Benefactor sought to gift six metre high ceramic Temple to the community

A North Devon artist is seeking a healing new home in the South West for her most ambitions creation – a six metre high ceramic building made from more than 5,200 hand-painted tiles.

Sandy Brown from Appledore would like to see her largest ever creation, called Temple, being gifted by a benefactor to a hospice, a Maggie’s cancer care centre, or another South West charity or cultural estate.

Valued at around £700,000, Temple has been described as one of the most ambitious works in British ceramics — but its creator hopes its greatest worth will be measured in the comfort and inspiration it brings.

First unveiled at Chatsworth House during Sotheby’s Beyond Limits exhibition in 2015, Temple astonished critics and visitors alike for its scale and audacity.

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More than a sculpture, it is a walk-in chamber of colour and light, where stained glass by Simon Moore casts jewel-like reflections across painted ceramic walls. Many who step inside describe the experience as both uplifting and transformative.

Sandy has long been celebrated as one of the UK’s most original voices in ceramics. Her works are held in the V&A, the Ashmolean Museum, and in 47 museum collections worldwide, including the Frankfurt Museum of Applied Arts, Germany and the Winnipeg Museum in Canada.

Now Sandy is hoping Temple can return to the region that inspired her and she believes it should remain a living artwork, experienced by those who most need its qualities of energy and renewal.

She said: “Temple was always meant to be experienced. It can be a spiritually uplifting space for non-denominational ceremonies such as weddings, namings and memorials.

“I would love families, patients, and communities here in Devon and Cornwall to step inside it every day and feel its colour, its energy, its sense of renewal. This region has shaped my life and my work — my dream is for Temple to remain here as an accessible artwork available to the people.”

Sandy is appealing for a benefactor, foundation, or business to step forward and ensure Temple’s future. She says for local philanthropists, businesses, or estates, the opportunity goes beyond acquiring a landmark artwork — it’s about ensuring one of Britain’s most ambitious ceramic works becomes rooted in the South West, accessible to generations to come.

Anyone interested in finding out more can contact Sandy Brown via her website at https://sandybrownarts.co.uk