Ground – Horizon – Sky: Conference
2026 marks 250 years since the birth of Suffolk-born artist John Constable (1776–1837), whose radical approach to landscape painting, established him as a defining figure in British art.
To commemorate this milestone, Colchester and Ipswich Museums (CIMS) launched Constable 250, an ambitious programme of exhibitions, events, and conferences.
Constable 250 is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we will explore Constable’s art and legacy through 2026.
CIMS in collaboration with the University of Suffolk and in partnership with the Paul Mellon Centre’s Generation Landscape research programme, are convening a two-day conference that positions Constable’s life and work as a lens through which to re-examine historic and contemporary engagements with landscape.
Ground – Horizon – Sky coincides with the major Constable exhibitions at Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich, and offers a timely platform to reconsider how landscapes have been seen, sensed, represented, contested, transformed and how they continue to shape artistic and ecological thinking today.
Tickets are £20 and now available through Suffolk Archives.
Schedule: Day one
Thursday 16 July at The Hold, Ipswich
| 09.30 – 10.00 | Arrival and refreshments |
| 10.00 – 10.20 | Welcome and Introduction |
| 10.20 – 10.30 | Keynote: Interpreting Constable 1976-2026 with Anne Lyles (Art Historian and Curator) |
Panel 1: 10.30 – 12.00 | Chair: Francesca Vanke (Senior Curator, Norwich Museums)
| 10.40 – 11.00 | ‘A Breath of Fresh Air’: Constable’s Representations of Wind Force with Nicola Moorby (Curator of Historic British Art, 1790 – 1850, Tate) |
| 11.00 – 11.20 | Studying Clouds with Hillary Mushkin (Research Professor of Art and Design, California Institute of Technology) |
| 11.40 – 12.00 | Questions |
| 12.00 – 13.00 | Lunch provided |
Panel 2: 13.00 – 14.10 | Chair: Jane Watt (Senior Lecturer in Fine Art, University of Suffolk)
| 13.10 – 13.30 | Painting is But Another Word For Feeling: The Post-War Paintings of Sheila Fell on John Constable’s Horizon with Kate Brock (PhD researcher at the Royal College of Art, London) |
| 13.30 –13.50 | Groundswell with Jevan Watkins Jones (Artist and Gardener) |
| 13.50 – 14.10 | Questions |
| 14.10 – 14.40 | Break with tea/coffee |
Panel 3: 14.40 – 16.30 | Chair: Srinivas Surti (Artist, educator and practice-based doctoral researcher, University of Suffolk)
| 14.50 –15.10 | Redrawing the Horizon: The Flatness of Suffolk in John Constable and Norman Foster’s Sketches with Clare St George (Writer and Editor) |
| 15.10 – 15.30 | Landscape Escape No.2 with Chris Dobrowolski (Artist and Lecturer) |
| 15.30 – 15.50 | Plein air to mezzotint and back again: Digital horizons in action with Andy Corrigan, Digital Library Co-ordinator at University of Cambridge Libraries and Archives and Elenor Ling, Senior Curator, Fitzwilliam Museum |
| 15.50 – 16.10 | Questions |
| 16.10 – 16.30 | Closing observations. |
| 17.00 – 19.00 | All symposium delegates are invited to an evening drinks reception and private viewing of The Hay Wain: Walking Constable’s Landscape exhibition at Christchurch Mansion, Soane Street, Ipswich IP4 2BE |
Please note that Christchurch Mansion is a 10-to-15-minute walk from The Hold.
Schedule: Day Two
Friday 17 July: Challenge Lab in Constable Country
Flatford, East Bergholt, Suffolk, CO7 6UL
The conference will be followed on the 17th of July where the focus will move from discussion to experimentation, with a collaborative Challenge Lab featuring a talk by artist and researcher Richard Denny, practical workshops led by artist Peter Harrap, and guided walks in Constable Country led by Andy Corrigan and Elenor Ling (Fitzwilliam Museum), offering participants the opportunity to test ideas in the landscape itself and reflect on Constable 250.
The day will be held at Flatford Mill in collaboration with the National Trust. Spaces for this second day are limited and will be selected via a ballot. If you would like to be considered for the ballot please indicate so when prompted during booking. Please note your place on the Challenge Lab is not confirmed until after the ballot has been drawn and you have been contacted separately to confirm arrangements.
Organised by Colchester + Ipswich Museums in collaboration with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and the University of Suffolk.
