West Dean College of Arts and Conservation recently acquired a new artwork, adding to its diverse and internationally important Collection. The watercolour shows the interior of the grand entrance hall in 1812; and was painted by Comte de Cely. The significance of the work lies in the new understanding it brings to Wyatt scholarship, the study of historic interiors, and the fascinating story of the College’s past. Read the blog post to find out more.

In late 2019, the Collections Team started working on a project to re-evaluate how the collections are displayed throughout the Historic House. The first phase of this is currently exploring the cultural legacy of colonialism at West Dean. The first stage of the project has included a review of the African collection which comprises a wide range of ethnographic objects, natural history, and archival documents. Read the blog post to find out more about the project and one of the objects involved in the research: a Sudanese drum.

At the beginning of 2020, we were delighted to hear about the possibility of a floor-standing etching press being donated to us. In this blog post, Fine Art Subject Leader Dr David Stent writes about the press’ connection to a member of staff, its journey to the College and being restored for use by students in the Fine Art department.

David Howell is a tutor on the MA Collection Care and Conservation Management part-time course. His latest publication Conservation Research in Libraries (Current Topics in Library and Information Practice), looks at examples of techniques available for use in libraries, or on library materials; which can be a useful reference point for future conservation research. We are delighted to share an excerpt from David's book in this blog post.

Debby attended a short course with Jo Dixon at the beginning of 2020. In this blog post, she talks about her cathartic experience on the course, the opportunity to explore ideas and realise a piece of work she could be proud of.

In this blog post, MFA Alumna and short course tutor Šárka introduces us to a series of drawing techniques and exercises we can practice at home.

Earlier this Spring, current Fine Art Graduate Diploma student Phoebe Connolly was awarded the prestigious Cherryburn commission and residency, supported by The National Trust and The Society of Wood Engravers. Find out more about the residency and Phoebe's work in this blog post.

In this blog post, short course student Dan Nicholson-Smith talks about the woodworking course he attended at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, and how this exploration of wood as a material has helped him to connect back to the 8 ½ acre woodland he currently manages.

MA Conservation Studies alumni Dale Sardeson talks us through the final year practical project he completed in Summer 2019; the conservation of a singing bird cage automaton from the Edward James Foundation Collection.