Matt Black Barn

24/08/2026

Meet the artists. Listen to Andrew Sabin and Laura Ford introduce their work whilst you have the opportunity to look inside their studios to witness the process of sculpture making. Be amongst the first to explore their newest exhibition in the gallery space. There will be an opportunity to chat with the artists between 12:30-1pm during the Explore the Exhibition session.

Watch the process. Matt Black Barn’s Head Studio Technician, Jasmine Simpson, will be conducting demonstrations throughout the day where you have the rare chance of seeing sculpture-making in progress. Demonstrations will take place from 1-1:30 and 2-2:30.

Make something. There will be drop-in and make sessions happening during the open day down at our learning hut. Try your hand at sculpture by experimenting with a range of materials and techniques.

Plan your day.

Entry is free but please register using the link in our bio.
Guided tours led by Sarah Gillham are £8.
If you have any queries, please contact [email protected].

We’re excited to meet you!

18/08/2026

Save the date!

Looking for something creative to do together?
Come and spend the day at Matt Black Barn. Our free Open Day has hands-on making, sculpture, live demonstrations, artists to meet and plenty to discover!

Visit the link in our bio to register and find out more.

21/07/2026

We’re looking for a Studio Manager to join us at Matt Black Barn.

MBB is our working home- 15 acres of meadow, lake and woodland near Chichester, with 13,000 sq ft of studio and storage space and land we use as a testing ground for experimental outdoor sculpture. Alongside making work we run an education programme for schools and universities.

We are both in our sixties and at the peak of our creative lives. The programme is growing and we need someone at the heart of it; running the operational life of the studio, keeping the archive, database and systems in order, and freeing us to focus on making and exhibiting work.

Much of this role is exacting and unglamorous. But the person who does it well will be close to the work, trusted by us, and genuinely part of what we are building here.

The role requires full working knowledge of Artlogic, experience in an artist’s studio or gallery, and a willingness to be based within 30 miles of MBB in West Sussex. Salary £35,000–£45,000 depending on experience. Full-time preferred; part-time considered for the right person.

Applications by 29th August.
Full job description via the link in our bio.

14/07/2026

19/04/2026

Planting

18/04/2026

OPEN DAY AT MATT BLACK BARN — SATURDAY 2 MAY

Founded by sculptors Andrew Sabin and Laura Ford, Matt Black Barn is more than a studio, it’s a creative environment dedicated to exploring every corner of contemporary sculpture.

Set within 15 acres, the space is designed for ambition: vast studios filled with light, towering doors, and the freedom to experiment at scale.

Beyond the studios, the surrounding landscape is alive with biodiversity, a rich, evolving habitat of wildflowers, grasses, and wildlife that quietly informs and inspires the work created here. It’s a place where art and nature exist side by side, each shaping the other.

Included on the day:

• Discover techniques like press moulding through our demonstrations with studio manager Jasmine Simpson.

• Join our guided tours of the studios and warehouse with Sarah Gillham.

• Get hands-on in the Learning Hut at one of our Drop in and Make sessions.

• Relax and explore the grounds populated with sculpture.

Entry is FREE but please ensure you register your attendance via our website in advance.

18/04/2026

MADE TOGETHER

18–19 April 2026
Matt Black Barn
Entry FREE

An exhibition of work shaped by shared experience, curiosity, and making.

Inspired by time at Matt Black Barn, this show brings together ceramics, sculpture, painting, textiles, and more, created by people of all ages responding to the space, its materials, and the surrounding landscape.

From quiet observation in the learning hut to exploring textures and light outdoors, each piece reflects a unique perspective, connected by a shared sense of place.

Featuring work from Think 18, Aldingbourne Trust, Havant and South Downs College, Victory Primary School, Droxford Junior School, and Freya Bolton.

A celebration of creativity, collaboration, and process.

14/04/2026

MADE TOGETHER