Quay Arts Celebrates 50 Years With Unique Collection Of Original Artwork

Quay Arts is celebrating its 50th anniversary by bringing together a unique collection of original artwork created by some of the artists who have taught at the Isle of Wight charity.

The Tutor's Sketchbook: 50 Years of Teaching has been created to recognise the contribution made by the artists and makers who have delivered courses and workshops at Quay Arts over the years.

The organisation says its tutors have played an important role in helping people of all ages and abilities develop creative skills, discover new techniques and experience the benefits of making art.

To mark the milestone, recent Quay Arts tutors were invited to contribute two original pages of artwork to a special sketchbook.

The artists were given creative freedom to produce work reflecting either their own practice or their experiences as tutors.

Their contributions have been brought together into two bespoke, post-bound sketchbooks, created specifically for Quay Arts by bookbinder Kae Carlstedt Duke, who is also one of the charity's regular tutors.

One of the finished sketchbooks will remain at Quay Arts as a permanent record of the artists involved in its creative education programme.

It will also be used to showcase the tutors' work and inspire young people taking part in workshops and careers talks.

The second sketchbook is being raffled to raise money for Quay Arts and its ongoing creative and community programmes.

The winner will receive the complete collection of original artwork, with the post-bound design allowing pages to be removed, rearranged or displayed individually.

Artists who contributed to the project include Steve Baxter, Teresa Grimaldi, Jo Kori, Laura Hathaway, Kay McCrann, Karen Mead, Lucia Para, Joshua Raffell – The Artist's Husband, Katie Stone, Martin Swan and Ian Whitmore.

Raffle tickets cost £5 and are available from the Quay Arts Shop, with the winner due to be drawn in early December 2026.

Quay Arts says the project is intended to celebrate not only its 50-year history, but also the artists and tutors who have helped make creativity and learning a central part of its work on the Isle of Wight.