becca pelly-fry – curating art in folkestone

Becca Pelly-Fry is a curator of the arts, and is running a pop up at Gallery 66 on The Old High Street from 29th May to 7th June called A Room Of One’s Own.  It’s an opportunity to work with artists she has met since moving to Folkestone, and also bringing new artists to town for us to discover.  Folkelife met with Becca to find out what attracted her to the town.

“I have been living with my husband for about six years now, and one of the questions I asked him was ‘Are you going to live in Bromley forever?’ as it’s not a place I had planned on staying for long.  About three years’ ago, we looked around for somewhere new and settled on the Kent coast for the simple reason of it being a practical distance from London in order to get to work and visit families etc.  We visited a few places but Folkestone stood out as a real gem.”

folkestone is evolving

“Not ones to hang around, and moved here not knowing anyone!  It felt like we were coming to a place that had already been through a lot of change, but was about to go through its next phase.  Folkestone felt exciting, and a place that was evolving in an interesting way, not just pure gentrification.  There was an interesting dynamic here, with a little tension.  Folkestone feels like it’s never, sort of, sat and been comfortable with itself.  It has a feeling of constantly wanting to adapt and change and try something new.”

folkestone is a music town

“My husband was drawn to Folkestone as a music town, he’s a musician and there is stuff going on here.  We came to visit the Triennial in 2021 and camped at The Warren.  We were with my brother and his partner, and had the most wonderful weekend.  The weather was fantastic, and it was clear that Folkestone was doing amazing things, not just with the art, but the variety of bars and events happening.  We met some random people who invited us to a gig with them at The Chambers.  

“The fact that there’s art happening here at all levels; the Triennial is the international side, then lots of little things happening in studios and it felt there was a creative community here, you could feel it even if it’s not that visible.”

working in folkestone

“In the first year of living here I got involved with setting up Open Art Folke.  That’s a really good way of meeting people, and I met so many so quickly. 

“In my second year, I joined Folkestone Fringe and worked with Chloe and Diane Dever.  I got involved in School Gallery with Michael Hall which seemed like an exciting opportunity, and it was all amazing and interesting and wonderful.  It’s good to get to know the ecosystem here.  My work portfolio is diverse so find my net is spread wider than just Folkestone.

“I am now voluntary chair of Open Art Folke and that’s an amazing event to be involved with.  I am a non-executive director of Unboxed, which is a new project in town for a community space centred around wellbeing and creativity.  It’s a CIC, and it’s a non-art project for me which is a good thing.”

gallery 66 – A room of one’s own

“From 29 May to 7 June 2026, I will be putting on a selling exhibition in Gallery 66. This is something I wanted to see if I could do here on my own. A Room Of One’s Own is an exhibition which has entry-level items for sale from £200, up to £3,000.  The ‘affordable’ art bracket (such as the Affordable Art Fair) actually goes up to £10,000 and beyond for original artworks; but then you’re not just buying an object, you’re buying into the life and practice of an independent creator. I believe there is a market here though, via people who are renovating lovely houses, and have walls to show artwork on.   

“The artwork comes from eighteen different artists, five of whom come from Folkestone.  Tom Shedden has a studio on Tontine Street, and he creates paintings and pastel drawings which are incredibly textural.  The works I am showing from him are geometric based, but essentially of the human figure.  He is ultimately interested in image making, using a range of different starting points and methods. 

“Stephen Williams runs the Art Shop here and he’s been collaborating with David Froude, the ceramicist.  They have created a series of ceramics, made by David and decorated by Stephen who is very influenced by his travels to Mexico, Brazil and Japan.  And these sculptural vessels are incredibly colourful.”

sunny sands house

“I’m also collaborating with Ida Jacobsen of Sunny Sands House and Millie Cooper of Wild Berries Vintage.  They are bringing their homewares and furniture and vintage items.  Millie is also a ceramicist, so look out for some of her ceramic vessels too. 

“Everything is for sale, and the gallery isn’t going to look like some pristine exhibition space, but a domestic space.  I want you to imagine living with these artworks, and see how art can be in the heart of the home.  This is about breaking down the barriers of what art is; to me it’s about having lovely things around you.”

comparable costs

“People will happily spend £5,000 on a sofa, so why not spend a similar amount on a piece of art that’s going to make you happy every time you look at it?  Plus, it has a story to it, and in buying it you are supporting the life and work of an artist or independent practitioner.  This item then carries a lot more meaning. And it’s also why I have called the pop-up ‘A Room Of One’s Own”.

The Pop Up runs from 29th May to 7th June 2026, and is at Gallery 66 on The Old High Street.