This programme started in 2000 when it was agreed by the School’s Board of Management, and has evolved since. The initial idea was to commission or purchase some sculptures and pictures, but the building has relatively few suitable spaces for placing or hanging art. So instead the emphasis shifted towards commissioning works that fitted, both in terms of the themes of the school and the architecture of the building. Most of the commissions involved a small advisory committee of artists/curators to develop a shortlist and advise on selecting from the submitted proposals, and there are now 6 major pieces installed in the main building. These web pages describe the developing collection of commissions.

In parallel we decided to try mounting temporary exhibitions. A key member of this advisory panel was Pam Skelton who teaches fine art at the nearby Central Saint Martins (CSM) and has been the inspiration for most of the exhibitions. The first two exhibitions in the LSHTM buildings, of CSM student works, took place while the first round of inviting commission proposals was underway. The art students’ brief was to prepare new works, and School staff and students responded well to the diverse references to the School and its research in these shows. Later, more ambitious thematic exhibitions including major established artists, were mounted on "Hygiene" and "Smog".

Reflecting on the experience of the exhibitions and discussing this programme with colleagues, a mixed programme seems appropriate: A balance of the temporary and the permanent with some commissions and purchases to build up a body of art in the School, and some exhibitions to change the environment, to keep it fresh and stimulating. It has also benefited from some grant support from the Wellcome Trust and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in their science-art programmes, which substantially contributed to the funding, for the exhibitions in 2001 and 2002.

last updated 09.06.04 | site designed and maintained by Adrian Cousins