Joe Hill won’t be forgetting his Southend art adventure

The West Yorkshireman has not only made Southend his home for a number of years since moving from London, but he has served the town's arts scene with a passion.

Since his time at the gallery in Elmer Square, where he started six years ago, he has worked on making a huge variety of projects happen which have been beneficial to Southend and Essex, including the High Sreet Railway Bridge Commissions; the permanent commissions installed at the gallery; the mammoth Radical Essex project; opening Twenty One - the cultural arts cafe on the seafront near the bottom of Pier Lift and also working to secure the capital grant for a new studio complex in Westcliff at the former Beecroft Gallery in Station Road.

Ruth Hazel, gallery coordinator, said: "Joe will certainly be missed! He has worked so hard to nourish relationships between arts groups and other agencies in the area and has really engaged with all kinds of local groups. He has been very passionate about holding the belief that you don't always have to go into London to be where it's at, that what's offered here is unique, commissioning new work from a variety of artists over touring shows, making sure the residents of Southend have something that is special and they are the first to experience it.

"When artists have been commissioned, Joe has encouraged them to look around the local area and use it within their work. He has been extremely locally focussed making sure there is something for everyone, whilst also fostering a relationship with C2C to show people from outside of Southend that we have a lot to offer as a town and it's not just the end of the train line.

"He has really worked at growing our audience. Our openings are now a real event compared to what they were at the beginning of his employment.

" Focal Point Gallery’s # Series, a printed matter program, is something that Joe has also grown, where, the gallery sends out physical invitations that are pieces of art themselves and have become collectors items. These kind of invitations are very unusual because a lot of galleries now only communicate digitally. The invitation collection is kept at the V&A museum, Tate and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York."

Next Friday February 23 will be his last day at the gallery.

Kelly Buckley caught up with Joe, to get a few words from him about his memories of Southend and his plan looking forward.

KB: There have been so many projects you have worked on during your time at the Focal Point gallery, but are there any that particularly stand out for you that you think you’ll remember, and why?

JH: I think the Radical ESSEX project will stick in my mind the most. To have the opportunity to lead a project that so positively celebrated the radical and innovative history of the county was a fascinating journey of discovery. The responses we got back from the audiences, as well as residents in the communities we worked with, were so fantastic. I was inundated with emails and letters from Essex people saying how much the project had made them proud to be from the county. We will soon launch the book to accompany this project, which includes some fantastic Essex writers, so keep an eye out for this.

KB: You have really focused on Southend and Essex so much during your work, encouraging commissioned artists to use the area within their projects, getting people from outside the area coming in, utilising and supporting local music and arts venues. Would it be fair to say you have had a love affair with Southend and if so, why?

JH: I feel passionately that everyone should be able to experience great art and culture in their own town. I think it is exciting to introduce a range of creative voices to a place and see what results you get. Great exhibitions and projects should always be relevant to the audience that will engage with them.

Southend will always be a special place to me. I have enjoyed getting to know it over the six years I have been here. It is a wonderful town with such amazingly creative and friendly people. The energy and passion for embracing the different and radical is palpable and I will continue to visit the area as often as I can.

KB: Where are you from originally and what brought you here?

JH: I grew up in West Yorkshire, but lived for a time in London before coming to Essex. I had to come to Southend a few times to see exhibitions at Focal Point Gallery and always enjoyed the outlook over the busy Estuary towards Kent. A lot of seaside towns feel sleepy and slow, but I think the fast flowing river and dramatic tidal changes keep this place at a different pace. I quickly became obsessed with all things Southend.

KB: You really engaged with all the other art groups in the Southend borough and collaborations have helped strengthen the scene in Southend. Do you have any words to say about the arts community and do you leave it with any hopes or predictions for the future?

JH: I have always been amazed at the strong artistic scene in Southend. The music has always been very active, diverse and interesting, but in recent years the visual art sector has also become large. This is largely due to collaborative nature of the arts organisations in recent years and determined nature of those engaged with the creative sector. Unlike in some areas, Southend has a great ability to mix up the artistic disciplines, combining art, music, film and performance. I think this is key to a strong art scene and sends a vibrant message to the wider community. One thing I will say, and something we have kept as a key goal at FPG, is to always be ‘rooted in Southend’.

KB: Can you please tell us about your new position and what learned experience you will take with you from Southend to Eastbourne?

JH: I’m moving to run an arts organisation called Towner Art Gallery. I always believe that you should keep pushing yourself and embrace new challenges, which is why I have decided to take this new position. It will be very hard to leave Southend and the wonderful team at FPG, but I will continue to champion the town and hopefully make strong creative links between here and the South Coast. I have learnt here that arts organisations should always be open and friendly, a safe space for marginalised groups, support the artistic community and above all be a place you want to visit.

KB: You’ve really created some amazing opportunities in the town and are leaving behind a fantastic legacy for the arts scene, particularly with regards to Twenty One and the new studios at the old Beecroft. How does that feel to think you will be leaving those babies behind?

JH: I am so proud of what we have achieved as a team. We have worked very hard to be relevant and open to the people whilst prioritising the local artistic community. With support from our colleagues at Southend Borough Council, we were given the opportunity to develop Twenty One and wanted to create a truly flexible cross-arts venue in the heart of the seafront. The feedback on this has been really fantastic.

The studio project has been something I have been working on since I took over as director. I believe that every town should provide good workspace for its artists, and we have been able to create a robust project that will provide a brilliant facility for the area.

I will be terribly sad to leave these endeavours, but I have complete confidence in the team at FPG to deliver both these projects to the highest standard and I look forward to visiting them as often as I can in the future.

KB: What are you most sad about leaving/looking forward to in your new role?

JH: I’m looking forward to new challenges in Eastbourne, but will really miss the brilliant team at FPG and colleagues in the council, as well as the range of creative activity happening across the town. The landscape in this area and the Estuary I find incredibly interesting, captivating and beautiful, so will miss terribly. As someone not from Essex I have been impressed by how much the county can surprise you with its rich history, determined people and strong creative outlook. I will definitely take the spirit of Radical Essex with me to the South Coast.