New gallery manager at Chichester's Oxmarket enjoying the opportunities

She will be helping the gallery through the second lockdown. Her appointment comes at a challenging time for arts venues everywhere – but Abigail is delighted to join a thriving team.

She comes to the job after working part-time at the Royal Society of Sculptors and also at Chichester’s Candida Stevens Gallery: “My background is mostly in exhibitions and programming and gallery work, and that’s what I have enjoyed most. It is such a dynamic position. This brings together everything I have been doing in the past three years. I loved working at the Royal Society of Sculptors. It was a part-time position, but I learnt so much from it in terms of managing a group of volunteers and giving them experience in various aspects of gallery work and also really just about networking. I have met some really great people, and I feel I am ready to take this on now.

“It is incredibly rewarding to join the Oxmarket with its whole ethos of celebrating local work as well as national work, as well as being able to collaborate with artists to show their work to new audiences. And I really enjoy the fact that the artists here are quite proactive and quite often steward their own shows. To start with, I think I will be mostly trying to find my feet, but it has been really great to see how popular the Oxmarket is. Taking a look at the bookings for next year, we are already pretty full up, and it might be a while before I bring in my own network, but I have certainly got a whole list of artists in the back of my mind. The volunteer team here are just outstanding. They are really helpful; they are not in your face. They are just really friendly and down to earth. That’s a real asset to the gallery. And the footfall coming in is great. I have been really surprised just how many people have come through the doors. I am so excited to be joining at this catalytic time.”

Inevitably the pandemic remains a huge concern: “But part of me is trying to be optimistic, and the procedures that they have got at the Oxmarket are really impressive.

“All that they have implemented has been very good. We will just have to see.”

Abigail was the volunteer co-ordinator at the Royal Society of Sculptors: “Prior to COVID I was also working part-time at the Candida Stevens Gallery in Chichester which was great, but unfortunately due to the nature of what was unravelling, my hours were pretty much suspended. But it was Candida who told me about the post at the Oxmarket, and I ended up having coffee with (Oxmarket chairman) Sophie (Hull). It is so exciting to be joining now.”

Sophie is delighted with the appointment: “She has extensive and varied experience working in the arts for a range of organisations, predominantly registered charities. This has included ensuring smooth day-to-day gallery operations, managing and recruiting volunteers and working with artists. She is professional, proactive with can-do attitude and enjoys public facing roles which is what the Oxmarket needs.”

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