiff (La Yole) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- Harbour Office, Town Quay – Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway by Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Harbour Office, Town Quay – The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up by Joseph Mallord William Turner
Jeez. They stuck a few repro paintings up on walls. The colours were poor & it was quite a boring selection. Of course they have to make a big production of it or they don’t get funded & their cushy jobs wouldn’t be necessary.