The 2023 exhibition A Sea of Talent brought work by 115 local artists to Jubilee Hall in Poundbury alongside a large collaborative installation.
Organised by Art in Poundbury, the exhibition used the sea as a shared theme for professional artists, amateur makers, school pupils and local volunteers.
A seven-metre banner built through participation
The central installation was a seven-metre-wide banner carrying the words Sea of Talent in gold lettering.
During a community art day, residents were invited to add a “shoal of words” connected with the sea.
Pupils from Damers and Prince of Wales First Schools contributed textile seaweed balls and jellyfish, extending the installation beyond the banner.
Artistic director Judy Tate traced the theme to a ceramic work depicting the quay and sea at nearby Weymouth. That piece became a point from which the rest of the exhibition developed.
Reducing the barrier around making art
Art in Poundbury is a community-interest company whose activities are intended to benefit the local area.
The annual exhibition combined approximately 120 artists with between 70 and 80 volunteers.
Tate wanted the event to encourage people who felt uncertain about their own abilities to speak with artists, visit local art clubs and participate in future projects.
Artists were present during the exhibition so visitors could discuss their work directly.
A Sea of Talent treated community participation as part of the exhibition rather than as a separate workshop programme.
The professional and amateur works, school-made textiles and collective banner shared one venue, showing how a large local exhibition could preserve individual practice while creating a visible object made by many hands.