The Sussex And The City Podcast

– Episode 27:

Is Art Sussex' Civic Superpower?

Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Lesley Samms - founder of Pure Arts Group

🔍 Episode summary

In this conversation, Richard Freeman sits down with artist mentor, curator and Pure Arts Group founder Lesley Samms – a powerhouse advocate for visual artists across Sussex and beyond.

Lesley shares her journey from leaving behind corporate success at Coca-Cola to becoming a champion of grassroots creativity, community connection and artistic confidence. Based in Battle, she has built networks that help artists find purpose, audiences and each other.

The conversation explores what Sussex's visual-arts story reveals about the county's identity; from Charleston and Farleys Farm to Hastings Fat Tuesday, Coastal Currents and beyond. Lesley calls for a new regional strategy for the arts, one that values experimentation, supports young artists, and ensures the creative economy doesn't just survive but thrives under devolution.

"Don't wait to be discovered - lift up the talent that's already here."

This episode is brought to you in partnership with:

Creative Crawley – since becoming a charitable trust in 2021, Creative Crawley has transformed Crawley into a creative hub with a year-round programme of public performances, exhibitions and workshops across pop-up venues and makerspaces.

Their flagship Creative Playground initiative, backed by a £1 million Arts Council England grant, has supported artist residencies and community co-creation projects, while the pilot Creative Village is testing the potential for a permanent cultural hub to sustain local artists and drive economic growth.

Through partnerships with local, national and international artists, educators and creative organisations, Creative Crawley is nurturing new creative economies, inspiring civic pride, and redefining cultural leadership in the South East.

👉 creativecrawley.com

🎯 Why this matters

"Visual artists aren't decoration. They're what make places human; they connect us, they challenge us, they make us think."

🧠 Topics covered include:

• The visual arts DNA of Sussex
• Why Brighton doesn't own all the creativity in Sussex
• The human networks that sustain the arts outside big cities
• How visual artists fuel wellbeing, identity and local economies
• The funding gap: making grants and opportunities accessible
• The need for a Sussex-wide cultural strategy under devolution
• Why grassroots creativity deserves national attention
• Public art as problem-solving – lessons from Crawley and elsewhere
• The call for every Sussex town to have an 'artist of the year'
• Residencies, mentoring and the importance of space to experiment

"Art isn't just there to look pretty. It's there to make you feel something; to remind you that there's more than one way to see the world."

📚 Further reading and references

• Pure Arts Group – Lesley's artist network and consultancy
• Towner Eastbourne – Turner Prize host and regional anchor
• Charleston Trust – home of the Bloomsbury set
• Farleys House & Gallery – Lee Miller & Roland Penrose
• De La Warr Pavilion – cultural icon of Bexhill
• Phoenix Art Space – Brighton's artist-led studios
• Coastal Currents – Hastings and St Leonards arts festival
• South East Open Studios – regional artist showcase

🎧 Production credits

Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Lesley Samms Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue Recorded: Projects, The Lanes - Brighton

📣 Get involved

Want a joined-up Sussex story? Want to help shape devolution so it actually works for people and places? 👉 https://sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events.