About Us

• To promote Hastings as a major centre for the arts.
• To represent the interests of the arts community.
• To promote arts education and training.

As its core funding is through Hastings Voluntary Action, it also provides representation of the views of the arts community in local policy planning. This is through its membership of the local Community Network Steering Group and, via this group, the Local Strategic Partnership.

• To aid communication and partnership working across the various art forms.
• To initiate facilities and resources for the arts community. e.g. the Artsline Newsletter, Forum Events, information service, website, directory on the arts.
• To lobby and campaign to enhance the status of the arts in the Hastings area.
• To support the creation and maintenance of arts centres and artist-led spaces.
• To provide a democratic and focused representation of the arts community to bodies such as the Local Strategic Partnership, local and regional authorities, the Arts Council etc.

The Arts Forum was officially founded in December 2003 with an inaugural conference at the Boundaries Centre on the Ridge, Hastings. The seed of the original idea came from Anthony Hack, while he was researching and setting up 'Hastings Arts' an online artists gallery. Under the guidance of Hastings Voluntary Action, he collaborated with local writer Alastair Fairley to co-found a small group. After several meetings there was a growing interest and attendance in the primary purpose of ‘representing and promoting the arts community’. Further ideas and projects were established, core aims agreed and following the conference a constituted steering group formally set in place.

Key members of the sub-committee which organised the conference included Rachel Lever, Julia Scott-Russell, Joanne Summerscales, Paul Waltmaier, Alastair Fairley, Anton Hack and Sophie Mason.

The Arts Forum would also like to acknowledge huge contributions from the following individuals:

Sophie Mason, Renee Jasper, Sarah Lazenby, Cynthia McGuinness, Fran Mckeown, Steve Manwaring, Caroline Lwin, Colin Jenner, Peter Mould, Caroline le Breton, Sue Jones, Kim Thrower, Esther Appleyard, Erica Smith, Allena Tyrell, Tilly Sturgeon, Pantea Karimi, Jill Hartman, Chris Parker, Peter Carcas, Sue Marshall, Carolyn Jackson, Laetitia Yhap, Zoe Sanderson, Mieko Meguro, Linda King, Mama Josie, Lianne carroll, Tim Hoyt, the members of DRUMFIRE and Chris Hamblin.