‘The Sweetest Thing’ with Joy Gregory - Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery

Joy Gregory describes ‘The Sweetest Thing’ as the story of sugar. Her magnificent textile piece commissioned for RAMM’s exhibition ‘In Plain Sight: Transatlantic Slavery and Devon’ tells the story of Devon’s links to the slave trade, plantations and sugar production.

In the talk, she discusses the development of the work, from her initial ideas and research which included visits to Topsham and other sites in Devon with links to the transatlantic slave trade, inspiration from the Combesatchfield embroidery, to the final work as a material object.

Joy was born in Oxfordshire in 1959 to Jamaican parents. She studied at Manchester Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art, London. As well as RAMM, recent exhibitions include Tate Britain and Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange in Cornwall.

Friends of RAMM are delighted to contribute to RAMM’s recent acquisition of The Sweetest Thing, a valuable addition to the historic collection by an internationally acclaimed contemporary artist.