Chelmsford Museum showcases local creatives with new Gallery Wall programme

Chelmsford Museum and Ignite Chelmsford have chosen the first artists to be showcased in a new Gallery Wall programme celebrating Chelmsford’s diverse creatives.

Partnership with Ignite Chelmsford will demonstrate breadth of talent across Chelmsford

The Gallery Wall is a dedicated space within the museum used to display works by local artists.

Earlier this year, the museum teamed up with the city’s creative network, Ignite Chelmsford, to relaunch the Gallery Wall programme with a renewed focus on creating a high-quality exhibition space, showcasing varied art forms, themes and perspectives.

Over time, the artists and artworks displayed on the Gallery Wall will highlight the huge breadth and depth of creative talent that exists across the Chelmsford district.

The first artists in this new series of displays have now been chosen following a callout for applications in May. The selected artists are David Schreiber, Nathalie Guinamard and Josepa Munoz.

Tough choice for the panel of judges

The successful artists were chosen by a panel of judges made up of Ignite Chelmsford partners and Chelmsford Museum staff. The judges noted that the calibre of submissions they received was extremely high, demonstrating the outstanding creative output of Chelmsford’s artists:

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“We were thrilled with the outcome of our callout earlier this year. We had 48 applications in total and the overall quality of these submissions was so high that we found it a really difficult process to whittle them down to just three! It was particularly pleasing to see that we reached lots of new Chelmsford artists that we haven’t encountered before, as well as a wide variety of art styles – which is exactly what we’d hoped to achieve through the callout.”

Sarah Harvey, Curatorial and Learning Officer, Chelmsford Museum

David Schreiber ‘My Chelmsford’

David Schreiber is the first artist to be displayed in the new rotating Gallery Wall programme at Chelmsford Museum.

Chelmsford-born octogenarian David Schreiber was chosen as the first artist to be displayed in the new programme. David is a retired architect and has lived in Chelmsford all his life. A member of the Chelmsford Art Society, he paints and draws in a variety of mediums, from watercolour and oil to charcoal and graphite.

David’s selection of artwork to be displayed on the Gallery Wall focuses on his hometown of Chelmsford, and his fond memories of the city in decades past. He says the opportunity to have his artwork displayed in such a venue is inspirational for his future work:

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"I love architecture and I love creating art. I endeavour to be creative in some way every day, and I would still do this just for my own pleasure and satisfaction. However, being invited to exhibit on the Gallery Wall in Chelmsford Museum is an absolute privilege, especially as I consider both Chelmsford and Oaklands to be my home patch. It inspires me to continue my journey in the direction I have already taken."

David Schreiber, artist

Member of the selection panel, Nick Hearne, says David’s artwork was a clear first choice for the Gallery Wall for its celebration of Chelmsford’s history:

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“Chelmsford’s artistic community really came through with these 48 exceptional entries. The selection jury was united on David Schreiber's art for the first display. Graphically bold, architecturally precise, beautiful, and uniquely Chelmsford. It's an honour to give him a platform to display his work in his lifelong stomping ground.

"And the further Gallery Wall displays will bring visual diversity and expose other local artist stories to Chelmsford Museum. I’d encourage Chelmsford’s artists to please keep entering future callouts. It was an extremely close-run contest, and very tough to choose.”

Nick Hearne, Ignite Partner and local creative

David’s works are on display on the Gallery Wall from now until October.

Nathalie Guinamard ‘An Untamed Line’

Following David’s display, the works of graphic designer and artist Nathalie Guinamard will be shown from October. Nathalie studied Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford. She has been shortlisted for several awards and exhibited at galleries across London and Hong Kong. In 2012, Nathalie was one of 30 artists commissioned by Royal Mail to design a special stamp for the London Olympic Games.

Nathalie will be displaying a selection of figurative drawings of the human body. Her illustrations are created using experimental techniques with ink and water, and notably deliberately embrace accidental marks to give a sense of harnessing the uncontrollable. You can see her pieces at the museum from October until January.

Josepa Munoz ‘Dislocation of Place’

The final artist selected by the panel of judges is Josepa Munoz. Josepa moved to Essex three years ago after studying Fine Art at Cambridge School of Art. She has previously organised art exhibitions for Refugee Week in Bedford and Cambridge and now works as a painter in Essex. Her works are strongly influenced by her Catalan background, having moved to the UK in 1990.

Josepa will be exhibiting paintings in oil on canvas and board, based on a series of photographs of abandoned buildings. Starting with the building as a base, Josepa distresses her creations with abstract layers of paint to represent the buildings being buried under nature and landscapes of colours. Josepa’s creations will be on display from January to April 2025.

First installation now up until October

David’s artwork is now in place on the Gallery Wall at Chelmsford Museum. His works will be on display, and some available to purchase, until October.

Nathalie’s work will be displayed from October to January and from January, Josepa’s work will be installed and available to see until April.

Annual callout for further artists to be displayed

For those unsuccessful this time around, or who didn’t get the chance to apply for the May callout, there will be further opportunities to apply to have your work displayed at Chelmsford Museum. The museum will be holding callouts annually to search for new artists for the Gallery Wall programme.

The next callout will be in 2025, with dates to be confirmed next year. To be the first to hear when the next callout goes live, sign up to the museum’s e-newsletter and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and X.