Artists, archaeologists and collaborators

Project Coordinator

Dr Helen Wickstead MIfA
h.Wickstead@artarchaeology.org

Artist

Leo Duff MA RCA
l.duff@artarchaeology.org

Address

Artists in Archaeology, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Kingston University, London, Knights Park, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey KT6 6BW UK

Art+Archaeology builds meaningful connections between artistic and archaeological practice through residencies, exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and events. These activities allow artists and archaeologists to exchange methods, perspectives, and ideas, encouraging creative work that is informed by material culture and historical research. By bringing different disciplines into shared settings, the organisation promotes dialogue between contemporary practice and the study of the past.

Collaborative projects have included exhibitions connected with museums and historic places, where artworks and archaeological themes were presented side by side. Such exhibitions create opportunities for audiences to encounter archaeological interpretation through artistic responses, while giving artists access to collections, sites, and research contexts. The approach treats archaeology not simply as subject matter, but as an active practice that can shape how artists work and communicate.

Residencies offer sustained time for artists and archaeologists to work together, developing projects that draw on excavation, conservation, collections, or landscape. Lectures and workshops extend this exchange beyond individual projects, opening conversations with visitors and the wider public. These formats support reflection, experimentation, and learning, helping participants consider how evidence, interpretation, and creative imagination can inform one another across professional boundaries.

Publications document projects and preserve the outcomes of collaborations for continued study and reference. Alongside the exhibition programme, written work allows ideas developed during residencies and events to reach audiences beyond the gallery or museum. Through careful documentation and shared publishing, Art+Archaeology contributes to an ongoing conversation about the relationship between artistic making, archaeological knowledge, and public engagement with heritage.