Historic England, which is responsible for protecting and championing the nation’s historic environment, has awarded West Dean College of Arts and Conservation a grant to fund a pilot of courses that blend online and on-site approaches to learning. The aim is to make building conservation more accessible, to widen participation and provide the knowledge and skills necessary to conserve our irreplaceable historic environment.

The current situation has undoubtedly made people want to pursue their inner passions, and would-be writers will be thinking about whether they have the capability to write a short story or a novel. To coincide with National Writing Day (Wednesday, June 24, 2020), Mark Radcliffe, Subject Leader of the MA Creative Writing and Publishing two-year part-time course at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation is sharing his top five tips to start Creative Writing.

Students on the Fine Art programmes at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation are hosting their annual Summer Show exhibition online this year. This is the first time they will be presenting their work on a new website, dedicated to the graduating class of 2020, and launched on Monday, July 13, 2020.

A rarely heard original 1939 recording of Salvador Dalí’s poem The Dream of Venus from the Archive of West Dean College of Arts and Conservation is on loan to the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Germany. The exhibition, Salvador Dalí and Hans Arp – The Birth of Memory explores the parallels between the two artists, featuring well-known works from international museums and collections.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, West Dean Tapestry Studio has relocated to the kitchen or loft space of each weaver, and weaving continues - albeit on a much smaller scale. Trainee Weaver Emma Straw has been creating a series of striking small tapestries inspired directly by the Empress of the Insects project that she was working on in the Tapestry Studio before the lockdown. The Tapestry is a translation of a fantastical drawing by Edward James, The Empress of the Insects at her Midsummer Night’s Ball created by James in 1983.

Award-winning West Dean Gardens, near Chichester in West Sussex has announced that it will re-open to the public on Friday, June 26, 2020. Entry is by timed tickets available to book online, and pre-booking is essential. Visitors can expect to step into Summer in the gardens with the new foxglove display, beautiful stretches of wild meadow and vibrant rhododendron up in the arboretum and enjoy the variety of tranquil spaces West Dean Gardens is so well known for.

West Dean College aims for on-site teaching from September. 

There’s no denying that the past two months have been a life changer for many people whether it be financially and/or professionally. Rising unemployment and recession against a backdrop of wide-scale change and, for many, more time to think about what is truly important, can be the catalyst for a career-change. Those graduating into a flat market may also instead opt to pursue their Masters, preparing for a post-crisis world and side-stepping the immediate struggle to find a job.

Just before Lockdown, West Dean College of Arts and Conservation acquired a new artwork, adding to its diverse and internationally important Collection. The small yet significant watercolour shows the interiors of the grand entrance hall in 1812, revealing how West Dean House, now home to the College, would have looked after James Wyatt extended the property in the early 1800s. 

To coincide with International Nurses day on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, West Dean Gardens, near Chichester in West Sussex, are extending an open invitation to NHS nurses and all their NHS colleagues to visit the award-winning gardens for free, once the gardens reopen.