To The Sea Artist Residency Programme

1st September 2026 – 23rd May 2027

‘To the Sea’ is an exciting new artist research residency at Lyme Regis Museum, funded by Arts Council England, bringing together three contemporary artists to explore the town’s rich and storied relationship with the sea.

Writer and performer Sarah Acton, ceramicist and illustrator Ilse Black and printmaker Emma Molony will each spend time working within the Museum’s Maritime Gallery between September and November 2026, drawing inspiration from the collection’s objects, archives and stories. Through their residencies, the artists will create bold new work, engage with our visitors and help us think afresh about how we tell the story of Lyme Regis and its coast.

Throughout the programme there will be a series of hands-on public workshops, artist open days and talks – all warmly open to everyone. The residency will culminate in a shared exhibition opening in February 2027, celebrating the new work created and reflecting on what it reveals about this remarkable town and its deep connection to the sea.

We invite you to come along, get involved and be part of the journey.

Meet the Artists

Sarah Acton – Writer & Performer

Sarah Acton is a Dorset-based writer and performer whose work explores the stories, legends and hidden histories and voices of local landscapes and places. Funded by Arts Council England, her recent projects have delved into the communities and oral histories of the Dorset coast, quarries and stone industry, including her celebrated live shows Quarry Paths and Seiners and her book Seining Along Chesil: Voices of Chesil Beach (LittleToller, 2022).

Sarah will be leading a public writing workshop on Saturday 17th October 2026 and Saturday 20th February 2027, and an artist insight open day on Wednesday 3rd February 2027.

Ilse Black – Ceramicist & Illustrator

Ilse Black is an artist and illustrator based in Bournemouth with a deep passion for the sea, marine ecology and the natural world. Holding a BA in Fine Art and an MA in Illustration from Arts University Bournemouth, her work has been exhibited widely across the UK, from the Threadneedle Prize in London to the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol.

For To the Sea, Ilse will explore the Maritime Gallery collection from an unexpected angle – shifting the gaze from land to ocean and considering what the sea itself might witness and record. Her residency will produce a series of ceramic sculptural forms and vessels, responding to the objects, stories and encounters she discovers in the collection.

Ilse will be leading a public ceramic workshop on Saturday 26th September 2026 and Saturday 23rd January 2027, and an artist insight open day on Wednesday 4th November 2026.

Emma Molony – Printmaker

Emma Molony is a printmaker living and working in East Devon whose richly detailed work encompasses etching, screenprint, lino and monoprint techniques. Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the Royal West of England Academy Open, the Ironbridge Printmaking Competition and in residencies and commissions with organisations including Historic Royal Palaces, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Trust.

For To the Sea, Emma will explore Lyme’s global maritime connections through the language of maps and print – working with the Museum’s archives and visitors to allow unexpected stories and connections to emerge and experimenting with how printmaking can bring the collection’s histories to life in new and surprising ways.

Emma will be leading a public printmaking workshop on Saturday 21st November 2026 and Saturday 20th March 2027, and an artist insight open day on Wednesday 3rd March 2027.

Funded by Arts Council England