This year marks a momentous occasion for Ipswich – the 150th anniversary of the Ipswich Art Society a cornerstone of the town’s cultural landscape since 1874.

To celebrate, the Society is hosting ‘Art at the Heart of Ipswich’ an exhibition that explores how social, economic, and political changes over the last century and a half have been reflected in the work of local artists.

Made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund the exhibition will showcase a diverse array of pieces from past and present members of the Ipswich Art Society, treasures from the Ipswich Borough Art Collection, works from the East Anglian Traditional Art Centre and fascinating archival materials from the collections at Suffolk Archives, a Suffolk County Council service. These will be complemented by material from Ipswich Art Society’s archive, documenting its relationship with the developing town and the wider art scene since its foundation.