Historic house wants more to get involved as exciting plans revealed

A vision for an art hub in Lynn is coming to fruition, as managers call out for more people to get involved.The Chequer House Gallery, situated on King Street in Lynn, is expanding upwards and outwards, with the manager of the house Kim Miller revealing plans to create a new tearoom.They are also calling out for more artists to come and exhibit their work on the first floor of the Georgian building – which has sat empty for around 10 years.

Currently, on the upper ground floor, painters, sculptors, photographers and more from the West Norfolk Artists Association are holding their exhibition, Spring Fever.The open exhibition, which features the work of around 70 artists, officially opened last Friday and will be on until May 11. It will be open from Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, entry is free.Alongside Spring Fever, Chequer House Gallery will host two special Pop-Up Exhibitions, highlighting the work of two distinguished West Norfolk artists.

Helena Anderson’s exhibition, The Humble Silk Worm, offers silk paintings – an art form she has long championed. Helena said: “When I was running an art club at the Gaywood Art Centre, I encouraged members to experiment with different surfaces—slate, wood, ceramic, linen, papyrus, glass and my favourite, silk.“Being invited to hold the first individual exhibition at our new home, Chequer House, is an honour, and I felt it was the perfect opportunity to showcase my silk paintings. “Among the 22 works on display, visitors will also find a step-by-step insight into the silk painting process, along with the chance to handle unpainted silk. I hope this exhibition offers something a little different.”

Paul Smith, winner of the Chequer House Gallery Award, presents an exhibition featuring his “distinctive and creative art style”.Going upwards:Chequer House, a Grade II listed building situated at 10-12 King Street, spans across four floors.

As well as being the home to the West Norfolk Artists Association, it also has several private office spaces that are available to rent. There is also an open space that the owner and managers of Chequer House are opening up to artists who want a “welcoming” space to exhibit and sell their work.Kim said: “This is a new venture for us, the owner of the building has an interest in art and wanted to give Lynn its very own dedicated art space.”

As part of future plans, Chequer House wants to hold art workshops at the space as well as encouraging young people to be creative and get into art.They are working alongside Collision, a youth arts organisation, as well as Lynn’s College of West Anglia.Kim added: “I’m really looking to the future of this, this will be our very own gallery. I am sure there is a lot of potential talent out there. “We consider all types of work.”

If you’re an artist, photographer, sculptor or any other type of creative, submissions can be made via the Chequer House website.Time for tea?A planning application was approved last year for the Chequer House to be used as an art gallery and tearoom.Now, Kim and the team are looking for a new team to come and join the Chequer House family by running the tea room.

Anybody interested in taking on the culinary venture should get in touch with the Chequer House.Since opening in December last year, Chequer House has seen more than 1,000 visitors, including many tourists, come through its doors.

It is hoped that visitor numbers will increase during the summer months.