Despite a career spanning more than 60 years and a global reputation in contemporary ecclesiastical art, Ball, who was also a lecturer at Lanchester Polytechnic which later became Coventry University, has never previously shown his work in the city.
Peter Ball said: “It's very interesting for me because there's pieces I haven't seen for years or photographs of the pieces I haven't seen for years and some of it can be embarrassing…butthat’s an artist’s life, you produce stuff and all these years later you look at it and say, ‘What's that? Could I have altered this?’.
“I'm really excited to have my work displayed in Coventry. I watched the cathedral being rebuilt because the art school overlooked it. So we watched this place rise and a lot of the people that were working on the cathedral were artists, so they used to come over and teach us.And of course I was born in Coventry and educated here, so I'm rather excited about it and I think the exhibition is great.”
Paul Nolan, Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator for Archives & Collections at Coventry University, said: “Peter’s work can be found in over 90 cathedrals and churches across the UK and in collections worldwide, so it’s remarkable that it has never been exhibited in Coventry until now.
“This exhibition is about bringing his story home. It celebrates not only his extraordinary career but also his deep connection to the city and the university as Peter was born in Coventry and studied at the former Coventry College of Art.”
At the heart of the exhibition is Our Lady of Peace, a sculpture made from a Victorian gate post and dedicated to Peter’s late son. It was recently donated by Ball to Coventry Cathedral. Its presence in the Chapel of Industry provided the catalyst for the wider exhibition.
The exhibition, which marks the first ever exhibition partnership between Coventry University Archives and the iconic cathedral, will feature original artworks, rare preparatory paintings and archive material, alongside replicas that help tell the full story of his creative development.
Current students at Coventry University have contributed directly to how Reclaiming Sanctuary is experienced by the public. Undergraduate students from the Graphic Art and Design course were tasked with producing engaging exhibition boards and interpretation materials to add context to the original artworks on display, helping visitors better understand Ball’s life, creative process and legacy.
Siân Hewitt, Group Archives and Records Manager at Coventry University, said: “It has been great to open our Archives to students who wouldn’t normally have considered using us, especially in supporting their coursework, and to be able to offer them an opportunity to produce work for an exhibition to be held at such a well-known and revered location as Coventry Cathedral.
"Indeed, I think it is fitting for an exhibition celebrating the work of Peter Eugene Ball, who studied and taught art at Coventry University’s predecessors, that these art students contribute to his homecoming exhibition.
“I now hope to build on this and develop more collaborations in the future, showcasing the richness of our archives and connecting them with wider audiences.”
