Paint the Town: How Art is Reimagining Newhaven

Once best known for its ferry terminal, pebble beach, and industrial edge, Newhaven is fast becoming something else entirely: a creative hub with a beating heart of community spirit and cultural pride. If you ask the people behind it, they’ll tell you this isn’t about turning Newhaven into the next Brighton or Eastbourne. It’s about letting Newhaven be Newhaven - loud, imaginative, collaborative, and deeply local.

Over the past few years, the town has been quietly building a creative economy from the ground up. With consistent support from the Newhaven Enterprise Zone (NEZ) and led in partnership with the curatorial expertise of Towner Eastbourne, Newhaven’s cultural scene is no longer something that happens in the margins. It’s front and centre.

“There’s so much talent in the area,” says Nick Stockman, Creative Producer at Towner Eastbourne. “We found that with just a little bit of support, they make great things happen.”

That support has been more than symbolic. In 2024 alone, NEZ invested £100,000 into the town’s creative sector- backing a wide range of initiatives from experimental exhibitions to youth workshops, open-access festivals to artist mentoring. At the heart of it all is a belief that cultural regeneration isn’t just about putting on a good show. It’s about reshaping the identity and confidence of the place.

And it seems to be working. Walk through Newhaven now and you’ll notice the difference- not just in murals and installations, but in the way people talk about where they live. Artists are finding audiences. Community groups are becoming creative producers. A new sense of energy is rising.

“We’re not just reaching audiences,” Stockman explains. “We’re building a community around creativity. People are collaborating, forming partnerships, dreaming bigger.”

One of the most visible symbols of this shift has been the transformation of local spaces. The Sidings- a previously overlooked piece of industrial land- now regularly plays host to festivals, performances, and drop-in events. It’s where you might catch a live band playing next to a giant Jenga set, or kids making sculptures under the guidance of local artists. Later this summer, the space will become a “playground of the imagination” thanks to the interactive Free Forms installation by Leap Then Look, designed in collaboration with the local community

“The whole point is that it doesn’t feel intimidating,” Stockman says. “You don’t walk in and think ‘this is a gallery, am I allowed to be here?’ You walk in and think, ‘this looks fun, let’s see what’s happening.”

Last year’s outdoor art trail Following Ravilious was a breakthrough moment for many. Inspired by the painter Eric Ravilious- who created a number of works in Newhaven during the 1930s- the trail placed large-scale prints of his work alongside contemporary artist responses in unexpected locations around town. It brought history, beauty, and surprise into everyday life. The exhibition was free, visible, and open to all, drawing over a hundred people to its launch event and drawing new attention to Newhaven’s artistic legacy.

“This is about enabling people who live and work here to grow what they do."

That balance- between homegrown and high profile, accessible and ambitious- is at the core of the town’s strategy. While nationally recognised artists like Bruce Asbestos have exhibited here (his playful New Pop Max show at the Sidings was a big hit), the focus remains on supporting local creatives first.

“We’ve always been upfront about that,” Stockman says. “This is about enabling people who live and work here to grow what they do. That might mean helping someone go from a sole trader to a CIC, or mentoring them through an Arts Council application. It might mean offering subsidised hire rates at marine Workshops or giving the community a vote on which project gets the next exhibition slot.”

For many, that grassroots approach is paying off. Projects backed through NEZ’s open grants scheme- such as Ignite Theatre’s Roald Dahl production, Culture Shift’s Inclusive performances, and Haven Young creatives’ community workshops- aren’t just reaching audiences, they’re nurturing new talent and widening participation.

Still, Stockman acknowledges there’s more work to be done. “We’re still concerned about reaching the parts of the community that feel underrepresented in the arts,” he says. “That’s why we’ve kept so many of our events free, and why we focus on so much on being welcoming, informal, open.”

This appraoch is also having ripple effects beyond the arts. Local cafés, breweries, and pubs reports increased footfall during cultural events. Estate agents say homes are easier to sell. Businesses find it easier to retain staff who enjoy spending time in town. As Stockman puts it, “It’s not always about direct job creation in the creative sector. It’s about making Newhaven a place people want to be.”

There’s an intangible magic to what’s happening, but it’s backed by real outcomes. More artists are applying for (and receiving) national grants. Groups like Hospitable Environment are being invited to share their approach at national conferences. Organisations like Look Again are attracting audiences from outside the region. And formerly disused spaces- like the high street gallery now operated by Newhaven Art Space- are hosting exhibitions by internationally acclaimed artists like Karla Black and Jeremy Moon.

“The ultimate goal is regeneration.”

All of this, Stockman says, adds up to a broader transformation- not just economic, but emotional. “The ultimate goal is regeneration,” he says. “But that means more than buildings and business rates. It means aspiration. It means cohesion. It means more people feeling proud of where they’re from.”

Asked what success looks like, he doesn’t hesitate. “It’s kids performing Shakespeare in a hut at the fort, It’s fire- dancers on the Sidings. It’s a photo of a dew pond hanging in the middle of the high street. That’s the Newhaven we’re building. That’s the story we’re telling.”

And judging by the energy in the town, the story’s only just getting started.

Find out more about the Newhaven Enterprise Zone at: www.newhavenenterprisezone.com

Main image by Catherine Benson