JOHN WATSON

John has been Chairman of STISA since June 2012 and considers it a great honour to lead the Society as it approaches its centenary.

Notable achievements during his tenure have included replacing the 110 year old roof in May 2016, after a huge fundraising effort from Members & Visitor donations & an auction in 2014. The lights in both the Mariners Gallery & Crypt Gallery were replaced in 2018 with state of the art, bespoke lighting.

‘My main aim is to enhance the experience for every user of our building, whether it be our wonderful Membership, exhibitors in our Open exhibitions in Spring & Christmas that gives local artists(non members) the opportunity to show their work, or the 30,000 visitors. Local Groups or individual artists can also rent the iconic Crypt Gallery, the exhibiting space that kickstarted St Ives Modernism in the late 1940s with; Peter Lanyon, Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, John Wells, Sven Berlin, Guido Morris et al.’

John is a collector of artists who attended the Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts in South East London, an interest sparked after living in the capital for 17 years. November 2015 saw the Society & Belgrave St Ives hold a unique exhibition, showcasing Camberwell painters from 1945-85.  He also collects works by past & present members of the Society. He is a local schoolteacher, teaching English for nearly thirty years.