The Halpern Charitable Foundation exists to inspire and transform the
lives of the broad and diverse audiences of people and communities
in Medway and Kent.
The Halpern Charitable Foundation was founded in 2002, achieving charitable status in March 2003. It was set up initially to meet three particular aims – to provide affordable space for artists to work and exhibit in Medway; to help people with mental and/or physical illness/disability; and as a backstop for the Chatham Memorial Synagogue, should it ever be in real financial difficulty with no other avenue left. Since then the Foundation has refined and expanded its ideas. We realised that in addition to providing studio and exhibiting space at affordable prices to artists, we needed to help break down the barriers some of the public.
Since then the Foundation has refined and expanded its ideas. We realised that in addition to providing studio and exhibiting space at affordable prices to artists, we needed to help break down the barriers some of the public felt in accessing contemporary arts. We realised that there were a lot of people not being included within the local community and we have found that using the arts to enable these groups is tremendously effective.
HILARY HALPERN
Hilary Halpern was born on 31st May 1928 in Chatham, Kent. He lived with his parents and sister over the health food and tobacconist shop they ran In the High Street. His father, Alec was a Chief Inspector in the Special Constabulary. Hilary went to the Sir Joseph Williamson Mathematical School, the local Grammar school in Rochester. He was evacuated to Wales during the war to live with his Aunt, Uncle and cousins along with two distant cousins who had arrived in Britain on the Kinder transport. He decided not to stay in Wales and hitched a series of lifts from Wales across England back to his parents’ home in Chatham when he was about 12 years old. The journey took 21/2 days, and he slept out, wherever he was, and was pretty hungry. Backhome as a teenager, Hilary lived through the blitz, on more than one one occasion searching for his mother through the burning dockland of the East end.
OUR TRUSTEES
PETER MARTIN - Business Consultant
SHARON DOSANJH - Head Of Mental Health Commissioning - NHS Medway CCG
PAULA GREGORY - Curricular Leader, Art - Rochester Grammar School For Girls
GEOFF HARVEY - Engineer (Retired) - BAE Systems
VINCE MAPLE - Medway Council
JACQUELINE SHICLUNA - Medway Council
CHARLOTTE WALKER - NHS England
Championing creativity to enhance people lives.
INSPIRE – Affordable, dynamic and innovative space to create, showcase and retail
CREATE – Inspiring creativity, encouraging diversity, creating inclusivity
SHOWCASE – Providing affordable space to exhibit in Chatham & Rochester
SUPPORT – Promoting access to the Arts for over 15 years throughout Medway & Kent
Nucleus Arts is the Award Winning flagship arts organisation founded by the Halpern Charitable Foundation. The Foundation was the brainchild of the late Hilary Halpern and it was his dream to promote the Arts in Medway and Kent. Nucleus Arts has become the cultural and creative heart of Kent & Medway over the past 15 years (founded in 2002) and focuses on affordability, accessibility and excellence in the Arts.
Featuring a wide variety of works by local artists, Nucleus Arts aims to prove that beautiful, original and unique works of art can be both attainable and affordable, whilst at the same time providing low-cost studio space to artists in order to enable them to be able to practice their Art.
Now in our 15th year, Nucleus Arts has sites in Chatham where artists can create and display their work. Open to the public (and free to enter), constantly updated, the Nucleus showrooms are a haven for local art lovers and a wonderful retreat for those who want a little something different from their shopping trip.
