Looking at art outside in

Chichester’s Pallant House Gallery has launched Outside In: 2012, an open-entry arts prize for outsider and marginalised artists.

Submissions remain open until July 20 next year. Selected works will be showcased in a major exhibition at the Gallery from October 27 2012- February 3 2013.

Spokeswoman Emma Robertson explained: “Since the early 20th century, the terms Art Brut or Outsider Art have been employed to describe those individuals who produce art from the edges of society.

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“Outside In was set up by Pallant House Gallery in 2006 to bring the ‘outside in’, by providing a platform for artists who find it difficult to access the mainstream art world for a variety of reasons such as disability, health, social circumstance or art process. Its goal is to create a level playing field where access is possible for all who create.

“The main vehicle for the venture is a biennial open art competition, which this year will be held across the whole of the UK. Culminating in a major exhibition at Pallant House

Gallery and accompanying regional exhibitions in 2013, the competition also offers a series of awards and an opportunity to have a solo exhibition at Pallant House Gallery.

“Alongside, there are a number of related opportunities including a London-based competition; STEP UP, a programme for training marginalised artists to lead workshops and research into the history and legacy of Outsider Art; and a dedicated website with online gallery.”

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Set up in 2006, the competition was originally open solely to artists living in Sussex before widening in 2009 to include the rest of the South of England. This year sees the competition open to artists from across the whole of England for the first time. Entry to the competition is free and open to artists across the UK. Submissions are via the Outside In website www.outsidein.org.uk. Email [email protected], or call 07735 568531 for more information.

The revamped Outside In website www.outsidein.org.uk launches this year. It aims to provide a vital interactive space for marginalised artists to share their work and thoughts, and

act as an information hub for people interested in this area of work. The online gallery also displays the work that has been exhibited at Pallant House Gallery.