Reopen Charleston
Help #ReopenCharleston!
Join the campaign to reopen the door of the only complete Bloomsbury interior in the world, and help make Charleston a place where everyone can imagine life differently.
We have just 4 weeks to raise £160,000 to adapt, remodel and programme ready to welcome visitors back to Charleston, with every donation you give towards the target worth double thanks to loyal supporters match funding the campaign.
Charleston is a living, breathing work of art, filled at every turn with the creative impulse and vitality of two of the twentieth century’s most radical and influential artists: Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. More than 100 years after Bell, Grant and the Bloomsbury group lived, created, debated, forged friendships and fell in love at Charleston, its far-reaching influence on art, design, literature, LGBTQ+ culture, fashion, economics and feminism continues to be felt around the world.
Almost as soon as Bell and Grant moved to Charleston in 1916 they began to paint, not just on canvas, but on every surface imaginable – walls, fireplaces, tables, chairs, bedheads, bookcases and doors – even the bathtubs weren’t off-limits. The result is a painted portal into an oasis of freedom and acceptance that was decades ahead of the social and aesthetic codes of the day, and where the boundary-breaking artists, writers and thinkers of the Bloomsbury group could be themselves. Over the years, regular visitors included Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, John Maynard Keynes, Clive Bell, Roger Fry, T.S. Eliot and Lytton Strachey, among others.
Charleston stands testament to Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant’s progressive and pioneering spirit. Help us raise £160,000 to #ReopenCharleston and secure its future as a centre of creativity and radical thought and art, where everyone can imagine life differently.
Latest updates (8)
May 2021
We're #ReopeningCharleston on 19 May and tickets are now on sale for house and exhibition visits, plus our new open-air programme of talks and performances.
What a difference a year makes. In just over a week we plan to reopen Charleston to visitors.
Thanks to your support we were not only able to survive the most challenging of years, but to return bolder, more useful and more connected to our communities with a vibrant programme of new exhibitions and events, and lots of behind-the-scenes improvements to our spaces and digital systems.
We know many of you have now received your tote bags, postcards and letterpress prints and we've loved seeing you share these on social media. It won't be long now until the other #ReopenCharleston rewards are landing on doormats too so keep an eye out for emails with more information.
In line with government guidance, we plan to open our doors on Wednesday 19 May. We can't wait to see you all back at Charleston, and for Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant's modernist home and studio to inspire and excite once more.
In our galleries from 19 May–30 August, you can see the first ever retrospective of artist Nina Hamnett, a central figure in the British-French exchange of art and ideas in the early 20th century. This is the first time that Hamnett's extensive and impressive collection of paintings, portraits and sketches have been brought together.
The exhibition is paired with evocative new works by contemporary artist Lisa Brice which have been made in response to Nina Hamnett's work. With Hamnett's astute portraits and Brice's vivid blue figures, these artists and these exhibitions will stay with you.
And this summer we’re also taking art and ideas outdoors at our new open-air venue, #TheYard. Join us from 4 June for an exciting line-up of live talks, performances and events featuring Helena Bonham-Carter, Jeremy Deller, Jeanette Winterson, Caleb Azumah Nelson, John Cooper Clarke, Salena Godden and many more!
Visit our website to explore our exciting reopening programmes and to book your tickets.
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported our campaign to #ReopenCharleston. We can't wait to welcome you back this summer!
April 2021
Spring is the season of rebirth, and here at Charleston we're busy getting ready to reopen our doors, and are working with Art Fund, our artists and suppliers to put the finishing touches to your rewards.
Spring is the season of rebirth, and here at Charleston our work to return bolder, more beautiful, more resilient and more useful to our communities continues while our doors are closed.
Thanks to the support of funders like you, specialist craftspeople have been on site and the front elevation of the house has been covered in scaffolding as we work to remove the paint from the doors and window frames, restore rotten wood and repaint the house. We hope to be able to complete the remaining elevations before we reopen.
With significant restrictions still in place for large gatherings, Charleston Festival is not able to go ahead this year. Instead we have been working to deliver a weekend of digital events from 9-11 April, the Charleston Festival Edit, featuring talks, readings and performances.
We've also been busy creating a new temporary stage in the barnyard for a summer season of talks, discussions, performances and music, as well as planning for the return of next year's Charleston Festival which will take place from 19–29 May 2022. Save the dates! We hope it will be the most wonderful edition ever to herald its return after an unwelcome two year pause.
Just in time to see the tulips and daffodils bloom, our gardens are now open to visit for a dose of springtime tranquillity, inspiration and joy. The gardens are free to visit and you can stay as long as you like, but pre-booking is essential to ensure a safe and relaxing experience in line with the latest guidance on social distancing.
Following the latest government announcement around the easing of restrictions in England, we plan to open our house, the Nina Hamnett and Lisa Brice exhibitions on 19 May.
And do not worry - we have not forgotten about your rewards - we are working with Art Fund, the artists and suppliers to create your unique rewards and are still aiming to have them land on your doormat in time for Charleston's reopening on 19 May.
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported our campaign to Reopen Charleston. We've come a long way together we can't wait to see you soon! 👋
With thanks to...
A big thank you to all project backers. You made art happen.