AVA is an artist-led, voluntary organisation, which aims to promote, encourage and enable:

• An awareness  of the visual arts in the Ashford Borough Area 
• To develop and encourage its growth through professional visual artists, resident in or near the Ashford Borough Area
  
• Assist visual artists in their early endeavours to develop as professionals 
• Support with peer to peer meetings and forums
• Promote AVA and its membership to businesses, professionals, public bodies and other residents within and beyond the Ashford Borough Area 
• Promote exhibitions and events, by association or for its members

As part of AVA, members hold workshops, run art projects with communities and within schools, deliver art talks, open their studios to the public and sell their work in exhibitions and art fairs.

Out of an excitement and buzz at the first meeting in 1998, Ashford Visual Artists (AVA) was formed.  It arose from a call-out initiated by Ashford District Council to all professional artists in the borough.  What emerged was a constituted body of fee-paying, professional and semi-professional creative members, including graphic designers, a silversmith, metal workers, painters, photographers, printers, sculptors, textile, video and installation artists, to a furniture designer maker.

Today, it is a group of artists/makers working together generating opportunities to exhibit, creating artists initiatives, and residencies. We gain knowledge and experience by sharing the varying skills members bring to the group.

AVA is now an active part of Ashford life, with members working in and with the community, in schools, with commuters to wellbeing projects, which have ranged from the Queens Jubilee, the annual Carnival, and the Big Draw. There have been artists in residence in the town centre, studios opened to the public, exhibitions to workshops at the Coachworks and more. 

As a member since 2008, with Chris Furse, I have seen and been a part of AVA’s growth and development.  Vikky Furse 2022

Enquiries

AVA members meet up several times throughout the year to discuss ideas, group projects and proposals that are taking place as well as reviewing  opportunities and commissions offered through corporate and the public domain.

If enquiring for a project, please email Sally Barton sally.barton@live.co.uk  

If the enquiry is relating to a particular artist, then please contact them directly, their details can be found on their featured page.

And should you like to join us, please email Deborah Woollard
deborahjanedesigns@yahoo.co.uk