We are delighted to invite our members to a very special ncas event hosted in partnership with Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery.
The evening will offer the unique opportunity to meet our new ncas patrons and to enjoy an exhibition of some of the works of art commissioned, procured or donated by ncas to Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery over the past 67 years.
The evening will begin with a brief history of ncas and the Norwich Castle Museum & Gallery, which has been undergoing a £15m major refurbishment & modernisation. We will then introduce the new patrons, Amrit & Rabindra Kaur Singh, Laurence Edwards, James Colman, Matthew Flowers and Alan Waters.
Dr Rosy Gray, curator of the modern & contemporary art collection at the Norwich Castle Museum & Gallery will give a talk on the Castle collection focussing on some of the works of art that were commissioned, donated or supported by ncas over the past 67 years.
Formal invitations have been sent out to ncas members and as numbers are limited to 120, it is important to respond promptly. Guests will be able to tour the galleries. Wine & soft drinks will be served.
To accept your invitation, RSVP to Janey Bevington: janeybevington0@gmail.com
There is no charge for this event.
Our new patrons:
James Colman - artist and former London gallerist, James Colman is the founder of Paint Out, an annual ‘plein air’ painting competition established in 2014. He is also a Trustee of East Anglia Art Fund (EAAF). Following the death of Sir Timothy Coleman, James continues the Colman family support and encouragement of ncas.
Laurence Edwards - Laurence’s sculpture has long been preoccupied by the entwining of man, nature and time. One of the few sculptors who casts his own work, he is fascinated by human anatomy and the metamorphosis of form and matter that governs the lost-wax process. Laurence is passionate about the ancient reverberations of the Suffolk landscape which has been his home for most of his life, with its constant reminders of human activity spanning back to prehistoric times.
Matthew Flowers - Managing Director of Flowers Gallery, Matthew has kindly agreed to continue the patronage of ncas previously provided by his mother, Angela Flowers. She established the Flowers Gallery in London in 1970, now one of the longest-standing international contemporary art galleries with premises in London, New York & Hong Kong. David Cargill, former Chair of ncas and long campaigner for the arts in Norfolk, who sadly passed away in 2023, was, with his wife Shirley Cargill, a close friend of Angela’s and it was they who originally encouraged her to be involved with ncas. Together they were responsible for some of the initial purchases for the Castle collection.
The Singh Twins - their internationally acclaimed exhibition, Slaves of Fashion, in 2022 at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery explored the narratives around empire, enslavement, conflict and luxury consumerism connected to the story of India’s historical trade in textiles, and the relevance of these issues in our world today. ncas was delighted to support the exhibition and contribute to the commission of a new work, Alternative A-Z of Empire, shortly to be permanently displayed at Norwich Castle.
Alan Waters - a major player in Norwich politics since 1988, serving as a city councillor for 32 years and council leader between 1993-1998 and 2015-2023, Alan has a background in education, a keen interest in history and the arts, and how culture can contribute to prosperity and community wellbeing. Alan was a member of the South East Board of the Arts Council; an executive member of the Key Cities Group where he held the culture portfolio and represented Key Cities on the Creative Cities Commission (2018-19). Alan is the chair of the National Centre for Writing and a patron of the Norwich Film Festival. Since 2018 he has been Visiting Fellow at South Bank University and Board member of the Journal Local Economy.
For a full list of all our patrons, please see under the ABOUT tab on this website.
