Pupils can view Quentin Blake exhibition for free on opening day

This is also the day that the gallery’s new exhibition by Sir Quentin Blake opens, meaning local school children will be among the first to see it.

Hastings resident Sir Quentin Blake is an artist and illustrator who needs little introduction.

Instantly recognisable, quintessentially British, and an undoubted national treasure, countless millions of people grew up with Blake’s work, while current and future generations continue to treasure it.

We think we know the work of Quentin Blake. Well, Jerwood Gallery’s new show will certainly challenge that.

Invited by gallery Director Liz Gilmore to explore themes that concern him, Sir Quentin’s new exhibition at the Hastings gallery reveals his thoughts on mental health, the squeezing of creativity and the refugee crisis.

Sir Quentin said: “I chose the title of the exhibition because it gives me the opportunity of doing a number of different kinds of pictures on related themes. Many are comic fantasy, some are more decorative and others have a suggestion of metaphorical significance, which allows me to explore human situations and feelings. I thought also that the idea of ways of travelling was something that almost anyone of any age might relate to, and help to lead them into the pictures.”

This is a fantastic opportunity for schools to view the newly opened exhibition Quentin Blake: The Only Way To Travel alongside smaller exhibitions Jean Cooke: Delight In The Thing Seen and Kath Thompson: Yesterday And Tomorrow.

More information about these exhibitions can be found on the website at http://www.jerwoodgallery.org/whatson/soon.

As the gallery is expecting a large number of local children to attend, it is vital schools book into an hour-long visiting slot before they come. Please call 01424 7238377 or email [email protected] to book a place.

For more information follow @jerwoodgallery on Twitter and visit www.jerwoodgallery.org.

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