Eastbourne heralded by the New York Times as 'not just God's waiting room' as Turner Prize comes to town

The publication said that the town, which is often referred to as ‘God’s waiting room’ because of its older population, is now attracting young families and modern art.

The Turner Prize, run by Tate Britain, is heading to Eastbourne on December 5 and Chris Connelley, an official in the town hall, told the newspaper: “The decision by Tate, to effectively invest in Eastbourne as their host this year was epic.”

This year, Eastbourne was a surprising choice for the prize said the newspaper.

The town — a popular vacation spot in the Victorian era, now dotted with retirement complexes and nursing homes — has struggled with its unkind nickname “for a long time,” said Connelley, an arts official in the town hall to the publication, which has partnered with Towner Eastbourne and the regional government on an extended cultural program running concurrently with the Turner Prize. Called Eastbourne Alive, it includes art installations and exhibitions around town.

Connelley said the arrival of the Turner Prize was an opportunity to project a “contemporary image” of Eastbourne and attract new visitors and residents.

In the New York Times article, the article said that the changing demographic in the coastal settlement was driven by affordable housing pressures in London, similar to those seen in US cities like New York, San Francisco and Sydney in Australia.

Connelley, the Eastbourne arts official, said to the publication that cultural regeneration activities in the town aimed to involve the broadest swath of the population. That’s why the town was supporting local projects while hosting the Turner Prize, he said, rather than just “airlifting in the fashionable.”

Eastbourne-based groups like Devonshire Collective are working to involve local people and creating art projects “that celebrate the people that live here,” said Edward Ball, the organization’s director to the newspaper.

“You can’t take it for granted that everyone here knows what the Turner Prize is, and if they do, if they care,” he added.