Two British artists, exhibiting their work at the Fortaleza de Sagres until June 27, are helping to forge important cultural links with southern Portugal, which will enable promising art students to take up periods of study and possible scholarships at two of the UK’s top universities. The link also provides for an exchange system that will allow Portuguese university and college tutors to work in the UK and vice versa.
Professor Simon Lewis and Jill Journeaux, who are showing 40 paintings and drawings in Seeing The Light at the Fortaleza Gallery, both work in leading university art and design faculties in the UK. They also spend several months of the year at their studios near Loulé. Professor Lewis is Dean of the School of Art and Design at Nottingham Trent University and Journeaux is Head of Design and Visual Arts at Coventry University.
Both of these schools already have strong connections with northern Portugal and Lisbon. Professor Lewis and Journeaux now want to collaborate with colleges and organisations in southern Portugal.
Journeaux said: “These cultural and educational exchanges are an important aspect of growing European cultural links, which are enthusiastically supported by Nottingham Trent University and Coventry University. We would like to extend these links to southern Portugal, and the Algarve in particular, and would be happy to make contact with Portuguese colleagues and organisations interested in developing collaborations. We hope that the exhibition at the Fortaleza de Sagres will help to foster further links and co-operation between universities and colleges in our two countries.”
Roger Green, who has lived and worked as an artist and a freelance journalist in the Algarve for 20 years, is also participating in Seeing The Light. Roger has written about the Portuguese cultural scene for numerous publications.
