Oxmarket Contemporary - celebrating 50 years of keeping art alive in Chichester
We are celebrating our 50th birthday in 2026 as a cultural hub in the heart of Chichester.
Back in 1976 our beautiful building was a neglected, bomb-damaged shell but thanks to the vision and hard work of a group of art lovers, spearheaded by Doris Wilson and John Rank, a medieval deconsecrated church became the first art gallery in the city.
Since then we have hosted thousands of art exhibitions and cultural events to support local and emerging artists, designers and makers which have been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors.
We want to make the next 50 years even more exciting and to do that we need your help.
We are aiming to raise £50000 during 2026 to expand our support for artists and the local community over the next few years:
- Art Beginnings: each year for the next five years we want to help launch the careers of a different group of young artists, designers and makers by showcasing their work in a series of special Beginnings exhibitions.
- Art for Everyone: over the next few years we want to extend our Community Programmes to reach those adults and children in our community who might not otherwise have the chance to experience the benefits of art through free workshops, discussions and gallery visits.
How you can help
We are a registered charity and rely heavily on supporters to fund our activities. There are a number of ways you can help:
- By becoming a Friend of the Gallery: for just £25 a year you can enjoy a range of exclusive events and activities whilst helping to fund our charitable activities.
- By giving a donation: donations of all sizes are most welcome and help us fund exhibitions for local and emerging artists and our community programmes and events.
- By backing our Art in the Community campaign: we’re hoping that 100 local businesses will each donate £100 to support our campaign to make sure everyone has access to the health and wellbeing benefits of engaging with art.