a portrait of Norwich by artists and
designers who live and work there
Jeremy Webb
Norwich is a small city by European standards, but it's packed with galleries, cafes, museums, cinemas, theatres, restaurants, and a thriving artistic community which makes for a lively place to live and study. Better still, because of its geographical position tucked away from the major roads and railways of the country, it retains a uniquely laid-back but never backward character.
Norwich is not
somewhere you pass through on your way to somewhere else, it's a
modern, forward-looking city surrounded by beautiful countryside.
It sits right at the heart of East Anglia, and is the hub of a region steeped in history - a stone’s throw from the beautiful Norfolk Broads; a patchwork of lakes and rivers, or a quick 20-mile trip to the stunning Norfolk coastline, one of the major factors in my staying put here. I've been a photographer for over 20 years, but it's the Norfolk coastline which still keeps me here. Its energising and inspirational landscape is at the root of much of my landscape work.
Norwich is home to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, designed by architect Sir Norman Foster. This iconic building, houses one of the finest collections of world art, and shows a stunning range of touring and curated exhibitions throughout the year. Picasso, Giacometti, and Francis Bacon works can all be seen here, and artists from all over the world have taken advantage of exhibition and commission opportunities which rival those of much larger cities. On a smaller scale, artists’ groups like NewMu, Warehouse Artists, and the Orbit Gallery have made a significant impact on the artistic life of the city and continue to flourish.
It’s far more than a city centre with a cathedral and a castle. It’s a place where smart things happen, at the heart of a wonderful landscape.
Norwich is a small city by European standards, but it's packed with galleries, cafes, museums, cinemas, theatres, restaurants, and a thriving artistic community which makes for a lively place to live and study. Better still, because of its geographical position tucked away from the major roads and railways of the country, it retains a uniquely laid-back but never backward character.